# Shower/Tub - Caulking???



## Mountyhawks (Feb 15, 2004)

I noticed that on our 28RLS there is no caulking around the area where the shower surround meets the tub. It also appears that there is no significant, or any for that matter, lip on the tub that would go up behind the shower surround to prevent water from getting behind the tub.

Do other see the same thing? If yes, have you had any leak problems as a result of the water running down the walls and then behind the tub?

Have you done any caulking to seal this area? If so, did you merely use a clear silicone bathroom caulk or is there something better to use? Thanks for your replies.

Jim


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## CamperDC (Oct 30, 2003)

Jim,
I have asked this question before (on rv.net) and was told that caulking the surrond where it meets the tub is not necessary. I was told that there was enough lip on the tub to prevent any leaks.

I have not caulked ours and we use the shower every time we go out. I have no leak problems that I am aware of.

I am interested in what other folks have done.

Doug


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

I will be watching this post with interest.

We are taking our 2004 25RS-S in for some repairs on 4/23....one repair being water leaking under tub.....we noticed water coming out of bottom of tub, we removed access panel and noticed it was leaking when the water hit the wall that has the shower head and faucet on it. We are unsure if it is leaking at faucet which is un-caulked or if it is leaking at the lip where wall meets tub which is also un-caulked.

I will let you know what the dealer says when we take it there.

The other half Sandra


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## Mountyhawks (Feb 15, 2004)

Doug & Sandra,

Thank you for your replies. In looking at the tub and surround, there does not seem to be much of a lip to protect against water getting between the tub and the surround.

Sandra,

I will be very curious to see what you find from your service. We haven't used our trailer yet (just took delivery last week) and I am trying to avoid any problems that others have found and corrected.

Thanks again for your replies. I'll continue to watch for other's replies as well.

Jim


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## Milluhz (Mar 14, 2004)

I have a 2004 25RSS. One of the 1st things I did was caulk the lip. I bout a tube of white, caulked it good, no leaks and you can barely tell. Really, what it the harm, I think it preventative more than anything. If someone says it is unnecessary, oh well, I'm out 10 minutes and 3 bucks. Not that worried, just makes me feel better. I also checked every plumbing connection I could get at adn found several loose (less than hand tight). It made me think that in some cases they just started the threads on the plumbing until the remainder of the plumbing was installed, then neglected to get back to tighten the rest up. Like I said, we have had 0 leaks and spent about 60 nights in the trailer.


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

Just to add, on my 28RSS we occasionally get a little bit of leakage coming from underneath the tub (pools a bit near the door to the bathroom). I took the tub panel off and couldn't seem to find any obvious leaks, fittings were solid, and no water was around the faucet itself. The worst leakage we've got was after my 3.5 year old took a long bath and spent a significant amount of time pouring water on the walls of the tub and watching it run past the tub/wall interface (the things that entertain a 3 year old...). So I have a sneaking suspicion that my leak is coming from that point, and am planning to seal that interface all the way around the tub before our next trip...

I'll let ya'll know how well it helps.

Chet.


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## mejslice (Dec 4, 2003)

I took the time to caulk around our tub with clear silicone and also added a piece from Wamart that fits along the edge of the tub to the front entrance. we had water that was trickling over the front of the tub when taking a shower. this little piece is 6 in. long with dbl. stick tape on it. I didnt like just tape so added some clear silicone to this to make sure that I had a water tight fit. No leakage now 
Mike


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

During our walk through, the dealer said to never caulk the bottom of the tub surround. Doing so will prevent any water that gets behind the surround from having chance to flow into the tub (or off the interior walls). The water will be trapped, you know what happens after that.

Regarding the TOP of the surround, there is caulk there. I checked mine and there are a couple paces (especially in the corners) where the caulker-dude (!) missed some spots. I plan to remove the factory caulk and then recaulk along the top of the tub surround before the first trip. Will probably seal around the hot and cold knobs as well.

Randy


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I understand it should be left UN-caulked.
I don't have any leakage there.

The caulking (when on the outside) may make cleaning harder. Caulk is the first place the dirt, and mildew start collecting.

I'm leaving mine alone...unless mysterious water rears it's ugly head.


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## camping_man (Feb 18, 2004)

When I took my 28RSS back to the dealer for the 90 day check up that was one of the complants that I had was the tub surround. Mine had ripples, so they replaced the surround AND chulked it top and bottom. So if it is wrong to be chulked at the bottom then the dealer did mine wrong. But don't you think if it is sealed top and bottom then no water is going to get behind the surround to get trapped. Just my 2 cents !!


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

...unless the leak comes from the plumbing. I would think caulking everything would be a good preventative. We do it at home, why not the RV?


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## JimMcCombe (Apr 3, 2004)

Hi,

I just posted a potential fix (http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=587) for the small amount of water under the tub, or around the floor area. For me, it was caused because there was no caulk around the hose guide and shower handle holder where they connect to the wall. I caulked there and the problem was solved. I have not caulked where the wall meets the tub--that appears to not be the issue.

v/r

Jim


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

After all the discussion about this topic, I went out and looked in our '04 26RS. Not sure if it was done at the dealer or factory, but there is caulking between my tub, and shower surround.

I haven't noticed any leaking, but I have only used it to check for functionality.

Tim


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