Shower leak...need advice!

[bigV603]

I'm writing this for my husband so please pardon me if I'm not being super clear on the details. He's not home and I got the idea to post this for help.

As you can see from the pictures, we have had a very slow leak from SOMEWHERE on the inside front right-hand side corner of this shower. Noticed on the wall, the paint was becoming discolored. As you can see from the picture of that wall, we ripped off the paint/some drywall where the wetness was. It was several inches up from the floor.

Where the leak is actually visible, is in picture #6, you can see the small vertical crevice between the wall and the back wall (faucet) panel of the shower. You can see the water residue down at the bottom right of the opening. That area is where we have kept a washcloth right under for several months and it gets slightly wet after each shower use.

My husband has re-caulked the interior of this shower several times since we moved here in 2012. He is the kind of person who goes overboard and so I guess he "caulked the h*ll out of it" in order to keep water IN the shower. We've never had a shower like this one, with the the clear door/partial walls and solid side/back walls placed on top of the drywall. We are used to tile showers with no door, you just walk in.

Yesterday, he spent HOURS removing most all of the old caulk, so that he can put NEW in. But, are we going about this right?

-Why is the leak on the drywall so much higher than where it is coming OUT of the wall/channel? Is it absorbing UP?

-I read one thread where it said that you can actually caulk TOO much?! Therefore, creating a leak? So, more is not better?

One more thing, hub says there that is NO apparent water damage down in the basement BELOW where this is occurring in our bathroom.

We'd really appreciate some help here..... Any questions, clarifications or further pictures needed, just ask.

 

[Dj2]

"As you can see from the pictures, we have had a very slow leak from SOMEWHERE on the inside front right-hand side corner of this shower."

- The leak is in the bottom corner. So let's look at that from the inside.

"My husband has re-caulked the interior of this shower several times since we moved here in 2012."

- What caulk is he using (not all caulks created equal)? Is the surface dry when he applies the caulk? Is the caulk dry when you start using the shower? Does he follow the caulking instructions? It could be the actual caulk or the way you apply it.


"-Why is the leak on the drywall so much higher than where it is coming OUT of the wall/channel? Is it absorbing UP? "

Drywall is like a sponge with water.


"One more thing, hub says there that is NO apparent water damage down in the basement BELOW where this is occurring in our bathroom."

- I would guess that the leak is not big enough to reach the ceiling below. At least not yet.


Another thing: there is a rubber or plastic bottom seal on the shower door. Check that out and replace if necessary.

Still leaking? - Have you considered calling a shower door company?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

If water lands in the gutter at B, when the door is closed I suspect it falls down to D. If you put water at D or C, does it come out at slot A, or does it go out to the problem area?

 

[bigV603]

"As you can see from the pictures, we have had a very slow leak from SOMEWHERE on the inside front right-hand side corner of this shower."
- The leak is in the bottom corner. So let's look at that from the inside.
"My husband has re-caulked the interior of this shower several times since we moved here in 2012."
- What caulk is he using (not all caulks created equal)? Is the surface dry when he applies the caulk? Is the caulk dry when you start using the shower? Does he follow the caulking instructions? It could be the actual caulk or the way you apply it.
"-Why is the leak on the drywall so much higher than where it is coming OUT of the wall/channel? Is it absorbing UP? "
Drywall is like a sponge with water.
"One more thing, hub says there that is NO apparent water damage down in the basement BELOW where this is occurring in our bathroom."
- I would guess that the leak is not big enough to reach the ceiling below. At least not yet.

Another thing: there is a rubber or plastic bottom seal on the shower door. Check that out and replace if necessary.
Still leaking? - Have you considered calling a shower door company?

Thanks for the response. Regarding your green text above. On another forum, a poster wrote about the leak being higher up, near the faucet or shower head. I forwarded that post to my husband and he texted me this in response (he is out doing pre-holiday errands), he will be home soon.:

Mike (our general handyman) and I both checked the shower valve controls behind the faceplate and everything was dry there. I will put sealers around the faceplate this time as another precaution, but it doesn't seem to be coming from higher up. Everything in there was bone dry when checked. It could be the metal baseplate of the door that has something to do with it. I believe the reason the water went up the wall is because when the baseboard was still attached to the wall, over time, it became saturated with water and was constantly wet. This caused the leak to be "trapped" so to speak with the drywall acting as a sponge causing the stain and paint damage up higher.

If water lands in the gutter at B, when the door is closed I suspect it falls down to D. If you put water at D or C, does it come out at slot A, or does it go out to the problem area?


View attachment 43124

Wow, that is AWESOME how you zoomed on that pic like that! Thank you so much for that diagram. Hub is on his way home right now, I will have him sit down and respond to this w/those answers. Cuz, I'm like .

 

[bigV603]

"As you can see from the pictures, we have had a very slow leak from SOMEWHERE on the inside front right-hand side corner of this shower."

- The leak is in the bottom corner. So let's look at that from the inside.

"My husband has re-caulked the interior of this shower several times since we moved here in 2012."

- What caulk is he using (not all caulks created equal)? Is the surface dry when he applies the caulk? Is the caulk dry when you start using the shower? Does he follow the caulking instructions? It could be the actual caulk or the way you apply it.


"-Why is the leak on the drywall so much higher than where it is coming OUT of the wall/channel? Is it absorbing UP? "

Drywall is like a sponge with water.


"One more thing, hub says there that is NO apparent water damage down in the basement BELOW where this is occurring in our bathroom."

- I would guess that the leak is not big enough to reach the ceiling below. At least not yet.


Another thing: there is a rubber or plastic bottom seal on the shower door. Check that out and replace if necessary.

Still leaking? - Have you considered calling a shower door company?

I have re-caulked this shower about two times since 2012. The first was a caulking issue, meaning it was the wrong kind, so that whole job had to be re-done (good times lol). The second was a mold/mildew issue that wouldn't clean up. Now this time is due to this slow leak.

This time I'm using expensive silicone caulk (latasil) and I'm not sure why the water has been coming out of that lower right corner. Upon initial inspection the shower base that extends outside the door and metal frame in that corner was where I could see the leak. It was coming out from the white silicone caulk that I had not replaced the last time I caulked. (I had only removed and replaced the caulk on the interior of the shower.) So my guess is, because I didn't replace the caulk on the exterior of the door, the new caulk didn't seal with the old caulk thus creating the leak?

My question this time around, as I have completely removed the old caulk from both inside and outside of the shower, should I caulk the metal frame below the door on the inside of the shower where the metal sits on the shower base? (I would not caulk over the weeping cutouts in the metal frame so they could do their intended job.)

I have heard not to caulk the inside on this area...only the outside, which confuses me as it basically floats on the shower base. Wouldn't this create an escape for water? If I opt not to and later find out I needed to.....it's already too late because the other caulk in place will have cured and won't seal with the new caulk.

So should I or shouldn't I caulk this area? And, any other thoughts or ideas I may be missing? I have moved us out of the bathroom and would really like to get this done this week, as I have off for Thanksgiving.

Thanks!

 

[Dj2]

After reading your new info:
In a correct installation, you put a nice bead of caulk under the sill plate (that rests on the shower curb) to create a seal to stop water that goes through the inside caulking.
There is a possibility that a lack of such bead of caulk or deteriorated caulking is causing some water to leak.
You've tried a few times, worked so hard and still have a leak. What makes you think that another coat of caulking will work?
At this point I can only suggest to take the entire door assembly out, clean and dry well and start from fresh. Also pay attention to the area between the base and the wall panel.
That is what an experienced shower door company would do.

 

[Jadnashua]

One thing that can cause problems that are hard to fix is if the shower receptor was put down on a non-level floor. Take a level and check the edges to see if it is set level front-back and side-side. If not, it's really tough to fix now. Many things in construction really depend on how well the prep work was done since it's really hard to overcome a bad start.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Particularly with silicone caulk, it must be applied to a clean dry surface and it will fail if it is applied over any remains of old silicone caulk.

 

[Paul A. King]

Please suggest me to find some shower door company.My shower is leaking at all the time.Please help me to find a good company for my problem.