Help, shower leaking around tile and caulking gap

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TxBuckeye

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My shower has been leaking around the base, above the shower pan. At first I believed my wife was just leaving the door open when she got out and water was draining. But I know now that is not the case.

Today, I got down on my hands and knees and really looked. The leak occurs on the front of the shower where it meets the wall separating the shower stall from the tub. I could see on the outside that the caulking was pulling away from the stall. When I put pressure on the caulking with my finger, I noted there was nothing behind it. I was expecting grout. So I went inside the shower and found the same thing. There is probably a quarter inch between the tile ending and the drain pan. There is no caulk in that gap. It is just caulking, which has also pulled away from the pan inside the shower. So the water is getting out through that gap that exists on both sides of the shower stall.

Is this right? Should that gap just be filled with only caulking? Or should there have bee grout also? Other?

I am trying to figure out what I need to do. If the tile needs grout, I'll call the people that tiled the shower. Or do I just need to remove and replace the caulking?
 

Jadnashua

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First, a shower should be built such that it is water-tight before the tile is installed. SO, with that in mind, you appear to have a build problem. Second, without a picture, it's hard to understand your dialog accurately.
 

Cacher_Chick

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My first concern would be that the pan is flexing and causing the caulk seal to fail. Grout is not waterproof and should not be used to fill changes in plane. If the wall and shower pan are installed properly so that they cannot move, the caulk should be expected to do the job. If the gap is too great, it needs to be filled with backer rod before the caulk is applied.
 

TxBuckeye

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Someone just told me there is a lip on the pan behind that caulking that runs a half inch or so up the wall, so the water is really just draining out along the pan. True?
 

Jadnashua

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Someone just told me there is a lip on the pan behind that caulking that runs a half inch or so up the wall, so the water is really just draining out along the pan. True?
Most all manufactured pans do come with a lip at the edge. It should help prevent water from getting behind and into the walls IF that lip is level and not pitched one way or the other.
 

TxBuckeye

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Should the tile come all the way down and rest on the pan base? Or should there be a gap? Because without a doubt, there's probably a quarter inch gap between the tile and the pan base.
 

Jadnashua

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Industry standards call for all changes of plane to be caulked or with an engineered, flexible joint. TO do that, the tile cannot touch the pan at the bottom...there must be at least a little gap. 1/4" is more than required - an 1/8" is enough to get a bead of caulk into and still look decent. 1/4" is a bit larger than I'd like, but could still be workable.
 

Cacher_Chick

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http://imgur.com/DwYSfhb
http://imgur.com/M6LQl0x

These are the views inside and outside the stall. In both cases, I can push in on the caulk and meet no resistance.

Since I don't understand the post above, do I need to be calling a plumber or tile person?

If the pan is a solid surface and does not flex, and the wall is solid and does not flex, it just needs have the caulk redone.
The caulking should be supported from behind with backer rod.
 
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