Re-Seal bath - Very little access

[Andeh13]

Hi Guys,

Last year I had a new bathroom installed. Everything is to my liking but the sealant behind the taps has gone totally black. We rinse the shower after every use and it gets a good weekly clean, and everything but this area is fine.

Now I have taken the bath panels off and seen signs of water damage on the wall around the corner of the bath, including below these taps. It was dry to touch (despite a few showers between us this morning), so I cant tell whether it was from this bath/shower install or the previous one - which was replaced due to being totally run down. Shower/taps were in similar location to this set up.

Now I know that the whole bath would need resealing which I feel I could do, but behind these taps I am struggling for ideas - there is only 2-3 mm of space between the wall and the tap base, and 5-8mm between the wall and taps themselves. The installer seemed to just put on as much as he could, as best he could but I was hoping some of you guys might have some ideas!

bath & taps...
http://www.betterbathrooms.com/baths...e-shower-bath/

Taps...
http://www.betterbathrooms.com/taps/...k-bath-filler/


edit; updated links

[Phage]

What is that link ?
Best way to get black mildew off hard to reach bits is to soak kitchen roll in bleach and then squash it into the crevices. Leave it for a few hours then rinse.
If you have a leak, it's a matter of trimming off the old sealant with a stanley blade, then re-applying bathroom sealant.

[GoNz0]

get as much of the old off as you can then buy the sealant remover screwfix sells as it turns the stuff hard so you can get the leftover off easier, buy a good quality maksing tape and after a really good clean with alcohol spray mask off the area you dont want sealing, buy a good 35 year bathroom sealant and apply it, it does not matter if its a bit messy behind the taps due to the masking tape, as for smoothing it out a wet fingers the best thing in the world, get a cup of water with a little bit of washing up liquid in there, dip your finger and starting from the corner wipe toward yourself to create a smooth line. once you have the desired result carefully remove the tape (while the sealants still wet, taking care to pull the tape away at an angle and not lift straight up or it will get stringy) and give it one last very light rub with the wet finger to smooth the edges in, then sit back and enjoy the professional result

if you need it the next morning get a desk fan and aim it at the bath to move some air to help it cure overnight.

we now wipe down the shower after every use to stop the mould, it lasts longer but not for ever.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsens...er-100ml/17175

[Fraz]

Sealing stuff is easy, as said above. And yes, after applying the sealant from a sealant gun, the easiest way to smooth it off is just with your finger.

How much flex is there in your bath? Does it move appreciably away from the walls when you stand in the bath and move about? Maybe the previous sealant just couldn't cope with the amount of flex, thus losing the seal?

[GoNz0]

good point fraz, if it does move it needs packing out underneath to stop it sagging.

[deejayburnout]

When you seal the bath, fill it 70% full of water then seal it. That way is doesn't stretch to much when you fill it and lie in it.

If you seal it when its empty, when you fill it and bathe, you will most probably stretch it to breaking point.

[Andeh13]

The bath was filled with water when the original sealant was put in place, its just the tap behind the taps is so small the sealent has been used as best as possible and between. A roughish surface and awkward cleaning access has meant it has got so bad. The rest of the bath is still more or less pristine. Picture of taps below;

http://db.tt/VOojMurQ

http://db.tt/jwJbS4zy

[Sputnik]

Those taps are tight to the wall, is it possible to remove them so you can do a good job of sealing behind them?

[Fraz]

Personally, I'd complain to whoever installed your bathroom, as that is just idiotic. A professional installer (assuming it was one) should know better. Get them to fix it!

[Andeh13]

Seeing as it was just over a year ago, and it is arguable that if we had kept a closer eye on the problem we could have mitigated this I will leave getting into a debate with him over it & trying to get him to re-do it.

Without replacing the bath and re-fitting the taps it I dont see what he could do that i couldn't do myself tbh. With myself/girlfriend and my lodger/girlfriend having at least 3 showers a day between us the bathroom has seen fairly heavy usage over the last year. I never really paid much attention to behind these taps until a few months ago when I think it was already a bit late.

Whilst looking at resealing it I am now considering pulling the bath out 10cm or so to make sure it gets done properly. I have already re-fitted the drain & its easy enough to d/c again, and the taps are plumbed in with flexi line which wouldnt have any problems. The two feet closest to the removed bath panel are screwed in, but from what i can if I removed those screws, removed all the sealent and kept a closer eye on the pipe work i could probably move the bath out. Aside from a few screws under the lip of the bath I dont see how many other points of fit it could be? The shower screen isnt attached to the bath itself either, so providing I did it slowly, in theory, I think it is doable?

Edit;
I don't think I can move the bath, from the looks of it he has used glue to hold the bath to the tiled wall. I also managed to take some photos of it, showing mould on the wall. From touch it is dry, and the mould flakes off/dusts off. With 4 showers so far today and me running water down the wall under pressure from the shower no water got through. This make me think it was either a leak from the previous bathroom install (which was very very ropey when I replaced it) or could be from condensation when the girlfriend has her hot bathes?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/72120595/IMG...814_211517.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/72120595/IMG...814_211539.jpg

[GoNz0]

moving the bath 10mm would really help, as for cosmetics fit a unitrack shower curtain that can cover the taps as well http://www.limekitchenandbathroom.co...px?prodid=4924

[Andeh13]

Yeah, I have groped as much of the wall as I can reach and it is all bone dry, where he took half of the wall down to fit my shower (it is one of these built into the wall, with only control knobs, then shower head that comes out of the wall) the wall below that is as badly stained so it makes me think that something was wrong with the previous bathroom install.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/72120595/IMG...814_213747.jpg

Without moving the bath (due to the high risk of it being glued in, and the fact that the two furthest feet are screwed into the floor) i may have to continue to look at removing as much of it as I can and re-sealing it. A tip online I saw was using a drinking straw on the end of the sealant nozzle to act as a movable/squeezable nozzle to get into the tight spaces!

[Sputnik]

I think you should be able to remove the taps, Looks like it is possible and not too difficult as plastic pipes and pushfits on the taps.

If it was me, I'd take the taps off and then you can seal it in one smooth movement. and put the taps back on afterwards. It'll be quicker and easier than trying to get a decent sealant job with the taps in position.

[GoNz0]

I think you should be able to remove the taps, Looks like it is possible and not too difficult as plastic pipes and pushfits on the taps.

If it was me, I'd take the taps off and then you can seal it in one smooth movement. and put the taps back on afterwards. It'll be quicker and easier than trying to get a decent sealant job with the taps in position.

semi pointless as the need to keep it dry behind them would make them mouldy in weeks again

[Andeh13]

I had a good clean of them last night and they dont look as bad now. I would be keen to try and get some more sealent behind there for my own peace of mind though.

How much of an issue is it trying to put a thin layer over the existing sealent there? The sealent there seems to be working (well all the mould behind the bath seems to be old stuff, is its all bone dry) and I am hesitant to remove it in case I make it worse/introduce leaks.

[Sputnik]

semi pointless as the need to keep it dry behind them would make them mouldy in weeks again

That could be said about bothering at all.