Hi all, quick q: I've got a p-shaped bath that is leaking at the joint at the shower screen, and because of my height the water really pours out unless I get myself in an awkward angle. If I have a shower for more than a few minutes the water drips through the ceiling to the downstairs. I got a plumber round who said that it's a common problem with all baths with a shower screen, and particularly bad with p-shaped baths. He said to just put a towel down, but the real issue isn't the shower screen as it will always leak, but the floor. Apparently the floor should be tanked so that no water can get through? Is this correct? And are p-baths notorious for this? I just don't understand how they're any worse, and how I need to rip out my bath and tiles etc. Thanks!
I guess you have a hinged shower screen that you can swing in and out to get access to the bath? There should be a plastic edge strip on the bottom of the shower screen that makes a seal against the top edge of the bath. Is this in place and is it pushed up as far as the joint? If the screen is fixed I would look at the seals around the screen and at the bath edges, Enthusiastic showering can put a lot of water over the walls and it can run down the side of the bath. The other potential cause is the pipe work under the bath. With the weight of a person standing at the plug hole end sometimes the pipe joints can flex enough to leak especially if they are the push fit ones. Asking for the bathroom floor to be tanked is a bit of an overkill term. There should be a covering on the floor that will prevent excess water going to the floor below. I have seen careful owners with wooden floors in the bathroom making do with just a rug to stand on.
Hi thanks for the replies. My height comes into it just because of splashback; it goes back on the screen and rubs down till it runs out the gap. Yup it's hinged - I've pushed the seal up as tight as I can but theres still a tiny gap; it just runs out if it down the side if the bath leaving a puddle.
Hang a rail from the ceiling with a clear shower curtain to run down inside the bath. Mr. HandyAndy - Really
I would pull off the old blade at the bottom of the screen and get a new one from http://www.tapwarehouse.com//product/uniblade-shower-seal?gclid=CJG84qSTo8gCFSsCwwodFSMJxQ The other problem could be the door has been fitted to high the blade should make the screen quite stiff to move. If it isn't then the shower screen needs lowering down a few mm. The door frame sits in a U shaped channel on the wall. There should be 3 or 4 screws holding the door panel in. Undo these push the panel down and drill new pilot hole using the current ones as a guide. replace screws and you should be fine
These flexible blades come in all sorts of sizes and shapes - see if you can chose one that'll be a better fit. Some have a 'twin blade' - a centre one which I think is meant to seal between the shower screen and the bath top, but also a longer blade which makes a deflector for most of the water coming down the screen; you need to fold the screen right over the bath, and then push the screen back into place from the bath side so's the blade sits the right way. Fit this and then see where the water tries to get out - you may find a gap in the very bottom wall corner where the screen's hinged side meets the bath top - is there a gap there? If so, you may need to try and form a small ledge there yourself using silicone sealant or similar - don't 'seal' the gap against the actual blade, but design it so's the blade makes firm contact with your sili ledge when the screen is in place. There are also all sorts of stick-down plastic trims you can get, some of which can be modified to make a raised edge all along the outside/top edge of the bath where the screen sits, perhaps even set so's the screen's seal butts up against it when swung into place. This trim can then be sealed properly against the wall if needed to make a complete barrier. Tanking the floor would be an expensive way to treat the symptom but not the cure.
The problem is installation. It is fitted wrong. I have a Wickes P shaped and if its properly installed you might get a tiny bit of water egress but nothing more than a drop or two. I cannot remember exactly how it is but I think if you don't seal the metal frame correctly and it says in the instuctions where to seal then you create a water channel that spits all the water out at the intersection of the bottom strip and the hinge. Lots of fitter just seal everything and its not correct and causes more problems. As for towel on the floor. He is an idiot. same with tanking the floor. If the plumber is saying its a common problem it will be for sure if he isn't fitting them properly.
Shower screens are not water tight and will leak a bit, especially at the pivot. Water seeping onto a wooden floor that gets in between a waterproof floor covering and the timbered floor will rot the floor in no time, so keep a watch on this. Fitting a shower curtain inside the screen would look messy but would help stop the impass of water from the screen onto the floor.
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