Shower cabin leaking

[Will Silver]

I have been trying to find where a leak has been coming from which has started to to show itself by running down the walls and actually causing mould to to affect the cabinets in the kitchen below which is directly below the bathroom.
I asked the local bathroom specialist for advice in how to locate where the leak might be coming from.
Not being the greatest diyer i decide Saturday to give it a go, I wrapped paper towels around the various joints and the external base of the shower and ran the shower to find water was seeping from the bottom of the cabin where the wall of the shower meets the tray.
It would appear that the sealant had deteriorated and the joint all along the bottom was no longer sealed, so whenever the shower was used it would run down the walls of the cabin and seep underneath then eventually run down the wall at the furthest corner.
The point of the topic is what to do next, I have siliconed to stop it short term but I want to do it so i can forget about it for the future.
There is a degree of movement between the wall and the tray in that if you pushed the shower cabin from the top the sides would lift.
I was actually thinking of firstly gluing the cabin wall to the tray with an epoxy waterproof adhesive, or an epoxy putty and then siliconing it afterwards, or am i making to much of it and just get a good quality silicone sealant, such as DOW 785, or use a marine quality sealant, or even an aquatic grade sealant.
Sorry for the long winded thread I just need to put it in writing as much as anything. The Cabin is a steam shower, part of the Insignia range.

 

[mountainman]

Hi Will
You have done well so far.

There will always be be some movement between the enclosure and tray so don't try glueing it to stop this happening.
I would clean and dry the area as much as possible, try to lift the screen slightly and inject a good quality silicone into the gap and let the enclosure settle back.
Clean off the excess and make the joint pretty.

Nothing like this joint will last forever though.

 

[glenno1]

Use a silicone that has movement allowance,you can get it from most good merchants

 

[Will Silver]

Just a follow up to the above, would you seal the base of the shower cabin walls to the shower tray on the inside or the outside. I understand getting the silicone underneath the cabin walls, but after that inside or outside?, or both?, thanks.

 

[Plum Bob 66]

Just a follow up to the above, would you seal the base of the shower cabin walls to the shower tray on the inside or the outside. I understand getting the silicone underneath the cabin walls, but after that inside or outside?, or both?, thanks.

believe most enclosure/screen manufacturers recommend sealing the outside only.

 

[Will Silver]

HELP!!! I really dont know what to do next, I have approached a couple of local plumbers explained the problem, they dont really want to know.
I am still getting a leak from somewhere, I have replaced the silicone I had initially used just in case i hadnt done it properly the first time.
I have now used Dow Corning 785 which I am 100% confident in that it has done the job.
I have now replaced the drain trap and pipework, there looked to be a bit of weepage coming from this and there was flexy pipework which i have now replaced with solid.
I put kitchen roll underneath to check for any leaks, checked about 2 hours later, soaked!
Thought about it during the night, another sleepless one.
Must be a leak from a feed, pulled the shower away from the wall, soaking, thought i would be looking at a leaking joint but nothing obvious, dried everything up, wrapped all the feeds in kitchen roll, nothing!!.
This cabin has all the connections on the back of a vertical panel which appears to be fine.
What i did notice is that because the cabin is tilted to one side is that there appears to be water collecting in one corner which seems to be more than residual water.
I have had to leave it at the moment to go to work, i have put a plastic container underneath and will look at it later.
Is there a possibility that the vertical panel where the water connections are is actually leaking inside.
If there is anyone local to me who could offer on site advice, or through the forum i would be eternally grateful.

 

[rachaelcollins0]

Your Post is really usefull for me mountainman. Thank you.

 

[Guest123]

It sounds to me from your post that the water penetration is from an external source and not the tray itself. I think that you may have to thoroughly check all of the pipework behind the panel.

Shower doors and screens etc. are only designed to shed/contain some of the water and are not fully watertight. Most rely on a third party seal, i.e a silicone. Make sure the shower head is pointing into the base of the shower, not at the screen.

 

[Will Silver]

Thanks system3, there is still water appearing on the floor and between the walls in the bathroom, even when the shower cabin has not been used, for at least 12 hours in some cases.
That is what is making me think as you say an external source or internal source in this particular case, which is causing the problem.
I will have another look as soon as I finish work, just driving me crazy at the moment.