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Old 01-10-2020, 01:43 PM   #1
Winnie-Wise
 
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Shower leaking - again - ugh?

My shower previously had a leak which, with the help of my dealer, we found to be located in the corner toward the rear of the RV and the sink cabinet. Picture the area where the rear wall, the floor pan and the door frame all come together. A triad.

The first time I investigated this, I could stick a coat hanger wire from the inside to the outside of the shower stall! I pulled out all of the old caulk, cleaned the area, dried everything up and re-caulked including squirting caulk from the inside to the outside. It worked for less than a year and now it's leaking again.

I've done the same preliminary steps of removing all of the old silicone caulk, I'm going to (carefully) dry the area with a heat gun and then reseal it. My dealer indicated they have a rough time with them also and suggested the use of Marine grade silicone.

Any thoughts or experiences on the subjective would be helpful. If possible, I'd like this to be the last time.
Thanks!
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Old 01-10-2020, 02:15 PM   #2
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Any chance you can post some pictures? Hard to get a handle on what you're explaining.
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Old 01-11-2020, 04:24 AM   #3
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My question to you is where does this water come from? From what you have written it looks like you are not solving the problem. I think alittle more info would help.
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Old 01-11-2020, 04:28 AM   #4
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Sure Jim. I thought of that as I was posting it. I do normally try to post them as I know how much better it is for everyone. I'll try to get to it today.
If I understood my dealer (we're on the road for a couple of months, so were on the phone) he said sometimes they have to resort to drilling a hole inside the shower in the lower corner, sticking the nozzle of the caulk tube in there and filling up the area. He blames it on the way Winnie installs the door frame assembly. 'm not looking to cast blame, merely fix the problem.
I won't remove the door frame assembly while we're on the road but will, if necessary, do it when we get home.
However, if I can get if fixed right now - I'd like it.
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Old 01-11-2020, 07:36 AM   #5
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We had a shower leak problem. On our rv the wall was behind the shower pan with just some caulk at the joint. I’m not sure what genius thought that was going to work on an rv that goes down the road at 63mph???

What we did was to get some Eternabond tape and seal every seam, the go to Home Depot where they sold some thin material similar to what is used behind sinks at restaurants (it’s white, smooth and comes in 4x8 sheets). I’m not sure I remember the name of the stuff anymore. Either way we took that and completely rebuilt the interior of the shower and made sure to lap the side over the pan this time. It took me and my brother about 3 days to get it built. Now the entire shower is basically water tight.
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Old 01-11-2020, 07:57 AM   #6
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I would use Manus-Bond 75-AM. you can get clear or white on amazon. I used it to seal my fiberglass roof where bbn it meets the side and it is the best I ever used. I'm told this is not a silicon caulk it's better. Winnebago uses this at the factory.
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Old 01-12-2020, 03:14 AM   #7
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Thanks for the thoughts. Jim, here are a few pics. The water (as someone asked is coming from the inside of the shower stall when we take a shower) and appears to be leaking from the top of the shower pan, bottom on the wall natch, and under the door frame to the floor. See the pics.

We are very frugal with our water use and hence, the water outside the shower (on the floor) can be soaked up with a paper towel and not a rag or sponge. However, it needs to be corrected.

With no disrespect at all to those who very successfully use Eternabond for all manner of repairs, it's a last minute temporary fix for me. If it can't be fixed by any other means, I'll tape it but hopefully it won't come to that. I just can't bring myself to tape together my RV - at least not yet!

In reference to the Manus Bond, I brought a new tube of it with me, and I considered it, BUT, if it doesn't solve the problem, my understanding is it can be very tough to remove. Has anyone removed it and can comment?
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Old 01-12-2020, 06:33 AM   #8
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Check on the inside of the shower at the very bottom for small weep holes that may have been caulked over at some time in the past - bring a bright light with you.
I chased a similar problem in a previous RV, it turned out that previous owners had recaulked the shower and covered the weep holes. The water couldn't 'weep' back in to the shower, so it went out. Unplugging those holes fixed the problem on mine.
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:49 PM   #9
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I had a similar problem with water leaking from inside the shower onto the floor. It only happened sometimes, and I finally figured out it was only when the RV was not leveled flat. Sometimes, I would allow the RV to slightly decline towards the front to keep the tires on the ground. In these cases, water would leak from where the shower enclosure met the fiberglass surround. It did this because Winnebago only applied sealant in spots. I guess they assumed the RV would always be level. That’s another reason why the designers should also always be RVers. Anyway, I sealed all around where the enclosure touched the fiberglass, even up the walls, and we haven’t had a problem since.
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Old 01-13-2020, 02:21 AM   #10
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Last summer our 2004 Itasca "Horizon" 40AD silicon just decided to pull away. I guess it was "time" after 15 years! So we caulked the door in all the obvious places, but it still leaked.

We then used the shower wand to point-and-shoot the water and eventually we determined that the water that accumulated behind the weep-holes and then it migrated towards the passenger side of the RV... and then the water leaked out from some unseen crack in the shower frame we could not get to... and on to the floor.

The solution was to make sure the RV tipped 1-2 degrees toward the driver's side so the water ran out the weep-holes.

Then I decided to re-caulked the shower door and glass side windows more completely and somehow, somewhere, the water no longer ran on to the floor. And now we don't have to worry about how we level our coach.

Note: Use 100% GE Silicon for the best adhesion. And we found the best way to lay a bead of caulk was to first run some blue-masking-tape down the edge... and then take a empty toilet paper roll and use it to scoop up the extra silicon. Works great!
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Old 01-14-2020, 05:28 AM   #11
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Just an idea, take a shop vac and set it up to 'blow' into the space under the shower pan. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit over most of the open area you show in picture #3 with a hole for the hose. Packing tape to hold it in place and make it somewhat air tight.

Then inside the shower, use soapy water to find where most of the air is coming in. Might reveal a different path for the water than you might expect.

In looking at the pictures, I wonder why there's no caulking to the left of where it seems to be making it's way out. That seam between the wall board and the shower floor pan.

But I have an idea. Since the shower is in a RV and subjected to racking that a home shower wouldn't, maybe consider something like this peel and stick caulking. Used it myself in some remodeling work (but admittedly not in an RV) and appreciate it's sealing properties as well as it ease of removal if it's not working like expected: Strip caulking...

I think it would do a better job of withstanding the racking the naturally occurs in a RV better than typical caulking. I would put it on both the wall side and the door side.

As mentioned in the reviews of that product, if you clean the surfaces per their instructions, it sticks well.
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Old 01-14-2020, 08:29 AM   #12
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Leaks are always going to be a problem and many of us will need to remove the old stuff that was used for sealing. One way to make it work far better and faster is using one of the "multi-tool" power tools. They have a flat blade and can be set up to scrape at amazing number of strokes per second, which certainly beats the old hand scraper most of us have used. Look into one of theses if you do any DIY at all and if you are a potential one time user, they are available in the $20 range. I'm willing to pay that just to speed the process but it also gets the job done much better as you can hold it steady and avoid the occasional overshoot we get with hand scrapers.
They are also great for sawing in situations where you really need small tools and control. Things where you want to speed it up but not risk cutting yourself? You can actually cut things like pipe but it won't cut you, even if pressed against the flesh!
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Old 01-15-2020, 01:51 AM   #13
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Jim, although your thought of using the pressure side of the vac is a good one, I don't believe it will work in this instance. I love it, very creative and I will keep it in mind for future needs. The tape looks interesting and I've book marked it, but I believe it's weak spot may be where it joins in the corners, which is exactly where the problem lies. I will, however, keep it in mind. And I never say never - well hardly ever.


The leak is right where the red arrow is, and the water is somehow making it's way out, past/through the caulk and underneath the shower enclosure (metal) wall then down and across the shower stall base at floor level. There's no caulk in the corner now because I removed all of it in the entire shower. The only caulk that I haven't removed, so far, is at the base of the door enclosure because it seems in tact, although I know you can never be certain.


Although I think it's a poor design, it's what I have to work with and I'll have to figure it out. I used a water spray bottle yesterday from the door hinge side of the enclosure (so about 1/3 of the opening) to the corner and it leaked. I'm going to try and do this again in much smaller areas and try to narrow down exactly where the water may be getting in and/or under the door enclosure.

My "fix" right now might end up being temporary as we're traveling. However, if the fix doesn't suit me, when we get home, I'll remove the door enclosure entirely and see what the hell is going on.

Thanks for the thoughts. I'll post the temp or permenant solution once I get it worked out.
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Old 01-15-2020, 10:19 PM   #14
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The problem you are experiencing is due to the old silicone. It is a very good sealant once but it is hard to replace with new because it won’t adhere to the old because it is too slick. You can try to remove the old but it is really difficult. I’ve tried every type of thinner you can think of and they don’t remove it completely..I like the idea of cutting small strips of Eterna Bond and using that. Any problems then remove it and use a poly urethane.
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Old 01-16-2020, 08:57 AM   #15
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best silicone for permanent projects

When it comes to using a silicone that will last, I use marine goop or plumbers goop..Once it sets up, it will never fail. I once had a plug on a water heater strip out and leak. the goop held even under pressure until I could replace the plug. Amazing stuff!
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Old 01-16-2020, 09:47 AM   #16
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As noted above, I'd avoid silicone of any sort and use Lexel, or a good polyurethane sealant like Loctite Pro Line Window door and Siding sealant.
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Old 01-17-2020, 01:43 AM   #17
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Well, I seem to be on the horns of a dilemma here. The area is now cleaned and prepped as good as it can be so do I :


1. Re-silicone knowing it's benefits and limitations - meaning it goes on and comes off easily and does what it supposed to - at least for awhile.

2. Use a non-silicone Manus Bond, Lexel, Stone Mason or any of the good window/door sealers which are likely to do a better job, but, if it does leak the task of removing it is much more difficult.

3. I know that Eterna Bond was mentioned but the leak is very likely in a corner and I'm not sure how you corner it without cutting it (even a little) and nullifying the benefit of it.

Has anyone had any experience using any of the polyurathanes and particularly removing them?


Decisions, decisions. Thanks
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Old 01-17-2020, 06:39 AM   #18
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I just used the polyurethane sealant I mentioned above to repair a very similar leak in the bottom corner of the fixed side of a sliding glass door. It worked very well. I was turned on to it by a contractor friend who highly recommended it. It seems to be tenacious enough that I hope it never has to be redone.
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Old 07-11-2020, 08:34 AM   #19
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Upinsmoke, how did you make out here? Looking at your pics, I’m chasing the same issue on my Vista, I’ve cleaned and replaced a lot of caulking. It still have the leak, I’m wondering if the screws where the surround meet the pan are the culprit.

Appreciate any updates you have.
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Old 07-12-2020, 01:59 PM   #20
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Blastvalve, I was in one way, fortunate, as I could see where the water was coming out of the shower in the corner. The problem was, why, was it coming out when it appeared to be sealed.

We only used the shower for a bit after it was repaired and it appeared to be holding but time will tell. I never think anything on an RV is completely fixed.

The short version of the repair is that I removed essentially all of the previous sealer which was likely silicone. I cleaned that as well as I could and resealed everything including the heads of the screws at the base of the walls and especially the corners.

The only other thing I did of note was take a small drill and drilled a hole in the metal trim from the outside corner closest to the rear of the RV. Although it was tight, I was able to cut a small tip opening in the caulk and squirt some in from the outside, which I could see coming in from the inside of the shower. My opinion on this is that is it filling up the voids in the trim. If one were to look hard, as it's beside the sink cabinet, you can see a dot of caulk. If I didn't tell you it was there you'd never know it. Hope this helps.
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