bhillhct Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I am about to start the process of ripping out my old shower tray and know the floor will need some levelling attention as the previous tray cracked through creaking and flexing. Can anyone suggest a good levelling compound or bedding mastic to prevent the new tray going the same way please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 HI Bill and welcome to the forum, Please give us a clue, what make, model and age of MH are we talking about here? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Bill Do you know what is under your cracked shower-tray, as this will almost certainly affect the best way to provide support for the replacement tray to minimise the chances of that cracking too.? This link shows one person’s shower-tray installation methodology http://vandogtraveller.com/fitting-thetford-c200-shower-tray/ and it will be noticed that, rather than attempt to ‘mould’ the floor to the tray, reinforcement was applied to the underside of the tray itself. You may find this technique is preferable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Do you envisage having to renew sections of the actual floor, due to water damage?... If not (as in, it wasn't used in a cracked state), I wonder if you could get away with having it repaired and coated by these guys: http://speedcoateuro.com/ http://speedcoateuro.com/how-not-to-repair-a-showertray/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhillhct Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 Hi Keith the motorhome is a 1995 Hymer B544 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhillhct Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 Hi Keith the motorhome is a 1995 Hymer B544 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhillhct Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 Sorry about double posting, I'm obviously a newbie here. A bit more information might help answer some of your postings. My first attempt was to repair the cracked tray by drilling holes and injecting expanding foam to take up the flexing. Then after filling and sealing I applied a skin type paint product which worked for a while but the repair was not sufficient as the flexing and further cracking occurred. I contacted Speedcote with pictures etc and they said yes, but an awful lot of preparation work would make this a very expensive repair as my previous bodging would need to be rectified. The quote was in excess of £500 depending on what they found. In the meantime Brownhills said they could source a new tray for the Hymer (1995) B544 which has just arrived. Looking at the new tray it looks as though everything has to come out of the bathroom to get the old tray out and the new one in. If anyone could pass on any removal tips I would be grateful for their advice. I will have to approach the bedding in of the new tray when I see what state the floor is in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phalange Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 this old post might give you some pointers. http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Hymer-shower-tray/21629/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhillhct Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 Thanks Phalange, it seems everything has to come out as I suspected - thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmcclin Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 I'm not sure if this would work but I read somewhere that someone had bought an exact replacement shower tray for their van and simply fixed it in on top of existing cracked tray. Has anyone any idea if this is feasible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 gmcclin - 2016-07-23 6:40 PM I'm not sure if this would work but I read somewhere that someone had bought an exact replacement shower tray for their van and simply fixed it in on top of existing cracked tray. Has anyone any idea if this is feasible? Sounds a good idea, as long as the plug area is made watertight, otherwise the problem will occur again, with the water getting in at that point. We repaired ours with the drill hole and squirt foam under method, a whole lot of the stuff. Solid as a rock now PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 gmcclin - 2016-07-23 6:40 PM I'm not sure if this would work but I read somewhere that someone had bought an exact replacement shower tray for their van and simply fixed it in on top of existing cracked tray. Has anyone any idea if this is feasible? Suggest you look at your motorhome’s shower tray and decide for yourself how practicable this would be. I hesitate to call the idea daft, but I believe that using that method successfully as a repair would be far from simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I think if mine goes again I'll try and get an acrylic sheet made. The 2mm thick one fitted is substandard and would only split again. What is even more dissapointing is that all the repairs I've carried out on our 2 year old motorhome wouldn't have cost elddis hardly any extra money to build it properly, a bit of glue here, a bit of wood there. And how much extra would a motorhome cost to have a thicker shower tray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmcclin Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Derek Uzzell - 2016-07-24 10:00 AM gmcclin - 2016-07-23 6:40 PM I'm not sure if this would work but I read somewhere that someone had bought an exact replacement shower tray for their van and simply fixed it in on top of existing cracked tray. Has anyone any idea if this is feasible? Suggest you look at your motorhome’s shower tray and decide for yourself how practicable this would be. I hesitate to call the idea daft, but I believe that using that method successfully as a repair would be far from simple. Derek what would you see as making it complex? Would the trays when manufactured not stack on each other for transportation? Curious to hear what may be the complications you envisage. It may well not be feasible but I definitely read an article from someone who used this method successfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I would have thought the potential problems of placing a new tray on top of a damaged one should be self-evident, but if you are sure it will be OK with your Mohican I’m not going to dissuade you from that approach. Replacement shower-tray ‘skins’ are marketed https://www.thecaravanwarehouse.co.uk/Products/shower-trays but I didn’t think these were what you were referring to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 bhillhct - 2016-07-21 1:46 PMI am about to start the process of ripping out my old shower tray and know the floor will need some levelling attention as the previous tray cracked through creaking and flexing. Can anyone suggest a good levelling compound or bedding mastic to prevent the new tray going the same way please. Whereabouts in UK are you? I have used a specialist caravan/motorhome repair company near Preston in Lancashire who would probably be able to do a good job for you and at reasonable cost? Worth going to pick their brains and get a quote. http://motorhomecaravanrepairs.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmcclin Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Derek Uzzell - 2016-07-25 8:20 AM I would have thought the potential problems of placing a new tray on top of a damaged one should be self-evident, but if you are sure it will be OK with your Mohican I’m not going to dissuade you from that approach. Replacement shower-tray ‘skins’ are marketed https://www.thecaravanwarehouse.co.uk/Products/shower-trays but I didn’t think these were what you were referring to. Good man Derek that's quite possibly what the article was about. You know your stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I think you might have difficulty sourcing a ‘skin’ that would fit your Hymer’s cracked shower-tray. Besides which (as I understand it) Brownhills has already provided you with a new tray. As I said earlier, the chances are minimal that putting the new tray on top of the old would be practicable. Although it’s quite possible that the trays used on 1995 Hymer B544 motorhomes may have been stacked for storage/transport, there’s no reason to think they fitted closely inside each other like plastic yoghurt pots. If it’s just the base of your tray that’s cracked and the base is flat, Charles’s suggestion to use acrylic sheet might be an option. I ‘re-ceilinged’ my Hobby motorhome’s shower compartment using that material, but it won’t bend round more than a gentle curve. If you are going to DIY an effective repair I think you’ll have to bite the bullet and rip out the old tray, address any damage you might find underneath and then try to ensure the replacement tray won’t crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I have had a look at my 522 shower tray and if yours is the same it will be a complete strip of the shower room to get the old tray out and the new one in. It seems the toilet, hand basin and shower screen, door and runners, and various trim panels will have to come out. It looks, at first sight, a complicated job, but having done a bit of dismantling elsewhere I found that everything is held together with screws and sealant. So, once you have found out the sequence for assembly it is simply a matter of reversing it. You could try a phone call to a dealer and ask if they can detail the way to do the job, as a last resort, I believe that the factory are quite helpful so maybe a phone call to them will help. Good luck, take it slowly and make notes/photos as you go. Use the same sealants as you find when you remove things and all should be well. Please put any photos online, this is a job that some of us could have to do in a few years time. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 The following links relate to for-sale adverts for 1995-vintage Hymer B544 motorhomes and include photos of the toilet/shower compartment. https://www.gumtree.com/p/campervans-motorhomes/hymer-b544-a-class-motorhome-/1179877191 https://www.gumtree.com/p/campervans-motorhomes/hymer-b544-5-berth-a-class-motorhome-for-sale-1995/1179216962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 bhillhct - 2016-07-22 12:03 PM Thanks Phalange, it seems everything has to come out as I suspected - thanks for the info. Why not just put a mat over the floor, and don't have a shower in van? Use a site for a shower. I am sure you love your van, but at that age is it worth spending more money on it? PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 gmcclin - 2016-07-25 10:19 AM Derek Uzzell - 2016-07-25 8:20 AM I would have thought the potential problems of placing a new tray on top of a damaged one should be self-evident, but if you are sure it will be OK with your Mohican I’m not going to dissuade you from that approach. Replacement shower-tray ‘skins’ are marketed https://www.thecaravanwarehouse.co.uk/Products/shower-trays but I didn’t think these were what you were referring to. Good man Derek that's quite possibly what the article was about. You know your stuff. I might know my stuff, but I hadn’t noticed that you weren’t the original poster. :$ Ah well, at least ‘reskinning’ has now been mentioned as a possible way of dealing with a damaged shower-tray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 gmcclin - 2016-07-24 10:26 PM...................................Derek what would you see as making it complex? .............................. Just to add to Derek's answer, shower trays are usually installed first because they have upstands all round, and the wall panels, toilet shroud, etc are than installed later, and fit over these upstands, so that water running down the walls etc is gathered back into the shower tray. This means that removal of the shower tray unavoidably involves first removing those other elements to release the tray. It is very doubtful that the tray upstands could be "wangled" out from beneath the other waterproofing linings without eventual damage to those elements, so making an already tedious and costly job even more costly. For similar reasons, trying to insert the new tray over the old, even if it would fit, would leave those all important upstands sitting against the other linings instead of nestling behind them, inviting water to make its way past the upstands and down onto the old, cracked, tray. It would also do nothing to rectify the lack of support to the old tray which has led to its excessive flexing and eventual cracking. It is a most unenviable job, but I think the only way to get a satisfactory job will be to carefully strip the shower room until the existing tray can be released (which may not involve removing literally everything), then dealing with whatever deficiency caused the cracking, putting the new tray in place, and then carefully putting all the rest back together in reverse order. Time consuming, and a real trial of patience, but IMO it'll give by far the best result in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhillhct Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 Well that was not an easy job, simply because Hymer in their wisdom decided to add one scew through the back of the internal wall which has the Thetford cassette attached to it.This screw was supporting the side fixing of the cupboard and sink support - all the other screws screws were easy to get at apart from this one. Another screw holding the cassette to the back wall was difficult to get at because it was only accessible from the casette door opening - out of normal reach. The sink liffted off without damage and the cuppboard locker came out unscated, as did the casette toilet. I also made a note of the wiring contacts for the casette and sink microswitch as these are fitted to a multiple terminal block. When lifting the old tray out it was apparent what had caused the problem. At some time there must have been a leak in the drain which allowed water to swell part of the plinth suppaorting the shower base. The plinth is an odd affair and made out of excess wall panels with a sandwich of alumininium one side and thin plywood separated by 30mm of insulation. The plywwod side was uppermost and this had gradually swelled and lifted the old tray in the area which had cracked. I will make a new plinth using the old one for a template and fit a new waste trap before assembling the bits. I still need to consider how to bed the new tray onto the plinth and had thought about bonding a thin rubber layer on the flat sections supporting the tray base and rear toilet base using sika flex. Any thoughts appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 bhillhct - 2016-07-25 8:37 PM Well that was not an easy job, simply because Hymer in their wisdom decided to add one scew through the back of the internal wall which has the Thetford cassette attached to it.This screw was supporting the side fixing of the cupboard and sink support - all the other screws screws were easy to get at apart from this one. Another screw holding the cassette to the back wall was difficult to get at because it was only accessible from the casette door opening - out of normal reach. The sink liffted off without damage and the cuppboard locker came out unscated, as did the casette toilet. I also made a note of the wiring contacts for the casette and sink microswitch as these are fitted to a multiple terminal block. When lifting the old tray out it was apparent what had caused the problem. At some time there must have been a leak in the drain which allowed water to swell part of the plinth suppaorting the shower base. The plinth is an odd affair and made out of excess wall panels with a sandwich of alumininium one side and thin plywood separated by 30mm of insulation. The plywwod side was uppermost and this had gradually swelled and lifted the old tray in the area which had cracked. I will make a new plinth using the old one for a template and fit a new waste trap before assembling the bits. I still need to consider how to bed the new tray onto the plinth and had thought about bonding a thin rubber layer on the flat sections supporting the tray base and rear toilet base using sika flex. Any thoughts appreciated Thin bonded rubber layer How about carpet underlay? Just a suggestion. Well done on the way you have tackled the problem. Hope it works out all right, but how much is it costing? PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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