My Acrylic Shower Leaks at the Corners of the Lip

Damage Potential

• Water leaks in your bathroom, whether they are large or small, can lead to major water damage in your house. The leaking water can make its way into the substrate under the finished flooring in the bathroom, breaking up the bathroom flooring so that you have to remove it and install a new substrate. The water may also run into the subfloor, where it can cause the floor joists to rot and mold to grow where you cannot see to detect it. A water leak can also ruin the ceiling that sits below the bathroom, as well as short out any light fixtures in the ceiling. Once you notice your acrylic shower is leaking, you need to stop the leak before the damage increases.

Pinpointing the Leaks

• Even if you think you know that source of a leak, you need to avoid jumping to conclusions. Water leaks do not always fall straight down, so if you have a water spot on the ceiling just below the corners of your shower’s lip, you cannot assume that the source sits straight above. Water takes the path of least resistance, so it may run along electrical wiring, floor joists or other surfaces in the subfloor before it drips onto the ceiling and creates damage. By cutting a hole in the ceiling and looking into the subfloor you can trace the leaking water back to the general source area. Once you know the general area of the leak, you then spray water in pinpointed areas and watch for the leaking to start up again, confirming exactly where the leaks are located.

Repair

• Acrylic showers may crack over time, allowing water to leak through and into the subfloor. If you find cracks in your shower lip’s corners, you can apply caulk to the cracks to seal them up. Also, if the caulk at the borders of the lip has cracked and failed, you can cut out the old caulk and apply a fresh layer. If the damage cannot be sealed completely with caulk, you must remove the old shower and install a replacement. While this option may cost several hundred dollars or more, depending on the type of shower you install, the water damage from the continual leaking could cost even more and lead to unsafe conditions in the bathroom from rotting floor joists and mold growth.

Caulk Options

• Use caulk that is labeled for use in bathrooms, since the caulk is treated against mold and mildew growth, otherwise the caulk will start to develop mold or mildew, which will eventually break down the caulk. If your new caulk cracks soon after you apply it, you may need to use bathroom caulk made of a different material that stretches more easily, according to Bruce W. Maki of the home improvement website HammerZone.com.