How to Repair RV Shower Walls (Cracked, Loose, Leaking)
You have spent a lot of money purchasing your RV. Over the years you got a lot of good use out of it. Now to continue to get great use, you need to do a few repairs to make sure it remains in top condition.
How to Repair RV Shower Walls: RV shower walls are not one piece installs. You can remove one section and replace it with a new unbroken piece of shower wall plastic. All you have to do is remove the screws, use a knife to remove the caulking and loosen the moulding. Then replace the panel.
To accomplish this, you may only need an hour of time. To find out more about fixing your leaky, cracked or loose RV shower panels, just continue to read our review. It has the information you need to do great repair work to your broken RV shower.
How to Remove RV Shower Wall
Removing an RV shower wall is not difficult work. It may be tedious to do because you have lots of little things to tackle before sliding the walls out. Of course, not all RV shower walls are the same so you may need to adapt the information provided here to fit your specific situation.
- The first step is to remove all the screws holding the broken section of your shower. These screws may be both Allan and Phillips so have a variety of screwdrivers on hand
- Next, take a box cutter or sharp knife and cut out all the caulking around the wall’s edges
- Once the caulking is gone, the outside molding should simply pull out of place.
- Then you need to remove the inside moulding. These may be held into place by two sided tape. You may need your knife to help cut the seal of the tape as you remove these mouldings.
- Once the caulk, screws, and moulding are removed, the shower wall should slip out of its place without difficulty
- If done right, you are looking at about 20 to 30 minutes to remove the shower walls
RV Shower Wall Loose
Traveling down rough roads can take its toll on your RV. One of the areas that feel the bumps the most will be the walls of your shower. Since they are attached to a frame, those bumps and jolts and jostle the frame.
When this happens it is possible that your shower walls become loose. Your first instinct may be to grab a bottle of glue or a tube of silicone adhesive. But that would not be the best move to make
The reason behind this thought is that both glue and silicone adhesive are vulnerable to the same bumps and jolts that knocked the original fasteners loose. After awhile, the glue or silicone adhesive will lose its seal and come loose again.
Another reason not to use these adhesives is that certain areas of your shower are not caulked or glued to let the moisture out before it causes any damage to your RV parts. The correct way to tighten up your loose shower wall would be to use plastic rivets.
These plastic rivets do a good job and they can be found in any home improvement store or RV parts department.
RV Shower Pulling Away from Wall
When you spot your shower walls pulling away from its frame, it is most likely that any glue or adhesive holding the walls to the frame have lost their seal. This happens quite often especially when Your RV travels down some bumpy roads.
The quick fix for this is to purchase some plastic rivets and secure the shower walls without reusing any glue or other adhesive. You want to make sure you have a secure fit, without blocking the escape of any steam, etc. From your shower.
If you block the moisture’s escape routes, then you will be creating a future issue you have to solve later on. Another issue that causes this problem is a water leak. To fix this problem, you will need to find the source of the water leak and patch it up.
The leaks could come from the roof of your RV. That means you would have to inspect all the seams on your RV’s roof to see where there may an opening for water to enter into your vehicle.
RV Shower Leaking Behind Wall
If you are seeing leaking water in your shower or RV bathroom and your shower walls are not cracked. Then you have a serious problem that may take a few times to get fixed correctly.
Part of the repair problem is how your RV’s bathroom was put together. If the shower walls were put on first, then the other cabinets and fixtures, then you have to remove a lot of items before you can remove the shower walls to find the leak.
The source of this type of leak most likely originates in your fixture connections or the different water connections behind your shower walls. If it is a city connection that is loose, then you have to remove the walls to fix it.
Other places that might leak water are the shower joints, loose water pipe connections and a lot more. It may take some time to find the source of the water leak but while you have the shower walls off, look for additional leaks or loose connections and tighten them up.
Do not worry if you do not get the water leak the first time out. Some dealers have fixed the same leaks twice and still did not get the job done. Water leaks are always tricky.
RV Shower Wall Leak
The first thing to do when it comes to any type of repair, including water leaks, is to look for the simplest answer to the problem first. In case of a leaking shower wall, it may be something as simple as your shower head is not screwed on tightly enough and some water is leaking out the loose connection.
Also check your faucet handles and other simple sources. These can leak water if not attached correctly. Then look for any cracks, breaks or loose screws, etc. These can allow water to escape and let ti leak all over the place.
In addition to those possible sources, you should check your sealant or caulking. If there is a hole in them, then the water has an easy escape route. Just reseal the caulking, etc., and you should be good to go.
Then if you do find a crack, you will most likely need to replace that section of your shower wall.
How to Waterproof RV Shower Walls
The thing to remember here is that almost all RV shower walls come waterproofed already. The plastic or fiberglass construction materials naturally resist water and do not need any help in that department.
Now if you own a tent trailer then you might have plastic like paper on your shower walls. This plastic paper is not very thick and it may get small holes, etc., in it and let water leak out. In this case, you would want to place a thicker plastic sheet over the original and seal it up good.
Or you may want to remove the original plastic wall and install a better one. The easiest fix to do is to check all your seems and connections. If there are tiny holes, etc., then seal them back up with waterproof caulk or other similar materials.
How to Fix Cracked RV Shower Wall
Small cracks happen in your RV shower. It may take a few years for them to appear but they do happen. The good news is that there are some quick inexpensive fixes that will temporarily solve your problem.
The first quick fix is the most obvious. Duct tape is your friend. It seals a crack and keeps it sealed until you can afford to get a replacement wall or shower. Duct tape doesn’t cost a lot of money and it is the perfect go to repair tool when you are far from home. It also doesn’t weigh a lot so you can carry a few rolls with you.
The second quick fix may be a bit more in cost but it is said to be as effective as Duct tape. It is called eternabond and it is also applied like any tape you use normally. Once of the attractive features of this tape is that it can endure extreme temperatures from -20 to +150 degrees F.
To apply either quick fix, make sure to clean your shower stall around the cracked area. You want to remove dirt, soap residue and any oily product that has gathered around the crack.
Once this is done, dry the area and then use some rubbing alcohol. This will make sure the surface is clean and ready for both tape types. Now cut the Duct tape to size and put it over your crack.
For eternabond, there is a slightly different application process. Using strong, heavy scissors, cut the eternabond to size. Do not remove the protective liner just yet. You will need to knead the tape so that it gets pliable and easier to use.
Once you have done that, peal the lining and place the eternabond over the crack. BE CAREFUL! This tape sticks fast and is almost impossible to remove. Once it the tape is in place, apply some pressure but not too hard.
Go from the inside out when applying the pressure to make sure the seal is in place. Let both quick fixes set overnight before using your shower again.
RV Shower Wall Material
The most common material used on RV shower walls is plastic or fiberglass. These materials are very waterproof and can be tough. It will take a lot of pressure or force to put a crack in them.
Now some smaller RVs or tent trailers may have a paper like plastic material covering the walls on their showers. This material is still waterproof but it is not as durable as other materials.
Some DIY artists have taken their built in plastic walls and replaced them with some creative materials. One went as far as adding galvanized metal sheets. These sheets should not crack and they certainly prevent a lot of leaks and other problems
Another turned to acrylic to make their shower walls fashionable and very good looking. Acrylic is also tough and should work well in most RV showers. They are guaranteed not to crack or fade.
A third alternative material is PVC designed to look like stone. This material and design adds a lot of class to the look of your shower. It comes in 1/4 inch sheets and can be easily cut with a carpenter’s knife.
Then with their 30 to 60 inch width, you can remove any seams. This helps cut down on water leak issues. With 20 patterns to choose from you can find one that matches your taste quite easily.
The final alternative option is the solid surface panels. These are easy to install but they add a lot of weight to your RV. They weight about 3 1/2 pounds per square foot. But you can cut them with good woodworking tools, so you can do a professional job.
51 colors and 4 textures are available with this option.
Some Final Comments
Addressing your RV shower issues is not a difficult task in most cases. Replacing cracked shower walls is easy and simply takes a little time to remove the old materials and replacing them with the new.
When you spot a leak, this could be a more difficult problem to handle. Water takes the easiest path to get from point A to point B. Where you see the water coming out may not be anywhere near the leak origin is.
You may need to play a game of hide and seek to find out the problem. That means checking all the seams, connections, pipes and other water sources. When you are fixing loose walls, etc. Avoid using glue. You need to make sure to let the moisture escapes to avoid other water damage issues.
All RV shower wall material is waterproof. You just have to make sure the seams are sealed correctly. If you like being innovative and want to improve your shower’s look, there are alternative shower wall material you can use to spruce your shower up.
Leaks in your RV’s shower should not be a problem anymore.
