shower stall keeps leaking despite re-caulking everything

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jenny8484

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I have a shower stall that has had a problem with leaking in between where the base meets the chrome part (where the shower door slides). It has been caulked (re-caulked) from both the inside and the outside, yet water still seeps out and the caulk feels very wet in one particular section. I have no idea how to remedy this.. any suggestions on what else might be wrong?s
 

Jimbo

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If the caulk is wet, it means it didn't set. Probably there is moisture seeping out which interferes with curing the caulk
 

Jadnashua

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Some caulks can take up to a week to cure, but may seem cured after a couple of hours. Saturating them before can create problems.

But, you may have a problem because the shower pan was not leveled when installed. this can cause water to pool rather than drain into the pan from the lip by the door.
 

Tub Refinisher

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How was it "re-caulked'? Was all the old caulk completely removed? What type of caulk was there originally (silicone or latex), how was it removed, and what type was it replaced with? If the original was silicone, it may not have been removed thoroughly, and the new caulk isn't sticking to it. Was the area thoroughly dried out before the new caulk was applied? Sometimes you need to force the water out with a hair dryer or a heat gun, then let it sit overnight to make sure it's completely dry. The new caulk should not be wet. The biggest problem I see, and it's been talked about a lot on this board, is failure to remove ALL the old silicone before recaulking. This is not an easy task. It requires a lot of elbow grease and a thorough knowledge of how to do it.
 

jenny8484

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hi, thanks for the replies.. there was silicone there before which we removed as mildew was accumulating under some parts. we let the shower "dry" overnight and re-caulked with silicone the next day. The day after, the shower was used and thats when i noticed water seeped out between the chrome and base in one area, several hours later that section where it was caulked still felt wet.. looks like i may need to bring a pro in.
 

LLigetfa

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Silicone caulk has a short shelf life and also needs to be stored properly or it may not cure. It sounds like your caulk went bad.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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Fixing these shower doors is no fun. The best way to do the repair is to replace the unit or rebuild the unit.

This means undoing all the screws and re-installing the door and panels. This will give you a chance to clean all the nasty mold and scum from behind the tracks. We have done this a number of times for clients and every time I'm surprised that they look so good.

You may have a factory seal that is failing or it could be that the shower head only needs to be moved a little to stop the problem.

A few years back this was the case. The Nanny flooded out a lit bit of the basement floor everyday because of the direction of the shower head.

If your door enclosure is not framed and is partially frameless you might need a proper "Framed" enclosure to do the job.

Good Luck.

[video=youtube_share;s_pUlCJQKqY]http://youtu.be/s_pUlCJQKqY[/video]

This door was replaced with a framed unit. Cost my client about $450.00 for the re and re....
 

hj

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You are probably trying to "seal" the leak in the wrong place. Usually, the water is getting under the track at either end where the strip and side rails meet.
 
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