How to stop leak behind shower curtain

[DinoM]

I have always had problems with water leaking behind the shower curtain liner. Tried a splash guard from Lowe's once and it was worthless, couldn't get it to fit properly and the adhesive was a joke. The shower curtain clips and suction cups to keep it attached to the wall also do not work. I finally ended up taping the liner to the wall and tub with duct tape.

I recently changed the curtain liner and when I pulled the tape off, of course some caulk came off with it and I had to recaulk a small section. After it dried and cured, I taped the liner to the wall and tub with masking tape as opposed to duct tape, which doesn't work nearly as well and water is getting behind the liner.

What can I do or use to stop it? I don't want to use duct tape again if I can help it. Is there a different kind of tape that is waterproof and holds well, but doesn't leave a mess and rip out the caulk when removed?

Any advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[Reach4]

Some shower curtains come with magnets. If you have a steel or cast iron tub, could see you getting a couple of stronger magnets to hold the shower curtain to the tub. Acrylic tub would not let you do that.

You might consider a different showerhead. If it is kids showering that make most of the leakage, how about putting a couple water alarms on the floor where it gets wet to help train the kids.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[DinoM]

Magnets won't work. The wall surround is plastic, thin cheap diy surround set from a big box store I put around tub back in 2000 to add a shower.
The tub is either steel or cast iron. I've tried a couple of different showerheads in the past, and the issue still occurs.

Installing shower doors is not cost effective, as the whole bathroom needs a remodel, but can't afford to that right now. A small portion of the floor and baseboard at the corner of the tub is rotten from where it leaked previously before I realized it.

Duct tape worked before, but it depends on the brand and quality. Just wondered if anything else might work.

 

[DinoM]

I tried another tub splash guard the other day, Tidee Tub splash guard. It has a curve to it that channels water back into the tub and it also comes with a tube of silicone to attach it to tub and wall rather than self-stick tape.

Had high hopes for it, but my hopes were dashed as I couldn't get it to stick to either the wall or tub. The silicone was pretty thin and there was a significant gap between the tub and wall at the corner of the guard. Seems like if the space where the wall and tub meet is not at a perfect 90 degree angle splash guards are worthless. Frustrating. There has to be good way to solve the problem, I just can't think of one.

 

[Jadnashua]

Buy a tube of quality silicone sealant and use it to fill in any gaps to that splash guard against the wall/tub.

Before you try to reinstall it, you'll need to carefully clean the surface really well so that there's no soap scum or mineral deposits...it needs to be squeaky clean for any sealant to work properly.

Depending on the silicone (100% stuff! not an acrylic blend) carefully follow the required curing time...some is a day or so, some as much as a week - they're not all created equal.

 

[DinoM]

Thanks for the tips. Part of the problem is that the splash guard is fairly thin and even with a higher quality sealant it is nearly impossible to get it to sit straight and stay still. I will try it once more to see if I can get a better result. If it doesn't, guess I'll be taking a bath instead of a shower.

 

[Jadnashua]

Tape some supports to hold it in place while the sealant/adhesive sets up and cures. Make sure it has cured before pulling the tape, etc., off!