Water leaking from under shower

[traveller333]

Has anyone experienced this?

We had our grandkids with us for March break at Jetty Park in Florida. This is a campground very close to the beach. I'm sure that after they showered, some sand remained around the drain.

After they left, my wife cleaned the shower and specifically, she cleaned around the shower drain (circled in red in the picture below), with a soft tooth brush, in order to remove any leftover sand.

She doesn't remember specifically, but she thinks that the area around the drain may have been sealed with silicone and the tooth brush may have removed it.

A couple of hours after that, I took a shower and within 30 minutes afterward, I saw water leaking from under the shower pan, along the edge. (green line in picture below) I estimate we soaked up about 1/2 cup of water.

We placed paper towels down trying to wick as much of the water as possible and after about 1 hour, the leaking stopped and it has not returned in the last 48 hours. (no showers during the 48 hours)

We have not had this problem in the past. My thinking is that the water is leaking around the drain and coming out from under the shower pan. I would rather not run water in the shower in order to prove my theory, so I'm hopping one of the forum members can help.

Questions:

1. Has anyone experienced this?
2. Can anyone tell me if there should be silicone around the drain?
3. Could I use Dicor self leveling compound instead of silicone?

Thanks for all your help.

Manny

[SKP Kirk]

I doubt that there was silicone around that drain but it is normal for it to have a sealant. Just how it was sealed varies quite a lot from one RV to another. If the drain is installed in the same matter as it is in a stick house (many RVs are) then you should be able to unscrew it and remove it. If you can do that it will allow you to remove any remaining sealant and replace it. If that is possible, the most likely thing to be used there would be the butyl tape, which is available from Amazon or any RV supply store.

If you can't remove the drain, then you will need to use something else and a self leveling caulk like Dicor is a good possibility. One word of caution is that if this continues it will keep the wood floor under the shower pan damp and it will not take a really long time for it to begin to rot. For that reason, if you can't resolve this pretty quickly it would pay to get professional help.

[rbTN]

"most" shower and bathtub drains will be a threaded fitting from the top, into a fitting below the tub/shower floor. Generally they are sealed with plumbers putty. I would see if it will unscrew (to the left) and apply more plumbers putty between it and the shower base

[Mile Marker 42]

Originally Posted by traveller333

Has anyone experienced this?

We had our grandkids with us for March break at Jetty Park in Florida. This is a campground very close to the beach. I'm sure that after they showered, some sand remained around the drain.

After they left, my wife cleaned the shower and specifically, she cleaned around the shower drain (circled in red in the picture below), with a soft tooth brush, in order to remove any leftover sand.

She doesn't remember specifically, but she thinks that the area around the drain may have been sealed with silicone and the tooth brush may have removed it.

A couple of hours after that, I took a shower and within 30 minutes afterward, I saw water leaking from under the shower pan, along the edge. (green line in picture below) I estimate we soaked up about 1/2 cup of water.

We placed paper towels down trying to wick as much of the water as possible and after about 1 hour, the leaking stopped and it has not returned in the last 48 hours. (no showers during the 48 hours)

We have not had this problem in the past. My thinking is that the water is leaking around the drain and coming out from under the shower pan. I would rather not run water in the shower in order to prove my theory, so I'm hopping one of the forum members can help.

Questions:

1. Has anyone experienced this?
2. Can anyone tell me if there should be silicone around the drain?
3. Could I use Dicor self leveling compound instead of silicone?

Attachment 323429

Thanks for all your help.

Manny

Do you know if the shower stall was placed directly over the floor or is their access under the shower stall/ drain. Common sense would tell me the shower stall wasn't sealed properly and it could be an easy fix for you?? Or it is leaking out of the drain, onto the floor and coming out where you see it. You need to address this pretty quickly. Can you get access underneath it? If not try what rbTN suggests.

[SKP Kirk]

Originally Posted by rbTN

"most" shower and bathtub drains will be a threaded fitting from the top, into a fitting below the tub/shower floor. Generally they are sealed with plumbers putty. I would see if it will unscrew (to the left) and apply more plumbers putty between it and the shower base

Plumber's putty is used in stick homes but because the RVs are subject to vibrations the RV techs that I know use butyl tape.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by SKP Kirk

Plumber's putty is used in stick homes but because the RVs are subject to vibrations the RV techs that I know use butyl tape.

Silicone does not adhere well over time. Usually it may be pulled off if you can get hold of one end. There is a reason it's the cheapest caulk/sealant sold.

[US1]

Are you sure its not leaking from the shower door frame?
Your shower base looks pretty shallow. Shallow enough id think the drain assembly/trap would have to be below the floor, which would indicate the floor will have a good size clearance hole for the drain assembly, thus any leak would drip down below the floor.

[Teamfoxy]

We have had shower leaks from a couple sources. The liner sides may be screwed to the walls and the screwheads covered with plastic caps. The screws can be a source of leaks. You could also have a crack in the plastic drain pipe or fittings under the shower pan. I had to replace the P-trap fittings once. Look for an access panel under the tub.

[08Carriage]

Had a leak in my new Montana shower was leaking
Removed the access door and found a fitting was leaking
Tighten it, still leaked took it apart no washer
put a washer in that was laying on the floor
Leak fixed

[rbTN]

Originally Posted by SKP Kirk

Plumber's putty is used in stick homes but because the RVs are subject to vibrations the RV techs that I know use butyl tape.

thank you for pointing that out, I didn't even think about butyl tape, that would probably be better in an RV

[ThunderRidge]

Manny,

I would move your post over to the Newmar forum as there may be someone on there that can help out. Give Newmar a call and see what they think. I would definitely not just silicone around the bottom of the shower as all you will accomplish there is holding the water under your shower pan creating even bigger problems.
You need to identify the source of the leak and go from there. It could be a loose fitting in your plumbing that is leaking down and out.

[153stars]

There should be a gasket under pan and small flange of threaded drain connector . The plumbers putty is more of a bedding to help it not try to move around and then cause a leak, not the final seal. You might be able to tightened a little more There's a tool or DIY with couple bolts or screwdrivers". You may even be able sneak a new gasket back in place but you open the can of worms if unexpectedly drops or moves out of the way.

[traveller333]

Thank you all for your help.

It does look like there is a gasket between the flange of the threaded drain connector and the top surface of the shower pan. I tried to unscrew it, but it didn't want to turn and I didn't want to force it and create a bigger problem.

I put self leveling compound around the drain connector and after 4 showers, I did not see any water coming from under the shower pan. I even raised the shower side of the coach to make sure that if there was any water under the shower pan, it would leak out into the bathroom.



I also looked in the basement in the area under the shower and did not see any water leaking.

I did contact Newmar, but have not heard back yet.

For now it seems to have resolved the problem, but I will continue to keep a close eye on it.

I will take it apart and do a proper fix once I get back to Florida in November.

Thanks again for the help and advice.

Manny