Leaking shower

[MelBrown]

The water damaged window frameThe window frame after filling, sanding, and repainting.The sealed and regrouted, re-caulked shower.The fixed damaged door frame.The repaired window frame.So my latest issue I have found with my home is that my shower in my main bathroom is leaking.  At the moment I cannot afford to have someone come out and repair it for me so I have been looking at products to do it myself.  So far I have looked at Shower Plug and Seal It Yourself, and have found mixed reviews on both.  Some reviews say whichever they used worked perfectly and others say it did nothing.  Does anyone have any advice on how to fix a leaking shower?  It is a tiled shower stall with glass doors.  The wall on the side of the shower has obviously swollen and broken the tiles at the bottom in front of the actual stall.  There is also obvious swelling in the trim around the cavity slider on that side of the shower.  The water could have come from kids splashing water around the bathroom and seeping into the wall externally but I think it more likely that the shower is leaking into the frame of the cavity slider given the extent of the swelling.

[Jason]

Hi @MelBrown,

Sorry to read of your shower issue. I note that @KevinM had success with Shower Plug in this discussion - https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Bathroom-and-Laundry/Re-sealing-terrazzo-shower-base/m-p/19987

Hopefully other community members will be able to share further advice with you.

Jason

[gippslandhome]

Hi @MelBrown 

This is something we commonly helped people with in situations like yours of the last 25 years plus.

Although not a permanent solution it can be successful enough to carry you over for a reasonable period.

Basically we would sugar soap everything including the shower screen.

Then dry it off. After wipe it even more with straight metho and paper towels.

Then apply either brand of the stop leak products to the specifications of the manufacturer..

As a precautionary measure we would silicone up any of the gaps to prevent water penetrating.

You can buy some good matching silicones either in Maxisil which I'm sure Bunnings sells. It's a good product because it's just a detergent and water clean up.

As I mentioned it's not a permanent solution but it is a solution I can strongly recommend having done it for many years.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards Rob 👍

[MelBrown]

Thanks for that Rob and Jason. I pulled off the cavity slider and had a good look in the wall cavity tonight and it was dry. There is not even any water stains so it looks like the waterproofing membrane is fine the water is just getting under the tiles and travelling along the membrane to the door and damaging the frame and the tiles around it. I will leave it a couple of weeks to dry out with the shower not being used and then do as Rob said. Then I can sand and repaint the frame making sure I use a suitable primer first. Thanks again.
Mel

[MelBrown]

So last weekend I scrubbed the shower with sugar soap and rinsed and repeated. Then methoed the whole shower. Removed the caulking and any damaged grout. I replaced the grout and then painted the whole thing with Davco Sanitized Tile and Grout sealer (https://www.bunnings.com.au/davco-500ml-sanitized-tile-and-grout-sealer_p6654374). Then did a second coat just to make sure I hadn't missed anywhere. Then redid the caulking. It is early days yet but it certainly looks like it is no longer leaking. I then continued on and did the rest of the tiles the same way through the whole bathroom. I also filled, sanded and repainted the architraves and window sill. The bathroom looks so much better. The next job is to replace a the few damaged tiles on the floor.

[Jason]

Great job @MelBrown. I'm sure all your hard work will be well rewarded. 

Jason

[MelBrown]

Thanks Jason. I have certainly impressed the adults who have seen it. The kids saw it and said, "oh you painted the window frame". lol. Got to love how kids only see the most obvious thing.

[redracer01]

Excellent Job! My only tip for this adventure is to re apply the leak seal once a year.

[MelBrown]

Thanks that is a good tip. I have just added it to my calendar for next year. 😃