Showerhead installation and seal question

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Lauree

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Hi,

My name is Lauralee and I'm new to the forum.
I just had my shower completely re-done, due to necessity. And when the plumber finished the installation of the shower head, instead of putting caulk around the edge of the silver piece/plate that covers up the hole in the wall wear the pipe is, he put what looked like some type of foam in and around the hole where the pipe is. I did inquire about the process instead of using caulk, but I don't really understand his response and why he didn't use caulk. When I watch Youtube videos on this, it always shows the person placing caulk around the edge of the silver plate etc., where it meets the tile. If someone doesn't mind explaining the purpose of the foam on in the inside or whatever he used, that would be much appreciated. Also, is it necessary that I caulk around the edge? Because that's fairly easy for me, I have done plenty of that. I just don't want water to leak in through there, bugs etc. That is what concerns me. Because even though you may not have direct water stream through there, the shower wall will get wet. I had to replace the shower to start, because I had a leak in the drain pan or the drain itself or both, and mildew. It it on the 2nd floor too, so I have already sealed my tiles externally, because I want to do everything I can to prevent this from happening for at least another 10 years, if at all possible. Advice/suggestions would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

~Lauralee~
 

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Terry

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It's doubtful that any water would ever get there. It's quite a bit higher than everything else around it. I have maybe caulked around the shower arm escutcheon maybe once or twice in my career. I do caulk around the controls and the wall plate for that.
 

Cacher_Chick

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The escutcheon is not intended to do anything to keep water out. The pipe to wall hole behind the escutcheon can be caulked. It sounds like your builder used spray foam, which does seal the wall cavity from airflow, but is not ideal for bulk water flow.

In any case, many if not most showers do not have this hole sealed, because it is not likely to be exposed to anything more than moisture, and the backer-board behind the tile should be waterproof anyway.
 
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