Need help! Shower enclosure leaking. (Not a plumbing issue.)

[demilee]

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s221/sh/506b078c-ba50-4154-8c54-a174764039f8/c6e3b875d20399667f1dbcc1...

Please click on link above to see image with my comments. Pretending this is our shower (we have a very similar setup) it shows where we currently have silicone, where the water is coming from when it leaks and where I am wondering if there should have been silicone placed. We know they slapped our RV together because we have found a few other things we had to do when we got it from the factory.

If you are not supposed to put silicone in the inside seams by the doors then what is supposed to be in there to protect water from getting inside the metal joints of the enclosure?


Any help would be appreciated. Also we know that this is not a plumbing issue because of where the water is coming out.

Thanks!
-Demi

Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.

[aruba5er]

I had the same thing. Took it apart completly. Got a roll of sealant from local glass store. About 1 3/4 wide put down on base and verticals and reassembled. I used Polyseamseal on all the alum extrusions after it was put back together. It is water solubal unlike silicone so you can really do a nice job. When dry it is like silicon but should not be used where water could stand. Mine leaked from day one. Sloppy workers. Did you watch them making RV'S on PBS? They have no TIME to do it right.

[dougrainer]

There are a few things the factory does NOT do correctly on your type shower
1. The area BELOW the door, that metal cross on the shower pan. IS IT screwed to the shower pan? If not you need to drill 2 holes, inject DAP sealant, NOT SILICONE. and install 2 screws. These screws keep the complete enclosure from shifting in transit. IF you can grab the sides of the shower and shift it left and right, that means that the sealant UNDER the metal frame to the top of the shower pan is not sealed. The BLUE arrow areas do not need to be sealed.
2. Silicone (most OEMs use it) is NOT OK. Silicone will not adhere to the fiberglass shower walls, it will peel right off. We use DAP sealant adhesive from Lowes or HD and use the type that comes out white, but dries clear.
3. The CORRECT fix for you problem is to have the shower walls removed, all old silicone cleaned off and butyl installed where the shower walls sit on the shower pan and then reinstalled and THEN seal all edges bottom and sides with the DAP sealant. Doug

[ChadHinton]

That looks like the shower in our RV too. Ours had lots of leaks in similar areas. I ended up disassembling the shower and re-assembling the surround. If I remember properly, on ours the big issue was missing silicone at the bottom plate, especially in the bends where it's notched out.

(went out to the RV to look and remind myself what I'd done) I had to do the disassembly to gain access to that area to add the silicone. The vertical sections channel the water down to the bottom tray and it supposed to flow back into the shower. On mine it was able to go under the tray at those corners and the left-wall connection.

[Dr_Quick]

Just because something is new, does not mean that it was built right.

I have had four 5th wheels, and everyone of them has had leak problems, and two were new units.

If you saw the way that RV's are make, you would be amazed that there are not more problems. On my current trailer, that I bought used, had two major problems. There was about a 6 foot section of wall that was not attached to floor plate, and it had opened up about 1/4" and you could see the ground through the crack. At the front connection between roof and siding. Installation was very poor. Instead of batten strip attached to structural member, it was just screwed into 1/4" wood deck, so screws had not holding power. Major leak developed over time, that requited rebuilding of front wall, section of side walls, and roof to correct.

[demilee]

Thanks guys. Proceeding to fix this weekend. Safe travels!

-Demi

[BigBoy11]

We had a similar problem in our 2012 Kodiak and did the recaulking plus found a couple of what appeared to be drain back holes in the bottom section of the shower frame. While it appears the intent was for water to drain into the shower pan, it was causing water to run to the outside of the frame and down the front of the pan and onto the floor! More caulk in the drain holes and problem solvd.

[hammer21661]

Lexel is really good stuff ,Maybe too good for that job.

[demilee]

Dr. Quick - The shower is only a year and a half old, thus the rubber between the frame and the glass is the same age. IS it possible the rubber is already not doing it's job?

Thanks, Demi

[Dr_Quick]

My guess it that glass is not sealed to aluminum frame. I would try using something like a sprinkling can and pour water only on glass surface, and see if it leaks. If it does, could try and seal between glass and frame, or take frame apart and reseal glass to frame with new rubber seal, or some good waterproof caulking. Then reassemble and test. Also once you have frame apart, you should be able to see presence of water in frame from leak.

[demilee]

I assume you used clear silicone caulk? I have something called Lexel that I am about to use for the project. http://www.sashco.com/hi/lexel-faqs.html It is a co-polymer, or synthetic, rubber.

[hmknightnc]

I have a similar shower and when new it leak kind of like you are describing. Never could find the leak location so I removed all of the inside caulk from the manufacture and recaulked every inside seam including glass surfaces with a commercial duty bathroom caulk. Took about 2 hours, leak gone and hasn't returned in the last 2 years