Hi,
We live in a 20 year old home and just added a bathtub/shower to a half bath a couple months ago. We put in a bypass tub door and just today it started leaking between the door & tub-- I pulled out the entire silicon seal in one strip under the door. :eek: Called plumber/installer, he said tub has probably settled and he will reseal door. He said that now that people have stood in there, it may have sank just enough to undo the seal.

Question: Is this typical with new installations, even in an older house? The tub has been used less than a dozen times. I just don't know if he's b-s-ing me and this is a larger issue I need to be concerned about. :confused:


Thanks so much!

It is totally BS. The plummer that installed you tub/shower should fix the problem. 1st did the plummer get a permit to do this. If not then it seems to me that the plummer does BS work. Call the plummer to fix the problem. Thank god for Homes on Homes. I love working with him.

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Called plumber/installer, he said tub has probably settled and he will reseal door.

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This would bother me. Why wasn't the tub installed so that it wouldn't "settle" and why is the plumber treating it like it was
Normal to have a new installation that isn't stable. Call him back and have him do the job right. Let me know how it all comes out. Good luck, Tom

Tom is correct, the tub was improperly installed if it settled this much. A good amount of thinset should have been applied to the area beneath the tub before installation. Once the tub is in place it should have been filled half way with water and allowed to sit for several days. There would be no settling.

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Originally Posted by kirasmom

Hi,
We live in a 20 year old home and just added a bathtub/shower to a half bath a couple months ago. We put in a bypass tub door and just today it started leaking between the door & tub-- I pulled out the entire silicon seal in one strip under the door. :eek: Called plumber/installer, he said tub has probably settled and he will reseal door. He said that now that people have stood in there, it may have sank just enough to undo the seal.

Question: Is this typical with new installations, even in an older house? The tub has been used less than a dozen times. I just don't know if he's b-s-ing me and this is a larger issue I need to be concerned about. :confused:


Thanks so much!

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I'm troubled that you were able to pull the silicone caulking out in one strip.

The bottom rail of the door set should have been set in a bed of silicone caulk with the tub full of water, particularly if it is a fiberglass or plastic tub, which are notorious for flexing when filled.

If you were able to pull the caulking out, then he must have caulked the edge after installation instead of during installation.

But still, it sounds like the Plumber bit off more than he can chew -- In all actuality, he had no business installing the door kit, this should have been left to the General Contractor, homeowner or a door supplier recommended subcontractor.

I've been doing this a long time, and there is no way I would undertake an installation better left to the professionals.

Growler makes a good point regarding the silicone. If it was laid under the rail it would not come off in one stripe. Sounds like he applied aonly a bead of caulk after the door was in.

Thanks so much to those who answered.. I so appreciate it! FYI: I pulled the bead of caulk out from under the door (it looked like the water from the shower had sort of pushed the bead through so I grabbed an end and pulled)... so obviously the tub had flexed enoughfor the caulk to loosen.

I KNOW that no one mentioned to have the tub sit with water for several days (it is fiberglass, I believe-- Americast?) which sounds like would have avoided this from the start, no? So he is coming this week to fix the door, but what else should I have him do? I want it fixed, but I don't want the "oh, lady, you don't know what you're talking about, it's all fine" response. Any direction you can give me on what to tell him would be appreciated. Should I have him reset the entire tub?

The installer should have filled the tub, not your responsibility. He screwed up, not you. You may need to be a bit crabby with him if he gives you the you're just a woman bologna stuff. Ask him what he put under the tub to set it, should have been modified thinset, plain thinset and in a pinch I saw a guy use a bucket of drywall compound. He has to have a bonding filler under that tub or it will flex every time it is use, it probably did not settle, its flexing. Also tell him that the installation directions for that door require silicone bead to be under the door sill not on it. You can probably download and verify the install instruction from the net. If he gives you a hard time print out all of our answers espoecially Speedball1 and Iamgrowler, they are both experienced plumbers. I'm just an installer who knows how to set a tub and lay down silicone.

Thanks to you all who helped... he is coming over tomorrow to investigate... wish me luck!