Shower/shower pan joint leaking

[Patten]

In the shower, if I point the shower head directly into the drain all is good. Unfortunately, that isn't the case when actually showering. When water runs down the walls, or the shower head is pointed at the walls I get water leaking through the spray foam and down the mudflap behind the passenger rear tires (3051).

Where the shower walls meet the shower pan is not sealed. In fact, the walls are a little wavy and there are gaps. When I push in on those wavy sections it sounds like there might by some type of adhesive there (tacky sound, kinda of like unpeeling velcro) but the wall just pops back out.

To repair, I was thinking of Gorilla Glue behind the wavy sections to try and get them to hold again (adjustable twist closet rod to apply pressure while drying) and then a strip of caulk around the wall/pan joint. Any reasons I shouldn't go this route? Any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help and guidance.

[kenandterry]

I agree with your repair plan. I’m just trying to figure out how to get Gorilla Glue to go upwards behind the wall before the brace is put in place.

Finish off with the caulking.

I’ll be watching.

[Kcoulter]

Most of the time the shower pan/tub has vertical walls that extend a few inches up behind the shower surround...water should not be leaking thru the gap you see. I would suspect you have a crack in the pan somewhere away from the drain.

[ChrisParise]

Have you looked through the access hole for signs of water leakage? Could be a drain tail piece or connection is loose or cracked. Water pathways to under/ outside the coach should be looked at.

I'd investigate further before attempting your repairs.

My shower door doesn't seal 100% at the bottom/side edge and once in a while I get water on the floor right outside the shower and I have sparingly applied bathroom caulk to those areas which solved that minor issue.

[Duckogram]

The shower pans that I have seen all have a minimum of 2” flange, sometimes called a nailing flange, behind the wall. The shower wall is not attached for expansion and so that air can get in and condensation can get out. I would not defeat that function by caulking the wall to the pan even though it may look “pretty” if you do.

I just took some photos and added arrows for reference. In photo 1 you can see that the wall bows out. That is not an issue. You can push it in to clean the gap if necessary. If your wall bows out significantly, you can inject some Loctite Grabit as a better choice than gorilla. It sets in 5 min and it is white. More importantly, it does not expand and stays semi pliable.

The second photo shows the drain. The pointer is to indicate the rubber gasket under the drain flange. The problem may be shower floor flexing that caused the gasket seal to fail or loosened the connection(s) under the shower. These are by far the most likely causes of your leak. Where the water comes out is an indicator of the low point. Where it comes from is a much more important discovery to make. Through many years of experience I built reinforcing blocks under the shower when the unit was new. As Ken can tell you, I am not a little guy so if the floor is going to flex it will with me on it. Photo 3 shows the blocks. (some of them)
Going on 4 years, no leaks.

Happy Trails

Edit: I should mention that in photo 3 you can see that I have a waterless P-Trap.

Edit: Added a reference from Dyers with a recommendation from the manufacturer.

[PoppySteve]

Ambassador Duckogram, would you share more information on the waterless P-Trap?

[Duckogram]

Originally Posted by PoppySteve

Ambassador Duckogram, would you share more information on the waterless P-Trap?

Certainly. FR uses them in application where a conventional P-Trap will not fit without having an adverse impact. My shower is one of those cases because of the low ceiling in the rear of my unit.
Here is a link to the manufacturer:
https://hepvo.com/
They are available at amazon. The one thing that folks do that will ruin their day is to run a zip strip drain cleaner in there. It will tear up the diaphragm.

Happy Trails

[Patten]

Thank you all for your input. As Chris mentioned, I'm going to investigate more before doing anything.

Ken - Yup, that would be an issue. I thought I could get the tip of the bottle up there but the seam is smaller than it initially looked. Sounds like I likely won't be going that route anyways so I'll save the gravity defying puzzle for another project.

Ducky - Good to know about the flange and the reason why it isn't sealed. Thanks for the explanation and pictures. I'm going test with and without weight in the shower. I sure like your blocking a lot more than the single 2"x2" post! I think reinforcing with extra support will be an upcoming project for sure.

Kcoulter - One of my next steps will be to use a flat rubber stopper over the drain and fill the pan/tub part with water to check for any other leakage.

Chris - I don't see any signs of obvious leakage through the access port
(for example, sawdust still pretty even across floor and not grouped or have water paths through it. But I'll know more when I test over the weekend.

Picture: Through the access port... Hole in floor is to accommodate p-trap. Purple/white wiring is for the motion light. No obvious signs of water damage... but it is coming from somewhere!!

Thanks all and I'll post an update as I learn more.

Safe Travels and Happy Camping.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by kenandterry

I agree with your repair plan. I’m just trying to figure out how to get Gorilla Glue to go upwards behind the wall before the brace is put in place.

Finish off with the caulking.

I’ll be watching.

The Duck never ceases to amaze me.
My support for you to caulk is indeed wrong, after reading the Duck’s reasoning for these surfaces to have their gap. I stand down on that idea.

Heed the wisdom of the Duck.

[ChrisParise]

Picture sure looks clean.

If you can get the shower running with a helper pointing it at various places while looking may tell you more. Maybe you've done that already


Good luck

[ChrisParise]

My bathroom sink tail pipe fitting looks just like that. It is a hand tight fitting, not glued, and the gasket between the sink bottom and tail pipe is just a stryrofoam washer. My tail pipe cracked at the sink bottom and I replaced it a few years ago.

Not saying your problem is the same but may be worth checking the connection for hand tightness.

And I can't see what's below floor level, that may be where the problem lies especially since above the floor looks so undisturbed.

A battery water leak detector might help, you know the 9v battery type. You can move it around to test different areas

[DouglasReid]

How is the shower surround attached to the wall?

Would it be possible to remove the door and then the surround to inspect the wall behind the surround to insure there is no water damage?

This would also make it easy to apply adhesive on the back side of that surround, would it not?

[LeoS]

My thought is to loosen and pull the shower faucet away from the wall some and verify that the pex line connections at the backside of the shower faucet are tight and not cracked.

If it leaks there, it would drip down behind the shower wall and end up on the ground under the coach, as shown in one of the OPs photos.

This is even more likely if perhaps you did not get the water system winterized thoroughly at some time in the past.

Just a thought.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by LeoS

My thought is to loosen and pull the shower faucet away from the wall some and verify that the pex line connections at the backside of the shower faucet are tight and not cracked.

If it leaks there, it would drip down behind the shower wall and end up on the ground under the coach, as shown in one of the OPs photos.

This is even more likely if perhaps you did not get the water system winterized thoroughly at some time in the past.

Just a thought.

Most RV shower faucets Ive seen screw onto the wall much like lav faucets are screwed on, with a large plastic screw around each inlet. I think you would have to have access to the inside of the wall behind the shower to do that.

If you have access thee is no need to pull it out to inspect it?

Usually the RV manufacturer provides access to the rear of the shower faucet, at least that has been true in both the campers I have owned that had showers.

One was an access panel in the hall directly behind the faucet. The other was in the ceiling of a storage area directly beneath the faucet which mounted on a platform just above the tub portion of the shower/tub combination.

What is directly behind the shower on the other side of the wall where the shower faucet is located?

But looking at how that trap extends below the floor Id certainly check the connections for tightness and Id want to fill the trap with water and check to see if it is cracked and leaking out. If you cannot get below the trap to inspect consider unfastening those connections so you can remove the P trap, inspect it and reinstall with new plastic gaskets.

If either of these is the case it does not look as if it would show above the floor because of how the floor is cut out to allow for the P Trap.


Question, when you winterize your camper do you pour a cup of antifreeze down the trap?

[Patten]

So I haven't been able to reproduce the problem so far. It happened, photos exist, but I couldn't recreate the issue. Filled the tub/pan, no leak. Drained that tub quickly, no leak. Sprayed water all over, no leak. Sprayed down drain, no leak. Checked all water inlet lines and connections are tight. Access hole underneath and also in the wardrobe behind the shower both look good. Tested hot line only, cold line only and both together, no leak.

I was level when I first saw the leak and also during testing. As for winterizing, I have not done so since I live in a part of California that generally doesn't demand it. That same part of California is also under drought restrictions so my testing was quick as possible with as little water as possible.

So no real update for now, but I'll keep at it and keep an eye out. Thanks for everyone's feedback, insight, ideas and tips. That is exactly what I was looking for.

Safe travels and Happy Camping,

Mike