Water leak problem in bathroom

[Bob H]

This one has had me going up the wall until I found out where it was leaking from.

Right, got a bath in the corner of room which has the long side (of bath) wall tiled and has the sealing rubber strip fitted under/behind the bottom of first row of tiles. Also the short side/tap end of bath is tiled the same. There is a shower hose fitted from the taps and is used at the tap end of bath. Now water only leaks through the bathroom floorboards to the kitchen below when the said shower is being used, and after many months of re sealing round taps, both above and below, and then sealing between the side panel and floor in case water was getting through that joint, it was still the same when the shower was used. After more investigation, it transpired that the top of the *bloody* bath is not level at that end; it slopes into the corner just very slightly which allows water on the top of the bath to run down under the said seal. So as a temporary measure I ran a film of clear waterproof sealant along the joint beween the seal and the bath, which has stopped water getting through. Now, I realise this is not an ideal cure, so I was wondering if anyone knows of a permanent one.

Thanks

[Ian Stirling]

A) Level the bath.

Circular saw with diamond blade, and guide screwed to the wall so that you trim it straight. (wear breathing mask and eye protection) Nasty. Or, dig out and replace the sealant every couple of years or so when it starts to leak again.

B) Level the bath. Get the house underpinned, and jack one end of the house up.

[Bob H]

Ok, not sure what you mean in A. Trim what staright?? The seal is not sealant, it is a rubber right angled strip with a feathered edge which sits on top of the bath while the 'up bit' goes up underneath the tiles. I only used a film of sealant over the feathered edge of the seal.

Oh, B is not an option :-)

cheers

[Rob Morley]

The bottom of the tiles, so you can level the bath?

[Tim Mitchell]

In article , Bob H writes

If the gap between the bath & the wall (underneath the rubber) isn't too big, cut off the rubber strip with a stanley knife and put sealant round the bath instead. I don't like those rubber strips for exactly this reason.

[Richard Porter]

Not really, but these sealing strips for baths and sinks are very unsatisfactory. In my previous house I had a similar problem. The bath was level when empty but if you filled it or stood in it to shower it went down more at one end than the other. I removed all the sealing strips and pus silicone sealant round the bath. This is when I discovered the movement problem. I then filled up the bath with cold water and resealed it. When the silicone had gone off I let the water out, after which it was OK.

[Tony Williams]

[snip]

Something I've posted before. Next door had a similar shower arrangement, and did not notice the leakage down past the bath. The house was sold and the next owner embarked on a bathroom refurb, only to find that the water had rotted the joists beneath the bath, making the floor fairly dangerous.

[Bob H]

Ok, right, I see what you mean now.

Cheers

[Bob H]

-----------snipped my own post as most of was drivel :-)------------------

Yes, sounds a better idea altogether that. Actually the gap between the bath and wall is not that much because, as far as I remember, the thickness of a tile covers it completely, so its just a matter of filling under the tile or ? with sealant, waterproof of course.

Thanks

[Tim Mitchell]

Use a sanitary-grade silicone sealant, not B&Q's cheapest. It's worth spending a bit on because the cheap stuff discolours quickly and isn't so flexible.

Cut as much of the rubber off as you can, then run a bead of the sealant right round the bath so it covers where the cut off rubber is, and seals to the bath on the bottom edge and the tiles on the top edge. Dip your finger in washing up liquid to smooth it, and you can use masking tape on the bath & tiles to get a clean edge, which you peel off as soon as you've smoothed the sealant, before it sets. There is a bit of an art to this and it's been described in detail here several times. If the bath is quite flexible, fill it with water before sealing so that it will push up against the sealant when it's empty.

[Bob H]

Ok Tim, thanks for that. I've got some high modulus white sealant from Jewsons in the garage; I'll look to see if its waterproof., if not I'll buy some as you say. I'm not sure how flexible the bath is, but I will fill it before I use any sealant to be safe.

Thanks again

[The Natural Philosopher]

Should you ever be installing a bath, what I do to avoid this is put the bath in, then seal with gobby silicone, using white spirit to get rid of surplus, then tile over the sealant. I usually grout the tile to bath bit if the bath is rigid enough, otherwise sealant is added again post tiling.