23 FB Shower enclosure separating

[BrendaLail]

Has anyone dealt with this? We use the shower as a pantry, and the weight on the seat must have pulled this (poorly secured) seam in the enclosure apart. I'm pretty sure I can draw the pieces close together again, but how to keep them together. Aside from filling this 1/2 to 3/4 inch seam with silicone... Ideas?

[Tim A.]

The lower part of the shower enclosure was probably not poorly secured, but not designed to have weight bouncing up and down on it while the trailer was being towed.

How to fix? Years ago I installed a Beckson screw-out deck plate (essentially this one: https://www.becksondirect.com/product/dp80-w/) in the vertical surface of the seat in our corner shower. This has given us additional storage room (at a premium in a 19 footer) as well as access to the bottom and back of the enclosure.

I suggest installing such a deck plate for the access to your problem. The bottom of the enclosure needs to have support added to lift it back into and hold it in place. Then you can recaulk the seam. For our shower I have used white Sikaflex because it has high adhesion and great flexibility. It's very messy to work with! While that seam is open, I would fill the gap with caulk before propping up the shower base. Be careful with squeeze-out (use masking tape to protect all places you do not want to be covered with caulk). While still wet, Sikaflex can be removed with alcohol.

Tim

[BrendaLail]

That's a great idea. Never would have occurred to me to build in an access to that area. Where exactly does it need support? Where is there a gap to fill between the floor and the bottom of the pan? I assume you shimmed it up somehow

[Tim A.]

We haven't had your separation problem, so have not needed to shim up the shower bottom. Our Sikaflex solution was to fix leaks around the roll-up door in our shower. Recaulking with ordinary materials lasted for the next trip or two. Sikaflex has now lasted years.

Our deck plate gives access to the bottom of the shower enclosure, so I assumed such a plate would work for you to be easily able to apply lift to the curved area at the base of the enclosure seat. If I would need to do that, my first attempts would be gentle to avoid damaging the enclosure. It looks like you would need to lift it a little less than 1/2 inch, so I would probably try a couple of pieces of 1/4 inch plywood. How to keep them from shifting around later? Glue them in place with Sikaflex!

Tim

[Glen Carter]

Originally Posted by Tim A.

.... Years ago I installed a Beckson screw-out deck plate (essentially this one: https://www.becksondirect.com/product/dp80-w/) in the vertical surface of the seat in our corner shower. This has given us additional storage room (at a premium in a 19 footer) as well as access to the bottom and back of the enclosure.....

Tim

Do you have any pictures of the install?

[Tim A.]

Here is what it looks like today. I installed it many years ago and did not take pictures of the process. It wasn't difficult. I used a power jigsaw to cut the hole (protecting the gelcoat with masking tape), sealed (according to the directions with the plate) the flange with silicone sealer, and screwed it in place. The actual plate screws in and out easily. It did get a little sticky last year. A bit of silicone grease took care of that.

Tim

[BrendaLail]

Our shower is laid out differently. I checked yesterday and there is only 7" space for a deck plate. So, 6" diameter hole. That may not be big enough for my purposes. I may have to approach it differently. Getting some good ideas though. Thanks.

[Tim A.]

You might consider putting a deck plate in the horizontal part of the shower seat. Because they are deck plates for a boat, they can support considerable weight. There, where you could look directly down, even a 6 inch access hole might serve you well. Of course, that assumes you have no other way to get to the base of the shower enclosure.

Tim

[Glen Carter]

Originally Posted by Tim A.

You might consider putting a deck plate in the horizontal part of the shower seat. Because they are deck plates for a boat, they can support considerable weight. There, where you could look directly down, even a 6 inch access hole might serve you well. Of course, that assumes you have no other way to get to the base of the shower enclosure.

Tim

On top may not be as comfortable to sit on the deck plate and may require more cleaning..

[Steamy1]

Originally Posted by Tim A.

Here is what it looks like today. I installed it many years ago and did not take pictures of the process. It wasn't difficult. I used a power jigsaw to cut the hole (protecting the gelcoat with masking tape), sealed (according to the directions with the plate) the flange with silicone sealer, and screwed it in place. The actual plate screws in and out easily. It did get a little sticky last year. A bit of silicone grease took care of that.

Tim

Hi Tim,
So what is in the cavity of the space you can now access? Do you store something in there? any modifications within to make it usable? The shower seat in the 19' Bambi is certainly much larger than the 23FB. I am intrigued with the potential for additional storage.

thanks,

[Tim A.]

The space is surprisingly large and, for us, also gives access to some plumbing. The size is because the space goes to the outer wall of the trailer. We have made no modifications to the space.

We now use the storage for hiking boots together with dry bags filled with freeze-dried emergency provisions. The latter we bought some time ago and the quantity was more than expected! Because the expiration date is something like 2045, that space seemed like a good place in case we might ever need the stuff.

Sure Glen Carter, the plate on the horizontal surface might be less comfortable to sit on, but it would still be a simple way to gain access to fix the OP's original situation. A pry-out plate would have a surface without indentations so cleaning would be easier.

We have been happy with what our deck plate allows. That might not be the case for all!

Tim

[Steamy1]

Originally Posted by Tim A.

The space is surprisingly large and, for us, also gives access to some plumbing. The size is because the space goes to the outer wall of the trailer. We have made no modifications to the space.

We now use the storage for hiking boots together with dry bags filled with freeze-dried emergency provisions. The latter we bought some time ago and the quantity was more than expected! Because the expiration date is something like 2045, that space seemed like a good place in case we might ever need the stuff.

Sure Glen Carter, the plate on the horizontal surface might be less comfortable to sit on, but it would still be a simple way to gain access to fix the OP's original situation. A pry-out plate would have a surface without indentations so cleaning would be easier.

We have been happy with what our deck plate allows. That might not be the case for all!

Tim

thanks for the reply!