Help - sealing between bath and shower screen

zareer

Hi, I have just installed a new glass shower screen for my bathtub and am having problems sealing the shower screen.

The bath is a cast iron tub and the shower screen is glass, with an aluminium frame at the bottom.

The shower screen has a fixed 20 cm panel that rests on the bath and is attached to the wall (there is no issue with the seal between the screen and the wall).

When it was first installed, I put a layer of sealant either side of this fixed glass panel (inside and outside the bath) between the bath and the screen and left it to dry for 48 hours. A week later, though, the seal is not working and water is leaking underneath the panel. It seems that the sealant cannot get a solid grip with the bath and the aluminium screen because I can now peel off all the sealant with my fingers!

Can anyone recommend a good sealant to make water tight the gap between the bath and the shower screen? Does it make a difference that I am trying to seal an aluminium screen? And also, must I fill the bath when sealing again (bearing in mind it’s a cast iron tub?)

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your help.

Quincy_3

Tremsil Low Modulus silicone sealant http://www.tremcosealants.com/commercial/products/product_detail.asp?id=26

Picked up at any Good Glaziers.

Alan_M_2

You actually need a high quality sanitary sealant,

Dow Corning 785 available at most good plumbers merchants.

Also thoroughly clean the surfaces to which it will be applied preferably with methylated spirit and allow to dry before application.

Dont seal the screen on the inside, leave this open and seal it outside only, this allows water to flow freely back into the bath if is gets through the rame itself, water will always take the route of least resistance.

zareer

Thanks v much guys. I think you are both suggesting that I use a acetoxy silicone sealant. I will pick up some Dow Corning 785 this weekend and hopefully that will do the trick.

Can I just ask - do I need to fill the bath when sealing? Thanks

Alan_M_2

Yes it will help if you fill the bath, although with a cast Iron bath it sholdn't settle much if at all.

And yes it's an acetoxy type sealant, that'll be the vinegar type smell in the sealant that resists mould growth.

bestyman

Why is there a need to seal the screen to the bath?

Shower screens usually have a plastic lip that sits tightly against the bath .

IMO if you are trying to install a screen to a bath and it wont fit ( irregular shaped bath etc) your better off with a curtain.

Bestyman

Quincy_3

You have to get Low modulus silicone or the acetate will eat into the bath if its a plastic bath, also tremsil is a Glaziers silicone that repels all weather conditions as its for external use on PVC window plastic.

bestyman

Erm... perhaps Im missing something here but for the last 20 years I`ve been a plumber and have always used ...wait for it ...sanitaryware silicone sealant.

Having said that never used it where a screen meets a bath .

Go into a plumbers merchant and ask for low modulos and they will PTSL

Alan_M_2

Quincy wrote:

You have to get Low modulus silicone or the acetate will eat into the bath if its a plastic bath, also tremsil is a Glaziers silicone that repels all weather conditions as its for external use on PVC window plastic.

OP stated the bath is cast iron, and I've yet to have a problem with Dow Corning 785 etching an Acrylic bath.

Alan_M_2

bestyman wrote:

Why is there a need to seal the screen to the bath?

Shower screens usually have a plastic lip that sits tightly against the bath .

IMO if you are trying to install a screen to a bath and it wont fit ( irregular shaped bath etc) your better off with a curtain.

Bestyman

OP stated the screen has a fixed 150mm projection from the wall, the screen then hinges from the end of the fixed section, commonly known as Extended bath screens, the fixed section requires sealant to both seal it and help locate it in position.

Alan_M_2

bestyman wrote:

Erm... perhaps Im missing something here but for the last 20 years I`ve been a plumber and have always used ...wait for it ...sanitaryware silicone sealant.

Having said that never used it where a screen meets a bath .

Go into a plumbers merchant and ask for low modulos and they will PTSL

Yup Dow Corning 785, designed for this very use.