Shower Sealant Leak Help

[tntcoder]

Hi,

I've recently had a new shower/tiles fitted and suffering with sealant leaks around the bifold door frame. Spent ages pooring water in seals, and diagnosed it to water getting inside the frame. The frame is fully sealed on the outside only, which I think is correct.

See image below, but it seems if water goes inside either of those two vertical gaps, it leaks out the front, behind the tray. This implies that where the tray meets the tiles behind the frame is not/badly sealed?



I'm guessing the correct way to fix this, is have the frame taken off the wall and correctly seal behind it?

However that sounds difficult, could I get away with sealing both the highlighted verticals on the inside?

Bit stuck as to how to get this fixed!

 

[Steampunk]

Is that a screw cap on there that you can take off and have a look at what's behind? That piece might be decorative trim, or there might be something behind it like a rubber seal.

Something like that you'd seal to stop the water getting it from the wet side, because you don't want water sitting inside it causing mould if there is no drainage channel. Also, the wall isn't a flat surface, so you'd probably want to run some sealant down that edge too.

 

[tntcoder]

Is that a screw cap on there that you can take off and have a look at what's behind? That piece might be decorative trim, or there might be something behind it like a rubber seal.

Something like that you'd seal to stop the water getting it from the wet side, because you don't want water sitting inside it causing mould if there is no drainage channel. Also, the wall isn't a flat surface, so you'd probably want to run some sealant down that edge too.

It is a screw cap yes, if you look inside there is just a void inside the metal frame, I think it's designed such that it's fine for water to get in and it's meant to just drain out at the bottom safely on the inside. I guess maybe I should bite the bullet at remove the whole frame and correctly seal where it meets the wall.

 

[thenewoc]

The one against the tiles looks easy enough to do with some clear silicone bathroom / shower sealant and a fugi tool and some masking tape. Put a strip of masking tape down the wall a little wider than the size of bead you want and do the same with masking tape down the frame, same distance away from the corner. Use whichever fugi tool has the desired size profile on it and fit the black shoe attachment onto the fugi tool on the appropriate side. The shoe allows the fugi tool to glide over the dips in the tiles where the grout is so you get an even shaped bead of silicone. Using the fugi tool to get a neat bead helps to stop water collecting on it and reduces the chance of mould forming on the silicone. I've used both the products linked below and found them to be excellent. You can get cheaper Chinese copy fugi tools but they're not as good, usually don't have the shoe attachments.

The other vertical is hard to see how the screen is constructed but I would hazard a guess the instructions may have said to put a bead of clear silicone down that joint before doing up the screws/bolts from the vertical upright closest to the wall. Put masking tape down either side of the joint, to the right hand side butt it up to the joint (remove vertical screws/bolts first) and on the left side just leave a few millimeters. Use something like a rubber door wedge to gently open the gap enough to squeeze some silicone into that vertical gap whilst getting someone to move the wedge down so you can continue with the silicone bead. Do the screws/bolts back up part of the way and whiz a small profile on a fugi tool (without a shoe fitted to it) down the bead, remove the masking tape by pulling it at an angle away from the silicone whilst the silicone is still wet. When the silicone has dried do the screws/bolts up a little tighter.

https://www.toolstation.com/showerproof-bathroom-silicone-310ml/p36223

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cramer-F...165664&hash=item2cd99f3015:g:YckAAOSw-HJc-QXc

 

[tntcoder]

The one against the tiles looks easy enough to do with some clear silicone bathroom / shower sealant and a fugi tool and some masking tape. Put a strip of masking tape down the wall a little wider than the size of bead you want and do the same with masking tape down the frame, same distance away from the corner. Use whichever fugi tool has the desired size profile on it and fit the black shoe attachment onto the fugi tool on the appropriate side. The shoe allows the fugi tool to glide over the dips in the tiles where the grout is so you get an even shaped bead of silicone. Using the fugi tool to get a neat bead helps to stop water collecting on it and reduces the chance of mould forming on the silicone. I've used both the products linked below and found them to be excellent. You can get cheaper Chinese copy fugi tools but they're not as good, usually don't have the shoe attachments.

The other vertical is hard to see how the screen is constructed but I would hazard a guess the instructions may have said to put a bead of clear silicone down that joint before doing up the screws/bolts from the vertical upright closest to the wall. Put masking tape down either side of the joint, to the right hand side butt it up to the joint (remove vertical screws/bolts first) and on the left side just leave a few millimeters. Use something like a rubber door wedge to gently open the gap enough to squeeze some silicone into that vertical gap whilst getting someone to move the wedge down so you can continue with the silicone bead. Do the screws/bolts back up part of the way and whiz a small profile on a fugi tool (without a shoe fitted to it) down the bead, remove the masking tape by pulling it at an angle away from the silicone whilst the silicone is still wet. When the silicone has dried do the screws/bolts up a little tighter.

https://www.toolstation.com/showerproof-bathroom-silicone-310ml/p36223

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cramer-F...165664&hash=item2cd99f3015:g:YckAAOSw-HJc-QXc

Thanks a lot. I will give that a try

 

[thenewoc]

Thanks a lot. I will give that a try

No worries, am guessing it was fitted by the developer rather than you having someone in to fit it? If it's the latter and you know the brand / model of shower screen / door then you might be able to get the instructions from the manufacturers website. It fits a little different to one I have here which is raised a little off the shower tray so any water can drain away but yours has been sealed along the bottom edge.

 

[tntcoder]

No worries, am guessing it was fitted by the developer rather than you having someone in to fit it? If it's the latter and you know the brand / model of shower screen / door then you might be able to get the instructions from the manufacturers website. It fits a little different to one I have here which is raised a little off the shower tray so any water can drain away but yours has been sealed along the bottom edge.

Thanks, yes it's an Elegant one and from watching the youtube vids I'm fairly sure as you say, it shouldn't be sealed along the bottom edge there as that blocks escape water. If just the outside is sealed it should drain out nicely there.

All seems a bit of a bodge job!