Leaking bath screen

[Dbas]

Hi all, it's our first time having a bathroom redone. We're excited it's nearly completed, all except a leak in the bath screen hinge. We've asked for this to be looked at, and someone has come back twice to fix this with an excessive amount of sealant, but water still seeps through. I attach a picture below, the blue arrows are the two places where water comes through.

What else can be done? I think if we ask for the plumber/joiner to come back, he'll just add even more sealant (at this point the whole perpendicular corner has sealant on already), but it doesn't seem to solve the leaks.

I'm sure the contractor just wants the bill at this stage, but we're a little reluctant to pay it with a wet floor after every shower in a brand new bathroom. This probably is a common problem? Any advice is most welcomed on how to solve the leaks!

thanks in advance.

It actually looks like a fault with the screen rather than fitting. Can you you back to wherever you got the screen from?

It could be the screen, or it could be how it's aligned along the bath.

If its leaking so much don't pay as something must be wrong. More sealant can't be the answer.

As in something is wrong with the screen's design? We ordered from Victoria plum, but sadly as it's been installed I don't think we can return? Besides, we sat down and ordered the products with the contractor using his trade account, he ordered the wrong bath panels which he wouldn't let us return so we just had to order an additional new one. Now if there's a problem with the screen we probably have to fork out more money to buy a new one.

Is a leaky bath hinge a common problem? Or does the seal usually sit well without having to use sealant?

Why not get in touch with them and ask to speak to someone with technical advice? Explain what is happening and perhaps they could point out why. Could it be how it's installed? Could it be something about the rim of the bath does not have a good shape for it? ( I am just a sympathetic ordinary person though!)

Read through all the steps for installation here:

victoriaplum.com/blog/posts/how-to-fit-a-bath-screen

If it is the design how could you know until it was installed that it didn't work? Have you looked up reviews of that product, if there are any?

I feel sorry for you with this. It isn't very nice to have a new bathroom not work.

Has he sealed the inside too?
The hinge of shower screens is designed to be a drainage channel so water goes in and drains at the bottom into the shower. That means you must seal the outside all round, but not on the inside. If you seal both sides it will just fill up in the drainage channel until it leaks out elsewhere higher up.
Having said that, our shower screen and every other I've lived with has a slight leak at the hinge.

We've just discovered this exact problem after living here for two years, the water must have been leaking constantly and where the bath panel wasn't fitted properly either it has all got through to our floor boards which now stink. They've dried out now but still a bit smelly, turns out it wasn't aligned at the wall properly or sealed at the bottom. Sorted now after a lot of faffing. Probably not much help but do get it sorted asap or your floor will end up suffering.

Thank you @KindDogsTail, yes we looked up reviews and there seems to be no complaints of leaks. If the contractor doesn't send someone to sort this out I'll get in touch with Victoria plum to find out what can be done.

Thanks @johnd2, I read on other forums the inside shouldn't be sealed too, but yes we have the inside sealed horizontally and vertically between the metal and the glass.

I can imagine the damp smell, @crumbsinthecutlerydrawer, glad yours is sorted. Yes, we definitely need to get ours sorted to prevent that.

Good luck Dbas

If you can get hold of a real technician at the suppliers' head office, such people can be quite a help in my experience (in my case not with bathrooms though).

So your fitter is incompetent, that's such a basic mistake so to do it wrong twice is pretty poor. Just get some silicone eater from b&q or your other favourite diy store and it should be better (but they're not often perfect!)