Botching a shower tray repair

[Martynt74]

I know, i know. Most posts here will tell me to do it properly.... but i'm wondering if there is another option.

In Feb 2020 we had an issue with our en-suite where water was leaking and then, since my wife never liked the tiles or sink, we decided to rip it all out and do a full refit.

Everything was great to start with, however after around 5 months we noticed a slight dip in the shower tray. We called the plumber out who came to look and said there was likely an airgap in the adhesive and it should be fine and to let him know if anything got worse. We weren't overly happy but didn't fight it.

It then got to Jan 21 and we noticed the dip had become more pronounced. There was also a sign of a slight crack appearing in the resin. We got back in touch and ended up with lots of broken promises to come out and look. We then got to August when he finally came out and agreed that it wasn't fitted properly and said he'd order a new shower tray and come back to refit it. This would require the bottom row of tiles to be removed but luckily we had spares.

It then got to Oct 21 and lots of ignored texts, he then messaged out of the blue apologising for lack of contact and said he was about to order the shower tray and would forward confirmation. This never arrived. Any attempt of contact since has been ignored.

We've now accepted he's very unlikely to do anything about this and as the crack has got bigger, and whilst there's no sign of water leaking at the moment, it's only a matter of time until it happens. Unless of course the water is leaking through and this has caused the ply to warp which has then allowed the shower tray to sag even further. I probably need to investigate that.

Other than removing the tiles, shower screen and then fully replacing the shower tray and retiling. I'm wondering if there's anyway to use a resin filler to repair the cracks in the tray and then use some wedges to provide additional support from below.

At the moment, there is a concrete floor, with 3 lengths of wood, topped with a sheet of ply with the shower tray bonded to this. So in theory it's fitted correctly. Just not executed correctly.

If we were staying here longer then i'd be more willing to do it properly and estimate it'll cost around £800 once it's all done, but in reality we're likely to be moving in 18 months and so i'm wondering whether i can be a massive bell-end and kick the can down the road

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

TBH I would think replacing. Any repair to something like that is likely to be very ugly if its functional and probably non functional if its not ugly considering it sounds like its flexing its also likely to get worse.

I would LBA him personally assuming you have an address.

Was the ply thick enough? I guess its possibly delaminating over time and as such its breaking and will just get worse and worse.

Can you get good access, its possible you can add additional support and push it back into place. Only seeing properly underneath will show if its actually leaking. IMO if its leaking its replace 100%
Refitting I assume requires a line of tiles off to replace the bottom seal and ensure its waterproof again.

 

[Martynt74]

We can get access but only to the point of around 3” in height so enough to stick your arm under.

Will get some pics tomorrow which I really should’ve done in the first place!

 

[200sols]

These shower trays can also be used on legs, like 5 legs. They shouldn't sag just because a small bit of adhesive is missing. Something else is probably at play here. Rip it out is my answer.

 

[adamau5]

even then most thin trays you put the ply and a thickish layer of mortar or adhesive on tup to provide a solid base. If the ply is wet, and the motar layer breaks up, rip it out and start again. You need to find the leak though, you may have wet side / side panels.

 

[Journey]

We've now accepted he's very unlikely to do anything about this

Start a small claims action against him. Link

If you have messages or details showing he agreed to the repair that is even better, but you do not always need them.

I would offer him/them a final chance notifying them of the impending action, sometimes a threat is enough to get it resolved, you can also take photos and video while the repairs are being carried out if you no longer trust them. I'd be inclined to get a quote from elsewhere to carry out the repairs, including tiling etc. Then just wait until the money is back with you.

 

[thenewoc]

What you ought to do in my opinion is lay the possible ground work for litigation.

Write to the company that did the work in a cordial way summarising the key points to jog their memory such as when it was fitted and the last contact you had via email or whatever about ordering the new tray. Explain that the issue has worsened and you'd like to establish a date for them to visit to carry out the replacement works. Send this recorded delivery.

Wait 4 weeks and if you haven't heard anything do the same again but this time state that due to not hearing anything that if you don't receive confirmation of the necessary remedial work being carried out within the next 28 days then you will have no choice other than to appoint an alternative company to rectify their work. If you should choose to decline the opportunity to put your own work right then I shall follow this matter up with the small claims court.

Since you are considering selling to me that makes it more of an issue to get it done properly since it will likely show to any would be buyer that would knock you on the value of the property unless fixed properly.

 

[Martynt74]

Just as an update to this.

We chased up the plumber a few times again including sending recorded delivery letters. Still absolutely nothing back. His facebook page is gone along with his website.

I've been talking about trying to fix it to the annoyance of my wife, however over the weekend i decided to just do it. Removed the side panel and bizarely it is actually installed on shower legs and not batons with plywood. This seems to be the correct method of installation for a shower tray like this. What i can see, part of the issue is the waste pipe runs the full length down the middle of the tray. It's got a leg on one side of the waste pipe but not the other which is where it's sagged.

I cut a few wooden block wedges and then a length of wood and made sure the base was well supported underneath. I then bought a shower tray repair kit and set about filling in the 3 cracks which had developed and then sprayed it white. It's still a little lumpy as i think i hammered the wedges a little too hard and pushed it up! But if it stops the leaks and flexing then i'm classing it as a job well done and £800 saved.
If it fails again then it's £25 wasted on the repair kit and i'll get someone out to repair properly.


On a curious timing aspect. I finally got a reply to my email to Victoria Plum about the shower tray who confirmed installation looked ok based on my pictures submitted and they were going to issue a replacement. I wonder whether there's the chance of additional compensation to pay for the faulty item to be replaced?