Sealing a Problem Shower Tray

Norroy

We have had problems for a while with water from a shower going through to the floor below.The waste and service pipes are fine, and the tiles/grout are sound. I have had the edge where the tiles meet the tray sealed several times with mixed results.

It has been suggested that the sealant is removed, the tray then left unused for four days, a layer of waterproof fast drying cement put down and then silicon put on top.

Does this sound like a good idea ? Any other suggestions will be gratefully received.

andyhop

sounds unprofessional

a good quality silicone would do the job if applied correctly,

is there a gap betwen tile and tray?

the tiles, tray etc must be clean and dry and ALL old silicone removed otherwise you are wasting your time

tinkerbell84

I had a similar problem. I took the old sealant off, made sure surfaces were completely dry, put a big plastic box on the tray and filled it with water (about 80 litres to simulate a person standing in it - the leak was being caused by the silicon being slightly stretched ) and then resealed with plenty of sealant. Left it a week to ensure it was all dry and then used it.

Job done

andrew-b

Was the tray installed before or after the tiles? The tray should be installed first then you tile off the tray and seal before and after tiling with silicone. You could get some Upstand Shower Sealing Strip to convert the shower tray to an upstand tray and again tile over the top before finishing off with a bead of silicone.

Andy

greyteam1959

It might not be the sealant.......the shower tray itself might be cracked....when you stand on it and use the shower the crack opens up and lets it leak then it closes when you get off it.
This only applies if it is a cheapo plastic tray and not a ceramic one of course.

Norroy

The tiles went in after the shower tray, there does not appear to be a significant gap between tiles and tray. I don't think there is a crack in the tray as the water comes through even if noone is standing in the shower.

Would a thin layer of concrete before the silicon goes on, offer extra protection ?

Has anyone tried to use 'Sealant Eater' from Plumbase ?

andyhop

Norroy wrote: »

The tiles went in after the shower tray, there does not appear to be a significant gap between tiles and tray. I don't think there is a crack in the tray as the water comes through even if noone is standing in the shower.

Would a thin layer of concrete before the silicon goes on, offer extra protection ?

Has anyone tried to use 'Sealant Eater' from Plumbase ?

the silicone removers will only be any use once you have scraped of most of the used silicone, stanley blade and a metal pan scrubber is what i use

concrete is porous and should not be used

myhooose

I had this problem and after a lot of silicone removing and resealing I found the problem to be where the shower frame butts up against the tiled wall. The frame is sealed on the outside but not on the inside. The frame needed to be removed from the wall and the shower tray/ tile join resealed behind the frame.

Ps. screwfix orange smelling silicone remover worked well for me.

discountmummy

I had a similar problem and we found it was the actual shower frame itself had not been properly sealed by the maufactuer (Bathstore) we first thought it was not properly sealed between the tiles and frame but was in fact the glass in the frame not properly sealed and was leaking through there along the top of the shower tray and down into the corners and into the floor below! Needless to say the maufactuer are liable for suppling faulty goods!

Devon_Hippo

Norroy wrote: »

We have had problems for a while with water from a shower going through to the floor below.The waste and service pipes are fine, and the tiles/grout are sound. I have had the edge where the tiles meet the tray sealed several times with mixed results.

It has been suggested that the sealant is removed, the tray then left unused for four days, a layer of waterproof fast drying cement put down and then silicon put on top.

Does this sound like a good idea ? Any other suggestions will be gratefully received.

It sounds a bit worrying that you have had the gap sealed several times - if it is done properly, it is a one off job and if it fails, either 1) it was done badly or 2) there is too much movement elsewhere (probably the tray)

It is absolutely vital if you are re-silicone sealing that all traces of the old stuff is removed, otherwise it is a bit of a waste of time.
This is something that you can do yourself quite simply to be honest and save money on getting someone in (unless they are not charging you for all these revisits?) There is an video [URL="http://www.ultimatehandyman.org/videos/156/how-to-silicone-a-shower]here"][/url]here that covers both removing old silicone and also applying the new silicone sealant.

lagi

If water comes through even when no-one is standing in it. Could you not use a watering can. Mask off three edges and pour it along one edge and see if leaks there. If not move along until you can narrow down where its coming from.