Hi Dave,
As you can see in the photo I attached, there are two cracks in the shower floor! The first one was repaired with silicone but it didn’t last long. Then we got the other crack two months ago and I’m trying to fix it. My question is, do you recommend replacing the whole shower with a home style shower instead of plastic? And how would I go about that? Thank you. Any information is greatly appreciated! —Colton, 2020 Puma Palomino 31RlQS
Hi Colton,
First, I would get in touch with the RV manufacturer to see if they have any type of “goodwill warranty” to cover it, although I doubt it. However, a three-year-old shower should not do this.
Shower looks like fiberglass
From what I can tell by the photo, the shower is not plastic, but rather fiberglass, as it has a hair cell finish. So silicone would not work, as you found out. Even if it is plastic, silicone does not have enough tensile strength to keep the two edges secure and would just separate. Most likely there is not enough support, as many manufacturers use block foam insulation underneath to not only support but also to insulate. This foam can break down and get soft or even shrink, especially if there was a moisture leak and, even worse, once the first crack was formed.
The only manufacturer I know that makes their own shower is Winnebago in their thermoformed ABS Plastics Facility. So, I would assume Forest River, the company that makes the Puma Palomino, bought this, and most likely from Patrick Industries. It also looks as though the lower basin is a formed with a shower pan and a raised bench to the back and is one piece up to about 2.5’ tall. The shower walls are sheet stock mounted to the backing and overlap the lip of the basin, so it would be a challenge to replace it.
How to possibly repair RV’s shower floor
My suggestion would be to use a fiberglass repair kit or plastic if you can identify the material. It might be necessary to reinforce the underlying area with a small amount of spray foam. Push on the area and if it moves more than slightly, spray a small amount of non-expanding foam by separating the crack and insert the straw inside. Then use the fiberglass or plastic epoxy and resin material to fix it. You may even need to apply a mesh and the two compounds and repaint it. Or, I have found a rubber shower mat hides quite a bit. (Also, read the post below for more suggestions.)
You might also enjoy this from Dave
There’s a crack in my RV’s shower floor. How do I fix it?
Dear Dave,
There is a stress crack in a piece of my RV’s molded shower floor where the bench seat meets the floor. I put tub caulking on it, but it still opens up. Can it be repaired? —Diana, 2018 Cameo Crossroads
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
Read more from Dave here.
##RVDT2198
From a Plumber- This why when we install fiberglass or acrylic units we put structo-light under all units. If you replace your RV unit make sure you do that. No measurable increase in weight.
I ‘repaired’ our shower floor with one of those fiberglass kits. There was barely enough ‘glass’ in the kit to get the job done. I bought some extra ‘glass’ for future problems. Actually, the mfg replaced our shower floor when we went to the factory. They also put more support under the floor. This was years ago and I don’t think they would do this anymore. Too busy building new trailers.
The floor in my shower was quite flexible when I was standing in it. So I opened the access panel and reinforced the shower floor with some plywood and support wood.
I had good luck with JB water weld. Sand about 1 inch on each side of the crack. Put it on about 3mm thick, a damp finger to smooth it out a bit. After it’s dry sand it a bit so it’s kinda smooth. The good thing with this stuff is everything does not need to be absolutely dry.
I like the spray foam idea Dave mentioned.
Thank you, Dave!
In the 80s hospital had a fiberglass shower unit drilled wrong (2″+ hole?), factory sent a fiberglass man who repaired in-place. 2+hours later, you could not find the repair.