Seal for Shower

HungryHippos · 22 Jul 2013 at 21:08

Purchased a new build property recently but I'm wondering about the Seal for the shower. Can you guys check out the pictures below and let me know what you think?

The first picture shows the right side of the frame looking out from within the shower, so they have put some mastic on the bottom of the frame but none on the inside edge going up, is that right?

This picture shows the bottom of the frame, this sits on the lip of the shower tray, and there is no mastic on the bottom edge so the water seems to get through and sit on the other side of the frame.

This one shows the left edge, again no seal on it.

This one shows the bottom edge of the tray/frame looking in from outside. The water gets through under the frame and pools between the frame and the edge of the tray.

I reckon I need to get the builders to seal the bottom of the frame on the inside of the shower, what do you guys think? Presumably the inside of the shower frame going up doesn't usually have any sealant applied, it's sealed on the outside edges.

bitslice · 22 Jul 2013 at 21:21

It's supposed to be like that

I don't actually like that design though, they always fill up with hair and fluff

Brozart · 22 Jul 2013 at 21:33

If you want peace of mind, just do it yourself with CT1 sealer, its a 5 minute job...

Jokester · 22 Jul 2013 at 21:37

That's what mine's like, the sealant is on the outside of the unit on the vertical edges.

Ronty · 22 Jul 2013 at 21:41

Almost all of the enclosures I've seen say to seal in that way, but as been said it can make it a bit of a dirt trap so the inside gets sealed as well.

Maccapacca · 22 Jul 2013 at 21:52

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dow-corning-785-sanitary-sealant-clear-310ml/38292

Dow Corning's clear mastic is great, it's like crystal glass when it's down.

bitslice · 22 Jul 2013 at 23:57

What are you lot on about? :confused:

OP, you really don't need to seal it, I've seen several of those showers installed and they all look like that.

If you seal the vertical trim it will do nothing, water goes down anyway.

If you seal the base bar in front of the tray lip, the space between the lip and the bar will fill up with wet gunk and you won't be able it wash it away (it's already a fiddly job cleaning that area - stupid design)

Any silicone will develop mould over time and the only cure is to remove it (fiddly) and reseal. So the least amount of silicone you can use on a job, the better. If it doesn't leak, then it was correctly installed.

HungryHippos · 23 Jul 2013 at 09:16

Thanks for the replies, the problem I have at the moment is that the bottom of the frame leaks so I currently get water sitting between the frame and the lip of the tray (on the outside).

For reference the water sits in the bit with the arrow pointing to it:

ci_newman · 23 Jul 2013 at 10:05

It's supposed to do that by design, it removes the need to replace the sealant in the future and also stops your carpets getting wet.

bitslice · 23 Jul 2013 at 10:55

As above

I agree it looks blinking awful, but somebody out there in house-building-land keeps speccing the darn things.

HangTime · 24 Jul 2013 at 21:58

Eulogy said:
the problem I have at the moment is that the bottom of the frame leaks

Snag it - report the problem, not what you think may be the cause given it may be standard fitting (I can't comment as I'm no expert on such matters!)

Makhaira · 24 Jul 2013 at 22:11

If the frame leaks, that's a separate issue, and as mentioned above, snag it.

A lot of shower frames are classed as "draining internally", which means they get sealed on the outside but not the inside. I actually like that approach as it means there is less silicone inside the shower area to keep clean.

Jokester · 24 Jul 2013 at 22:21

I found that the thing that made the difference with preventing mould was stopping using soap to wash myself but shower gel instead. Never had any bother with mould since. Presumably it's something to do with the fats in soap.

pitchfork · 25 Jul 2013 at 17:43

Nowt wrong with it, it's just one of those silly designs that make life easier for the 3 fingered Albanians who fitted it.

Hostile-17 · 26 Jul 2013 at 08:51

Its by design, it catches any excess water along with dust, fluff, dirt and god knows what!!

b0rn2sk8 · 26 Jul 2013 at 19:33

As others have said, its meant to be like that, the lip stops it going on your carpets, but removed the need to sealant, it also catches any water/condensation that may run down the front as you open and close the door when your soaking wet. keep it clean or you'll never get it back clean again.

Maccapacca · 27 Jul 2013 at 18:34

Here you go

thenewoc · 27 Jul 2013 at 20:14

Mine is like it too but as said I think it's meant to be that way. The frame just sits on the tray in essence and stuff gets caught under it. Just had the pleasure of cleaning it recently after the previous owners. The only thing I found that worked was using a trigger spray bottle and blasting it from the outside bottom edge, it forces under the gap and eventually gets it sorted.

Buffman · 27 Jul 2013 at 20:39

Any silicone will develop mould over time and the only cure is to remove it (fiddly) and reseal. So the least amount of silicone you can use on a job, the better. If it doesn't leak, then it was correctly installed.

Any tips on how to do this? Thats the problem im currently having. I Hear Stanley Knife is best bet?

bitslice · 28 Jul 2013 at 00:57

The Craig said:
Any tips on how to do this? Thats the problem im currently having. I Hear Stanley Knife is best bet?

Fiddly, you may not be able to get really close to the surface.

You can get razor blades with a metal backing on them (intended for removing paint from windows glass), they will bend a lot more and may be easier to use.

Ideally get some 'silicon sealant remover' from Screwfix, but it's expensive so you may prefer to get as much of it up by hand first.

Seal for Shower

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