Quote:
Originally Posted by CampNBrew2
It seems I have read about quite a few leaks at this shower pan to wall joint that is not supposed to be caulked. Why are they leaking, and what is the harm in sealing this joint? Is there a designed in air gap to allow the back of the shower wall to breathe?
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The issue is flexing of the trailer walls as the trailer is towed. If the floor (shower pan) and the walls (shower wall) are "sealed with silicone" the ability to flex is decreased and the potential to pull the shower walls apart at the seams or to cause them to pull away from the "backing wall/structure" increases.
This is another of the many concepts that are significantly different in travel trailers vs stick built homes. Sealing that joint space in a S&B home doesn't cause any issue and is typically done as a "secondary line of defense" against leakage. In a travel trailer, if that is sealed, the forces caused by towing will not be "free to move" so rather than "stop at the joint" (which, if not sealed, will allow free movement between the two parts) will exert pulling/pushing/sheer forces to cause movement further up the wall, possibly causing damage to the structure.
The shower wall/shower pan joint is designed to move/flex to prevent damage.