Should I caulk around the shower surround?

[Rubicon100]

Hi all, I'm not sure I like how much space is between the tub and shower surround. I know that the back wall isn't very strong but I would hate to end up with a bunch of water under the tub. Trailer is a 2670bh. Have any other passport owners caulked this area or just keep a eye on it. Thanks Dan

[Tbos]

I've caulked the top but left the bottom open. There is a lip on the tub that helps keep water from getting in that way. I'm tall so I was worried about water splashing off me and getting in from the top.


2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2016 F350 CC DRW

[xrated]

I read a discussion about this very subject, maybe here, but I don't remember....too long ago. As stated above, there is a lip that comes up behind the walls and is suppose to keep the water from getting behind them. The reason, as I recall, for not sealing that seam is to allow movement or flex when the trailer is moving (going down the road). I'm probably going to go ahead and caulk mine with G.E. Silicone Seal 'll. It remains very flexible and should allow for enough movement/flex when travelling.

[hexmex357]

When my wife and I were doing the walk through my wife notice that there was no caulk around plastic surround. So she insisted to the salesman to have the service tech caulk all around for us except the bottom. They also caulked the bathroom sink too!

[PARAPTOR]

Originally Posted by Rubicon100

Hi all, I'm not sure I like how much space is between the tub and shower surround. I know that the back wall isn't very strong but I would hate to end up with a bunch of water under the tub. Trailer is a 2670bh. Have any other passport owners caulked this area or just keep a eye on it. Thanks Dan

Here is one of the posts from the forum I am sure there are many more Do a search of say "shower' "seal", etc

http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums...ht=shower+seal

Have to admit when I first seen my rig had Tech caulk it

[Steve S]

I wouldn't caulk the top nor the bottom as the surround needs to breathe as it gets hot and cold. If you caulk the top and the bottom sweat will be trapped in there and you will have major wall and floor damage down the road.

[hexmex357]

Originally Posted by Steve S

I wouldn't caulk the top nor the bottom as the surround needs to breathe as it gets hot and cold. If you caulk the top and the bottom sweat will be trapped in there and you will have major wall and floor damage down the road.

I'm glad we only caulked the top and sides. My question would be if water was getting in between the wall and surround would there be water damage because of it?

[Tbos]

On my first TT I caulked top and bottom with a good quality Silicone RTV. Within a couple months the bottom RTV had broken loose from the stiffer tub and was actually holding water behind it. I removed it as soon as I saw that.


2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2016 F350 CC DRW

[Rubicon100]

Thanks so much for helping me out. I'm going to leave it alone. Our bathroom was actually caulked really well except for the tub surround, looks like it's supposed to be that way. Thanks again for helping a new guy out. Appreciate you guys sharing your knowledge. Dan

[JRTJH]

If you consider the towing environment that your trailer is exposed to every time you tow, it's in an "earthquake" combined with a "small tornado" every trip. Add some rain and you're looking at "hurricane winds" to boot. Given that kind of environmental stress, things are going to move, twist, bounce and bend with every trip. The tub/shower pan lip that rides under the shower walls/tub surround was engineered to cope with the environment.

Many new owners (and some "old farts") want to improve on what's designed to work. Sometimes the improvements work, sometimes they don't matter one way or the other, but occasionally owners can really mess things up by trying to make them better. In the "perfect storm" of towing, the shower pan/tub surround works well without any added sealant. Trying to improve on that will stop the "free movement" caused by towing and can either rip the surround, break the shower pan or pull the wall fasteners out of the sidewall if things aren't free to move as planned..... Best to leave it alone, although chances are you won't damage anything by laying a bead of silicone along the bottom.... hopefully......

[Rubicon100]

Thanks JRTJH. After looking it over I completely agree with you. The back wall has a lot of flexibility built-in so the wall can move separately. I'll leave it be and just keep an eye on things. I really appreciate you guys helping get started with things. It's nice to ask before doing the uh oh. Thanks Dan

[chuckster57]

Can't say I've seen any kind of sealant used at the pan/surround joint on any brand of trailer.

[Steve S]

Originally Posted by hexmex357

I'm glad we only caulked the top and sides. My question would be if water was getting in between the wall and surround would there be water damage because of it?

It all depends on if the wall is skinned like the rest of the trailer. If it's just plain plywood then that wood gets wet and I'm sure that you'll know what happens then. Unlike a house that usually has a proper water resistant backing trailers don't. Also in a house you want to caulk everything where as with a trailer you need the air movement in behind the surround. The bathrooms are tiny and the heat and the moisture can stay in the room for hours compared to a house. This is why I tell everyone to let the fan run for about an hour after a shower. I've seen so much water damage in bathrooms because of improper caulking when I owned a construction for 25 years.
Also read what John posted about movement in the trailers as he's dead on with what he says.

[xrated]

Well, thanks for all the input guys. This is my first ever camping type trailer and after reading all the comments above, I've decided to leave mine alone....no caulking! It sure seemed like a good idea, but now, not so much. Thanks