Shower pan floor panel - improvement.

[CGAZ Paul]

I love the timeless design of the Rialtas. I am one of those people that likes to keep everything stock and not change things. I did notice, hovever, that when walking back and forth over the removable floor panel over the shower pan, that it flexed down a bit and would squeak at times. I am only about 185 lbs. and figured that if it flexed that much with me - what will happen in other cases?


I carefully added a few more bracing pieces that could be tied in (screwed and glued - as well as pneumatic nailing) to make this one solid unit. I bought a good grade of wood and these few pieces won't add too much weight to the unit. When the bracing was complete (3 pieces total) I used spray adhesive to attach thin felt weatherstrip on all surfaces that would normally rub or touch the shower pan floor and edges.


Once back in place, the floor is silent, solid, and no more squeaks OR flexing. The extra bracing also controlled warpage which can occur in various climates. All you others out there, take a look and see if you might want to do this? Wish we could post pictures here for these situations. That is why I do such detailed descriptions. I don't really mean to be so "wordy". LOL!


Paul

[rem]

Tks. Paul sounds good

[Bills Wild Hair]

rem said:Tks. Paul sounds good

I don't think you're being wordy, and your info was useful to me. We bought a used 1995 Rialta which we really love but it does have some issues that have to be addressed. We bought it mid-summer so we've only taken it on the road 3 times so far. We found on our first trip, when we thought we'd be able to use the bathroom instead of going to the bath houses, that the floor and carpet in front of the bathroom stayed wet all the time. We noticed a leak between where the toilet joins the stand it sits on, so we worked on that to no avail. I finally (against Duh Hubby's objections) figured out that if we cut off about 1/2" of the flooring outside the bathroom the water would go down into the shower pan instead of directly from the toilet onto the carpet on the piece in front of the bathroom. Seems to work like a charm. We still don't use the toilet for 2 or 3 reasons that we're working on, but the wet floor is no longer one of them. Does anyone out there use the shower? It's so small I'd rather just go to the bath houses.

[CGAZ Paul]

Thanks for the compliment. You asked about the shower being used. Yes, I use the shower. It is actually "better" than I was expecting. It is tight but if you use it right and get used to it, it isn't bad. Sometimes, there are no bath houses, or they could be undesirable. By the time one gets all your stuff to schlepp over to the bath house the curtains could be up, shower started, and done!


Some tips using the shower: Leave the bathroom door open - use the floor panel to prop it open if needed. That way, the towel holders and toilet holder won't be in the way. After regulating the temp, I flip the sink and vanity table back up. You can use it with the sink down, which is where I put a wash rag and have some hot water in the sink. (This is for self contained in efforts of using bare min. water). If you are hooked up; shower away! You can even sit on the toilet seat cover and do some showering that way which would help if one is tall and having to stoop too much. Either way, after drying off (I do it in the shower as to not get everything else wet), I let the curtains drip dry - this is after velcroeing them back to hang out for a while. A quick wipe down with a towel - make sure the floor is completely dry before putting the floor panel back as the wood bracing will absorb the moisture. Also, be sure the Power Drain works! My first shower was a disaster because the pump head dried out and it wouldn't siphon. Anyhow, I enjoy using it.


Paul

[bbaskett]

If you are experiencing shower pan warpage problems, I would recommend replacing the existing plywood deck with marine plywood and pressure treated lumber for the support bracing (both available at your local Home Depot. This should eliminate any moisture caused problems.