GB Pursuit - Shower Leak Repair

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Ex-Calif

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May 15, 2020
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NorthCentral Florida
I figured I would take ya'll on a repair journey with me. In the immortal words of Alice Cooper, "Welcome To My Nightmare" - LOL...

I am 90% sure it is a drain leak. Today I am getting the endo scope in there to see underneath and see if I can locate the source. The video inadvertently cut off before I finished but you all get the idea.

Plan is to source the leak, repair the leak and then figure out how to rebuild the floor. There are metal beams spaced under the vapor barrier. I don't want to cut the barrier but I might have to in order to add additional supports for the new flooring. The biggest challenge will be how to bolster directly under the shower insert. The insert appears rock solid but the floor under it is definitely rotted out so something will need to be done structurally.

Comments welcome.

 
In my opinion, you are at a tipping point in a major repair. You can spend a lot of time and effort in trying to shore up the problem to make it work for a while. If it was my rig I would remove the shower and any cabinets that are on part of the damp floor. Find and fix the leak, repair the sub floor with new solid material. There are many choices for replacement showers. Kits from the box store, individual panels, or even light weight adhesive tiles. If I had to tear it up I would make it better than it was when I started. Just my humble opinion, but in my estimation you are past the band aid stage.
 
I appreciate the thoughts and it might get there. Several logistical problems with a full tear out. The first being is this is where I live now and being without a shower for a week or more would be a real PITA. I am also not sure a new insert will fit through any of the doors or windows. I also don't think there is anything wrong with the insert.

The second part is that this is a $2500 rig - $6000 with repairs and upgrades so far. It's also 25 years old. There are also other "problems" that are livable. It is easy to get stuck into "might-as-well-itis" - I've seen lots of classic car repairs go that route - LOL...

I am not sure I ever planned for this rig lasting another 25 years. It is a cheap way to get into RVs and test the waters. I won't sell it on without having a "good" repair and of course there will be full disclosure. If I repair it, the main thing is to ensure the repair lasts. Nothing worse than doing the same repair twice.

Nothing decided at this point. The borescope inspection may reveal more if what I am dealing with. Finding the leak is job 1. Finishing the "excavation" is job 2. Deciding on a fix is job 3.

Thanks for the comments.
 
I get not wanting to spend a lot of money on the repair. But you can get a new shower pan pretty cheap, and then prefinished walls that look like tile, but are really just laminated panels that attach with Liquid nails. Your call, I hate for you to do a lot of work trying to save something that will wind up with way more time, effort, and money invested than you thought.
 
I watched the video without audio.

It looks like the trap dips below the floor. Is there a storage area below?
 
@SargeW - Yeah - I talked to my brothers on the weekly family zoom tonight and we talked about all these options. I was thinking shower pan and tile but you idea of shower pan and wall panels makes a lot of sense. You guys are pointing out the inevitable truth. There is only one way to do the right way right - LOL...

Henry - The way the tray is designed it creates about a 4 inch space from the shower floor to the base of the skirt. So basically all the plumbing is above RV floor level.
 
Why don’t you just stop taking showers. Your leak problem will go away and you won’t have pesty neighbors. 😂😅🤣
 
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Well Rene... You aren't far wrong... I live in Florida. I could put a tray out next to the water bay shower tap, tee the drain into the drain and use the water bay shower outside in my swim trunks - LOL...

It's not like I have to worry about winter - LOL...

Another "compelling" reason to go for it is that I have a plan to rebuild the vanity area such that I take the vanity cabinet out and mount a combo washer dryer in the space. It should fit and if I expand this repair properly, I could do that at the same time.

My brother asked if I could remove the shower insert, fix the floor and reinstall the current insert. The only "logical" way to do that is to take out the BR closet, muscle the insert (intact) into the bedroom space. fix the floor and build it all back.

My concern about a new pan is finding one of the same shape so I can reuse the shower glass walls and door.

This led to a discussion of "carefully" separating the the current floor pan from the current walls with a dremel type tool, use the pan and then use SargeW's idea of new all panels.

Again I am in the noodling phase of how to rebuild and just spit-balling ideas here.

I know my diatribes can get long winded but I am open to any ideas at this point. Lots of smart folks around here.

One thing for sure is that regardless of the leak source, I know there is no flooring left under the shower insert. While getting the closet and insert out is gonna be a large PITA, once done, putting a solid floor in gets like 100X easier than trying to partially replace the floor around the insert while also figuring out how to structurally make sure the shower is solid and won't ultimately fall into the basement - LOL...
 
The damage requires shower removal and a rebuild. Build a temp shower area outside. Outside showers are easily made. Gut the area and decide on a rebuild.

Another option is to build a new shower in a different area of the mh and then gut the old shower.

Another option is to buy another mh or trailer either temp or perm.

Has any water gone below the floor?

Don't forget that the weather will change fairly quick. About 4 months and you will then need to fire up the heat at night and shortly after that, day heat. A good schedule would be to have it completed by September.
 
We use our two electric heaters quite often in the winter in FL. Many more times than the AC. 😥😓Mother gets cold real easy.
 
This past season was not too bad with maybe 30 days of morning heat needed and a fair amount of day heat needed too. What makes this worse than it sounds is that I don't use any heat above 60f and I was in SW Florida. But the real issue would come if I used a temp outside shower while rebuilding the one in the mh. Going outside to get showered first thing in the morning 60f and under is a little chilly thus my 4 month estimate with some wiggle room built in.

Is ex-calif in middle Northern Florida?
 
This past season was not too bad with maybe 30 days of morning heat needed and a fair amount of day heat needed too. What makes this worse than it sounds is that I don't use any heat above 60f and I was in SW Florida. But the real issue would come if I used a temp outside shower while rebuilding the one in the mh. Going outside to get showered first thing in the morning 60f and under is a little chilly thus my 4 month estimate with some wiggle room built in.

Is ex-calif in middle Northern Florida?
Yes - About equal distance from Tallahassee and Jax off I10 - Lake City area...

Don't cry for me, Argentina... I've been here since January - Yeah, hoodies and a little furnace at night in the "winter" so far...

winter.JPG
 
Lake City is too far north for me. Too cold although we usually get two days of frost here in Lakeland. I can put up with that.
 
Lake City is too far north for me. Too cold although we usually get two days of frost here in Lakeland. I can put up with that.
Yeah - I am my "most" productive between like 65 & 75. Hawaii was absolutely "the best" - the temps like never varied and the breeze was always on.

Summer gets "too hot" in the middle of the day here so 11-3 is like siesta time...
 

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