Sealing around a bath

MADHAT_2

I hope someone can help me.

We had a new acrylic bath installed over a year ago and when the sealant was first applied the bath was filled and the sealant was left to dry. However as soon as we started to use the bath the sealant came away from bath and created a gap around the side and edges. I tried adding extra sealant within the gap but the same thing happened.

I was hoping to fix this problem and I've read somewhere that placing bricks underneath the bath to provide support can prevent the bath moving. Is this safe to do? Or does the bath need to move slightly otherwise it will get damaged.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thank you

bristol_pilot

Use proper silicone sealant (about £10 per tube), that dries by a chemical reaction and emits acetic acid as it dries. Not the other stuff (£3) that simply dries out. If you had the bath fitted, chances are the tradesman would use the cheaper stuff. Make sure the area is completely clean and dry before applying the sealant - don't take a shower just before! After applying the silicone sealant, fill the bath with (cold) water, so it has weight in it as it is drying out, this will help reduce the effect of any movement. Leave well alone for 36 hours while the sealant dries. If that fails, you will have to re-fit the bath.

handyman.

half fill then bath, then apply the silicon, not the other way round

With the movement you are getting, i would check under the bath and make sure everything is supported correctly

I would recommend this sealant. I have tried all the other sanitry silicons, and all, appart from this one, went mouldy within 1 year
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=57908&ts=71573

zorber

I havent had this problem with my bath but had it with my shower. Again use a good quality sealant that is also mould resistant. I supported the shower try with blocks of wood cut to size underneather to stop the movement and that worked a treat. Suggest you look at a suportive approach for your bath as it may stop the movement.

MADHAT_2

Thank you for all the advice.

Is it safe to have a tight fit between the floor and the bottom of the bath (with using bricks as support) or could this lead to cracking?

I am going to use a high quality sealant this time and leave it well alone for as long as possible.

zorber

I havent had any problems with cracking and i have had my showner supported for about 4 years now.

So long as you evenly suppot it i would expect it to be fine.

kitchen_buff

Ok. This is what you need to do.
First remove the bath panel and check that the cradle adjustable feet are all stable to the floor, if not tighten them if so the refit panel.
next, remove all existing sealant, use a scraper if required(be gentle on bath)
next get a hair dryer and dry the area to be re sealed, this should take about 15 20 mins. Now fill bath with water not to top. get some house bricks put inside carrier bags and place in bath. This will simulate a person. Now re seal using a quality kitchen bathroom sealant, make sure you push in the sealant to all joints. Leave to dry for 24, 36 hours.

When taking panel off bath you can support underneath with panels of chipboard, this is good in the middle to back of bath if bath is used as a shower.

Jonesya

You might want to look at Teleseal - it's a 2 part, overlapping plastic seal strip. One part is attached to the bath/shower tray, the other is attached to the wall, the two strips are separate but overlap by about 1cm to provide the seal, any movement by the bath/wall is accommodated by the overlap rather than relying on silicone sealant to expand/shrink.

We used it on a shower tray where the existing silicone was forever losing it's seal, so far it's worked well.

ManBearPig

Had the Same problem with my bath a few years ago I actually made a small wooden frame on the one side to support the bath which solved the problem so definitely trying to support the bath might solve the problem. As for silicon try to get a rubber base one most of the ones on the market these days are not silicon base and are absolutely rubbish and take about 4-5 days to dry properly.