Minor Leak in White Hawk Shower

[mrnoyb]

We recently noticed a minor water leak on the bathroom floor at one corner of our White Hawk shower after it's use. It appeared there was no caulk where the shower wall meets the shower floor and I applied bathroom caulk to seal this gap. There was no water leaking on our next trip.

I've just read that the gap I sealed may have been there by design and that it should not be sealed in order to allow moisture to evaporate.

Is this correct and if so, why is there moisture behind the wall that needs to evaporate?

What would account for a leak before the caulk and no leak after it was applied?

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

[RickAE]

Our bathroom was the same way. We had a slight leak and there was some water on the floor after every shower. When I got home from the first trip, I did the same thing you did. I put a bead of caulk all the way around the bottom where the two pieces met. It appears that the tub base goes up behind the side wall and is riveted together. I thought it was just a mistake in our camper. Where did you read that it is intentional. I cannot find that information in the owners manual. Thanks.

[Crabman]

The gap where the tub surround meets the tub is left uncaulked intentionally in all trailers if what I have been reading on these forums is correct. I know mine has no caulking there. The tub side is raised up behind the surround so water cannot drain behind it. Water runs on the floor from the open side of the tub, some have placed splash guards there and/or raised the front of the trailer a bit to keep the water from running in the floor. There have been several threads on this issue. Here is a recent one:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...ht=water+floor

[RickAE]

Okay I went outside and took a couple of pictures. To start off, I don't have a tub, I have a shower stall. The first picture shows where the water is coming out. The second one shows the inside of the shower. I put clear caulking around the complete bottom area. I'm wondering if I should remove the caulking and just re-caulk inside the shower at the corners only to build up a "dam".

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by RickAE

Okay I went outside and took a couple of pictures. To start off, I don't have a tub, I have a shower stall. The first picture shows where the water is coming out. The second one shows the inside of the shower. I put clear caulking around the complete bottom area. I'm wondering if I should remove the caulking and just re-caulk inside the shower at the corners only to build up a "dam".

OK, the shower stall arrangement may be a bit different then the tub/surround/shower curtain deal that many have. Not sure what to say about the caulking there.

[mrnoyb]

Originally Posted by RickAE

I put clear caulking around the complete bottom area. I'm wondering if I should remove the caulking and just re-caulk inside the shower at the corners only to build up a "dam".

I have a shower stall also. The only reason I'm thinking about removing the caulk is due to a post in another thread that stated the bottom should remain unsealed in order to allow moisture to evaporate. I can't understand what would account for moisture behind the shower wall. I don't believe the thread refers to shower stalls.

http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthread.php?t=7648

[RickAE]

I sent an e-mail to Jayco to find out there stand on the "caulk-no caulk" question.I'll have to wait a couple of days for an answer but, I'm not taking the trailer out for a week or two. That should give me ample time to remove the caulk if necessary.

[mrnoyb]

Here's the reply I received from the factory -

"The shower base has a 1.5-2.0" lip that the surround sit down on, therefore we do not seal the bottom of the shower surround. By sealing the bottom of the surround you may find that the sealant will crack due to the flexing during travel."

Since the caulk does no harm I'm leaving it.