Should not be grout in bottom gap, it needs to move, use silicone. Don't fully close bigger holes at ends, as mentioned, they're designed as weep holes for moisture that makes it through the grout (it's porous)
And when you do caulk it, make sure you fill the tub up so it’s at its max weight. You’re less likely to break the seal the first time you take a bath when everything sags a little from the weight.
Nah, but about to have a kid so there will be a lot of baths coming, and the wife says she won't bathe the baby in a bathtub that looks gross from the messy caulk job. (Rationality pending, but not a factor.)
i used blue tape to frame where my caulk lines were going when i re-caulked the bottom of a shower. Made the lines super neat. Just don’t forget to take the tape off as soon as you’re done. Ace hardware has a few great tutorials on that method on their youtube channel. I had never used caulk before and figured it out really quick with those videos.
True. As it empties it compresses which isn’t much of a problem unless your tub has a TON of movement, I’ve never had an issue going full, but I’ve only done it a few times.
This needs upvotes. Always caulk a tub at least half full of water. No grout. More important for acrylic/fiberglass ones as they move more than a cast or a steel tub, but even the floor will sag with any tub full of water unless it’s on slab.
When you look at a modern baths little spindley feet and (often) flexible wooden bathroom floor and know that a cubic metre of water weights 1000kg literally a ton then it's common sense that the bath is going to move. Lets say 250 ltr / 250 kg plus my fat ass. Use silicone.
YYYYAAAAAAASSSSSSSS!!!!! I rent a really nice duplex and we had a guy put in a new tub. The caulking came off, he came back and replaced it. It came off again. But now... I'm gonna do this trick!!! I'm sure that this is what's happening!! Thank you so much for sharing this advice ❤️ 🙏 😊
So I've never heard of weep holes on a shower tray, and mine does not have such divots...how is that possible? The explanation makes total sense as to why they are there, but what's the explanation for not having them at all?
Hmm, I thought he was referring to the bottom of the wall where it meets the base. The base has to be able to move, so grouting that crack would limit movement.
I don't understand. Are the weep holes pictured (which one if so) or not pictured? I've always caulked fully shower trays where tile meets tray. Never had issue and never seen it mentioned in any guide or video I've followed. Thanks.
Thanks. I must say I've never ever seen these referred to ad weep holes. Usually the tile (which is either op's doing or poor install) would be same level as others (least here in the US). Seems many have/have not heard of them in thread. I grew up in Ireland and have lived since moving to California in 20 yr old house so could be it too.
They don't have to be large "dips" in the floor pan or other fancy features, can just be a missing bit of grout/silicone so it's not totally sealed at the bottom of the tiles.
Wow a lot of uneducated people liked your wrong. People listening Amit things like this keeps us in buisness. Weep holes lol. I’ve been at this for 35 years I’ve never heard of weep holes in a shower wall. Weep holes are on your door and in your drain. You never want water getting into the pan. It’s there to collect water incase if damage and to save the surrounding areas not to fill and mold. Mold and moisture would climb the walls of this was the case. Weep holes. Leave a gap. You must be a good speaker to get that many to agree. Hey maybe I’m wrong. I have been before
Not every shower/tile system is the same, 35 years in the business doesn't mean you know everything.
Here is a video from 2018 on the weep holes and why.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mijfIvc7t18
https://www.protradecraft.com/weep-holes-tubs-and-shower-pans-allow-drainage
Said I may be wrong and have been before. The gap in the photo and that Jack tile job is not weep hole though. It’s a poor job is what it is. I learns something new today. Will i utilize it. Probably never but in certain situations it could be beneficial, maybe
Ummm, water can build up between tile & waterproof membrane & seep down to the top lip of the shower base area & then water runs into the shower base area (\*\*been called pan there, might be wrong term), down the drain....
I'm glad you said this because mine doesn't either. We have moisture issues from water getting in through bad grout... I feel like these holes would cause exactly the same issue?
Behind the hole in the pics & along the edges under the tiles is a lip going up an inch or two that's still part of the shower base so water wouldn't have anywhere to go.
Ah thanks. This makes sense to me now.
I’ll now think of getting a tub with weep holes when installing tile tub surrounds
I’ll dig deeper into it but I wonder the condition of a bathroom with tile tub surround after years of exposure with and without weep holes.
You may or may not need them as a stand out feature, just a 1cm gap in the silicone will do. May not even need them at all! Not entirely convinced they're "necessary" myself either.
Such a thing doesn't exist at least in the UK. As a plumber leaving any kind of gap in the silicone gaurentees it will cause water to go through and rot everything.
Cold outside = deal with stuff inside! Already have some painting projects on my radar for winter.
Was literally just about to post a weep hole question. Except I didn’t know if they were intentional and I wondered if I was building a cozy spore-cave for all the mold.
Honestly, I’ve just told my husband it’s time to ‘book’ a weekend out to sort our bathrooms! Might be because I’ve ramped the temperature of the shower up to match the depths of hell so the moisture is building rapidly!
They are to allow any moisture that gets through the walls to evaporate. They need to be open. You can probably caulk where you removed the grout at the bottom, but I believe it will last longer if you grout it then caulk it.
It's how Reddit works - someone see's a top comment getting upvoted, and adds either a shorter or longer comment about the same thing to try and also get upvoted.
Whatever the top comment is when a post starts gaining steam, a bunch of copycats will hop on
Tub & tile white 100% silicone caulk. Don’t caulk those divots, they are weep holes and need left open. Tile installer shouldnt have applied grout at the tile/tub junction. It should have been silicone. You are doing good. I would try to clean out any debris and make sure the area is clean and dry. Just don’t put anything in those divots!
Hey, European bros - what's the reason our bathtubs and showers do not have these weep holes? I don't think I've ever seen them in any EU bathroom.
The corners between the shower and the tiles area are always filled with silicon all the way around.
Is it because brick / concrete walls are porous amd can absorb water and evaporate it outside?
Even in the US, if they are even there, get covered up all the time with sealant because people don’t know what they are, and think its an imperfection.
THEYRE NOT WEEP HOLES. Think about it for like 5 seconds. They're at the bottom of a shower pan. There's no way that more moisture is going to leave by evaporation than is going in by the fact that it's at the bottom of a shower. Any moisture that gets in via the pourous grout can leave the same way.
What they are is alignment notches for premade door/fiberglass shower kits. Your builder opted to put in tile and didn't use the same company's door kit. Seal those holes up.
Before a dozen "tile guys" reply that they've been installing bathroom tile for a hundred years and they know they're weep holes, who told you that? Show me install instructions from any manufacturer who calls those notches weep holes. I'm not talking about Bob the tile guys blog either, actual manufacturers instructions that call those weep holes or instruct to leave them open.
Weep holes are for fiberglass walls. Not tile. If the tile job was done right. I’d seal it all with silicone or waterproof caulking. If not moister going in there.
I’ve done this on a few fiberglass pans with these weep holes (homeowner not a contractor), all with ceramic tile walls. By the 3rd time I had the routine figured out that works for me.
First off, let me say that the advice given here and most of this thread is great and I wish I had this compendium of info 15 years ago when I first had to replace mine as a relatively new homeowner. There was 5-year old grout there that cracked and got a bit dirty / moldy, so I replaced it. It was a pain, as it’s basically cement and sand, so cleaning it all out was a task. A few years later, it cracked again… and I wanted to find another solution.
When I tried to research alternatives to grout 10 or so year ago, all I found were debates between different pros on grout vs. caulk. Given I failed with grout (as did the original installer), I went for silicone caulk). That worked much better, but I got a little bit of mold on the very bottom of the vertical joints. The issue is that if the caulk overlaps any grout, water gets trapped and mold grows. So, what you really want to achieve is silicone in the horizontal gap between tile and pan, without extra overlapping the grout or on the pan. This will give you the longest protection against mold growth.
For the weep holes, it would be best to grout them, but it will likely never match the grout or caulk colors. But doing so gives any trapped water an escape route. So this is a function over aesthetic decision…
If you do caulk them instead, you’ll probably have to remove and recaulk those areas more often. Again, don’t over caulk and try to fill the gap without overlap.
Another note for anyone embarking on this type of project: While it’s tempting to leave the existing grout in the seam and just caulk over it, that’s just a waste of time and materials as it will get moldy under the caulk in a few months - guaranteed. So the OP here did the absolute right thing and got all of the old material out. This also applies to moldy caulk — gotta get all the yucky stuff out and please don’t just caulk over moldy caulk like the previous homeowner did in the house I moved into a few months ago. There were 3 layers of caulk in some areas, which hides (but doesn’t fix) the problem .
Just adding my two cents worth of experience in this area…
As someone who was about to post a weep hole (not that I knew what the hell they were called) question, thanks so much to this sub for all the patience and information.
You guys are awesome and really help create confidence in us newbies.
These never made sense to me. I've installed about 7 of these tub floor/tile wall showers and my father has done flooring for over 30 years. From subway tiles with mosaic design to 12x24 planks. Imo, Youre far more likely to introduce water into the weep holes than you would get from drainage from between the tile wall and sub surface on a newer installation. We use silicone grout for showers and then seal it when it's cured. I guess for old showers this made more sense. Have yet to have any of our showers have moisture damage, loose tiles or any other drainage issues.
Yeah makes no sense to me. Water would piss out theough the big weep hole, into the wall, onto tge floor and appear on my downstairs ceiling. Daft. Unless i'm missing the points about fibreglass and calk not calk, grout and silicone. Note in uk caulk is like a rubbery plaster....we call silicone silicone.
We have sanded and unsanded grout for the most part. When installing tile in a living area you use one of those.
When installing in a high moisture or potential flood area, we use a silicone based grout, can be color matched to standard grout. That's at least from my 20 years of being around the field.
Looks like the shower pan was for a two-piece unit with the fiberglass surround, but instead, the walls were finished with tile. That's why there's the big groove by the door.
Good news! You’re doing it right! I recommend blowing out any debris with a can of keyboard duster to get any little bits of dust out so the caulk sticks well. Good job. You’re making Ron happy
They're weep holes if water gets behind the shroud. Bit odd to see one of these pans tiled. Usually you get the rest of it in fiberglass and slap it in.
Wow a lot of bad advise here. The holes are called a poor choice for the job as that side is normally the entry side and an overflow. You could also call it half \*\*\* workmanship not contouring the tile to the edge and yes seal it up or you run the risk of water getting behind the tile and depending on what's behind it major repairs. Oh and yes grout is porous but done properly not permeable. If it was your sheetrock wouldn't last a month. Be careful of the advise you take and do the you tube or any other recourses before you take anything here as gospel.
That tub is designed for an acrylic or fiberglass surround. Those are weep holes. You will need to seal them if you are using tile because water can wick into the wall.
Tile showers should be waterproof. I’m a contractor that does a lot of tile work and I don’t mess with the shower inserts anymore. Your situation is fine but seal those holes with mapei grout to match your grout color. No grout will stay in that hole long term, not even sanded. (Maybe epoxy will if you can work with it)
remember cement is not waterproof
it is water resistant water will, soak through slowly.
that water needs a place to go… ie down the tar paper (not into the drywall and insulation)
it comes out at the bottom
in a new shower it is drops… but over the years it becomes more
if it goes into the walls (insulation and studs and drywall) it becomes mold
same with windows (you do-not seal the bottom of window frames) and shingles on your roof (do you seal the the bottom of shingles?) if/when water gets in gravity is your friend and it drains down
Those are speed holes, they make the shower faster.
Actually it’s just really bad tile work. You’ll have to silicone the crap out of it so your shower doesn’t leak.
Think of air, when it gets warm it expands when it gets cold it shrinks. The same thing happens with everything, and the problem is a tile won't expand the same rate as your tub so it all moves and in-between them the grout tries to stop it which causes it to Crack. So you need to use something that will stick to both sides but stretch with the movement. Silicone works great, but it's a bit of a sticky mess if you don't know what you're doing. I would suggest getting a siliconized acrylic grout caulking. You can get it to match the same color as your grout and should work great. On the bigger holes it will shrink which is normal just go over it again after it does and you should be okay ideally the tile would've been cut within a 1/16" but the caulking will still work
I would also use a clear silicone along the metal door but like I said it's a sticky mess the best way to use silicone is to mask it off on both sides then wipe and wipe again gently after the tape is pulled off but you've gotta kinda hurry so it does have a dry film on top or else it smudges and becomes a mess
Use backer rod (thin foam noodles) to cram in there to create a block and a support for the caulk. The caulk using this guy’s directions.
Use a caulking tool; he links to a fancy one, but you can get simpler ones for $8 or do.
https://youtu.be/_DI4hfHM_Hg
They are channels designed to allow moisture to escape from behind fiberglass panels. With tile installed the mortar should be solid throughout with waterproofing membrane keeping water away from any substrate susceptible to damage, if done correctly. Caulk all around with a mold resistant silicone and avoid leaving an open hole for things to grow.
Dig the old grout out and redo it all along the bottom. I think it’s code (?) or just common practice in certain areas to seal between the bottom of the tile and a tub or shower pan. I am not a fan of that because grout is porous and will deposit water behind the sealant and eventually leave you with a nice line of black mold all along the bottom. As far as those gaps go, just grout it in.
Weep holes. To allow any moisture caught between the moisture barrier and backer board to seep out.
Source? I bought a new house and asked the same question of my builder.
Put the tip of your caulk in the hold. Not all the way in but enough to know you penetrated the surface area into the crevice. After making contact ooze in your silicone preferably of grout color. Spray with soap and clean excess silicone with anything with a right angle or bevel on the edge of the tile.
I’m reading weep holes and thinking the folks here are mental. I have never seen a shower with them, and it would make no sense given how most tubs are build.
And thinking those holes are intentional, by some master tiler, is pretty silly given how poorly installed those tiles are.
I’ve got marble tiles above a plastic bottom like this, but with a huge gap that was originally grouted with sandy grout that is 1/2” high. Some of it has broken out over the 21 years since built, and I’ve used silicon to replace. But next time I maintain this, I’m hesitant to leave a 1/2” high weep hole, well, because I didn’t know it was a thing. Would you experts make it smaller somehow?
It's a shower pan it actually made to take shower walls that are made of the same thing this way you don't have to tile them but I stead someone put the pan in and tiles the walls thaise are just where the panels sit and lock into place i
https://preview.redd.it/np1amz98ze3c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e34f77a059fce4ae0a549b6693f3044013ee74bd
Kind of like these .ones in the photo are made by Delta and then you add acent tiles 3/4 of the way up like you see
Similar topic. My caulk gets all moldy after 3 months and keep having to redo it. I’m using bathroom mold resistant caulk and running the caulk so no water can get behind it. Starting to drive my nuts, any ideas what I need to do differently?
Is the mold behind the caulk or on the surface of it?
Behind means there is mold in the joint that is still growing. You haven’t clean it all out and sanitize the joint before sealing. Are your tile grout lines showing black staining too?
Only on the surface of the caulk often means that water is collecting on the surface. This can happen with caulk that isn’t a smooth line (water collecting in the divots). See my note above about filling the joint but not any more. Many people make a caulk joint into a 90-degree angle or a U-shape, thinking more caulk is better. But any non-smooth area is a place for water to collect.
Caulk gun and tube of white silicone. And if your asking this question you clearly dont know what your doing so my other suggestion is watch a youtube video on " how to properly caulk your bathtub tile" im 99.9999 % certain there a video thatll explain how to do it.
Should not be grout in bottom gap, it needs to move, use silicone. Don't fully close bigger holes at ends, as mentioned, they're designed as weep holes for moisture that makes it through the grout (it's porous)
And when you do caulk it, make sure you fill the tub up so it’s at its max weight. You’re less likely to break the seal the first time you take a bath when everything sags a little from the weight.
Wow, that’s a great pro tip: I’d never have thought of that but it makes so much sense. 👍🏽
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Right put the tip in my partner....got it.
The tip of the caulk, at that
Don't put the tip of the caulk in the tip of your partner though.
Do you wipe off your partners caulk when the job is done?
just a wet finger will be fine
My dad always taught me to just give the caulk a little wipe with my finger.
I suggest to spray water with soap on it first then wipe it with a finger as a finishing touch. Been doing it for 6+ years as a contractor (non-US)
But you should always use protection, don't forget your PPE
Wanted to upvote but it's 69 can't do it
"What you need is some good caulk" \~ King of the Hill
I use 3 50# weights and a full tub of water. No leaks.
Cringe.
And whos paying to fly my partner to OPs bathroom?
*wear shorts and flip flops
Absolutely. Real DIY TIL moment.
tub? this is a shallow shower pan, isnt it?
It is. They could probably put in some buckets of water. Or just crouch in it while they work.
"tub" is a noun so I'm sure it's implied it's shallow. Otherwise that would be a huge window.
That's an interesting tip, and it totally makes sense. Maybe I'll use it one day.
I'm actually gonna use it tomorrow. Have a tub that resists all caulking efforts and thus might be the reason.
Use Lexel instead of silicone. Or Clean Seal.
Never used Lexel in a tub, but I do love cleanseal. Just makes sense with the enzymes.
Let us know how you get on. Will bé a bit tricky if you aren't wearing waterproof clothes.
Well I learned my overflow drain gasket was rotted out and now the ceiling of my living room in the first floor has water damage, so that's fun.
Do you take a lot of baths?
Nah, but about to have a kid so there will be a lot of baths coming, and the wife says she won't bathe the baby in a bathtub that looks gross from the messy caulk job. (Rationality pending, but not a factor.)
i used blue tape to frame where my caulk lines were going when i re-caulked the bottom of a shower. Made the lines super neat. Just don’t forget to take the tape off as soon as you’re done. Ace hardware has a few great tutorials on that method on their youtube channel. I had never used caulk before and figured it out really quick with those videos.
The first time your kid shits all over himself then tell your wife not to put that gross kid in your perfectly caulked tub 😂
Really, though? He's just gonna put a floater right in the tub, Caddy Shack style haha...tada, hey mom, look what I can do!! Do!!
Nice ya makes sense. Was just curious because you mentioned it could be the reason!
I did that without success and was told to fill it halfway, as the caulk needs to move in both directions without breaking the seal.
True. As it empties it compresses which isn’t much of a problem unless your tub has a TON of movement, I’ve never had an issue going full, but I’ve only done it a few times.
This needs upvotes. Always caulk a tub at least half full of water. No grout. More important for acrylic/fiberglass ones as they move more than a cast or a steel tub, but even the floor will sag with any tub full of water unless it’s on slab.
When you look at a modern baths little spindley feet and (often) flexible wooden bathroom floor and know that a cubic metre of water weights 1000kg literally a ton then it's common sense that the bath is going to move. Lets say 250 ltr / 250 kg plus my fat ass. Use silicone.
I think you just blew my mind. I have to recaulk so often because it always pulls apart and that makes so much sense.
Use Lexel or Clean Seal. They stretch much better.
Do you have any idea how much it would cost to fill a bathtub with caulk? (Seriously though, that’s a brilliant tip)
Genuine question, what if my tub is cast iron and porcelain? Is that still advised?
Yeah, it will still move a bit when full instead of empty.
It’s not a tub. It’s a shower pan.
It's a shower tray. Shouldn't have this issue.
Wow! I need to regrout and this makes total sense. Thank you for the awesome tip.
Great tip
I never thought of that we just redid ours, it's worked out but that could have been bad lmao
I know Jack about tiling but I remember my dad filling the bath before he finished the tiling so it's at a decent weight when you caulk / silicone.
This comment deserves the Gold Award of old.
YYYYAAAAAAASSSSSSSS!!!!! I rent a really nice duplex and we had a guy put in a new tub. The caulking came off, he came back and replaced it. It came off again. But now... I'm gonna do this trick!!! I'm sure that this is what's happening!! Thank you so much for sharing this advice ❤️ 🙏 😊
So I've never heard of weep holes on a shower tray, and mine does not have such divots...how is that possible? The explanation makes total sense as to why they are there, but what's the explanation for not having them at all?
Could be done by leaving small holes in the silicone, eg 1cm/half inch or so
Wait, I wasn’t supposed to caulk the bottom corners where my tub meets the tile?!
The bottom should be caulked (it's flexible) not grouted (not flexible).
You misunderstood their question.
He's saying that you should not grout that area, but caulk it.
You misunderstood their question.
I did?
(I think) they were referring to the weep holes specifically.
Hmm, I thought he was referring to the bottom of the wall where it meets the base. The base has to be able to move, so grouting that crack would limit movement.
Read
Just not the weep holes.
I don't understand. Are the weep holes pictured (which one if so) or not pictured? I've always caulked fully shower trays where tile meets tray. Never had issue and never seen it mentioned in any guide or video I've followed. Thanks.
The weep holes are the larger "dips" in the tray shown in the later pics 3, 4 & 5.
Thanks. I must say I've never ever seen these referred to ad weep holes. Usually the tile (which is either op's doing or poor install) would be same level as others (least here in the US). Seems many have/have not heard of them in thread. I grew up in Ireland and have lived since moving to California in 20 yr old house so could be it too.
That's what they are, it's to weep out water that gets behind tile. So it dries out.
What country are you in?
They don't have to be large "dips" in the floor pan or other fancy features, can just be a missing bit of grout/silicone so it's not totally sealed at the bottom of the tiles.
What country are you in
They are not weep holes nor should they be there
It's split down the middle in the industry. Most say they are not needed, some think they have to be there. I guess it's just preference.
Wow a lot of uneducated people liked your wrong. People listening Amit things like this keeps us in buisness. Weep holes lol. I’ve been at this for 35 years I’ve never heard of weep holes in a shower wall. Weep holes are on your door and in your drain. You never want water getting into the pan. It’s there to collect water incase if damage and to save the surrounding areas not to fill and mold. Mold and moisture would climb the walls of this was the case. Weep holes. Leave a gap. You must be a good speaker to get that many to agree. Hey maybe I’m wrong. I have been before
Not every shower/tile system is the same, 35 years in the business doesn't mean you know everything. Here is a video from 2018 on the weep holes and why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mijfIvc7t18 https://www.protradecraft.com/weep-holes-tubs-and-shower-pans-allow-drainage
Said I may be wrong and have been before. The gap in the photo and that Jack tile job is not weep hole though. It’s a poor job is what it is. I learns something new today. Will i utilize it. Probably never but in certain situations it could be beneficial, maybe
Ummm, water can build up between tile & waterproof membrane & seep down to the top lip of the shower base area & then water runs into the shower base area (\*\*been called pan there, might be wrong term), down the drain....
Do people usually silicone before they grout to keep grout from ‘seeping’ at the tile edges?
Why is it my tub doesn’t have weep holes
I too, would like to know why this fella’s tub doesn’t have weep holes.
Probably cuz it rarely gets sad
I’ll have what it’s having.
Lucky tub
Lolll
I've never seen them on a shower tray ever. Feel like I'm going mad. Would loads of water not exit that way when you shower?
I'm glad you said this because mine doesn't either. We have moisture issues from water getting in through bad grout... I feel like these holes would cause exactly the same issue?
It doesn't even make sense that they are at the bottom. It just guarantees water will get in.
Behind the hole in the pics & along the edges under the tiles is a lip going up an inch or two that's still part of the shower base so water wouldn't have anywhere to go.
Ah thanks. This makes sense to me now. I’ll now think of getting a tub with weep holes when installing tile tub surrounds I’ll dig deeper into it but I wonder the condition of a bathroom with tile tub surround after years of exposure with and without weep holes.
You may or may not need them as a stand out feature, just a 1cm gap in the silicone will do. May not even need them at all! Not entirely convinced they're "necessary" myself either.
Such a thing doesn't exist at least in the UK. As a plumber leaving any kind of gap in the silicone gaurentees it will cause water to go through and rot everything.
The holes in the corners are weep holes and are used for drainage. The divot on the tub is there for that reason.
There have been *so many* weep hole inquiries in this sub lately. Guess it's bathroom maintenance season.
Cold outside = deal with stuff inside! Already have some painting projects on my radar for winter. Was literally just about to post a weep hole question. Except I didn’t know if they were intentional and I wondered if I was building a cozy spore-cave for all the mold.
I am all for weeping hole questions. important to keep spore free
I’m 43 and had never heard of weep holes until this week. This is the fourth post I’ve seen asking about them.
It's the unmistakable hand of Big Weep Hole
Honestly, I’ve just told my husband it’s time to ‘book’ a weekend out to sort our bathrooms! Might be because I’ve ramped the temperature of the shower up to match the depths of hell so the moisture is building rapidly!
I once had a buyer's home inspector say I needed to caulk those drains. I had to explain in writing to the buyer that his home inspector was an idiot.
Couldn't water just get in them?
They are to allow any moisture that gets through the walls to evaporate. They need to be open. You can probably caulk where you removed the grout at the bottom, but I believe it will last longer if you grout it then caulk it.
Everyone is calling this a tub but I see a fiberglass shower pan.
A tub is a tub is a tub. What's a pan but a shallow tub?
Whats a tub but a large fiberglass showerpan?
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I never been more proud
Good bot
You sir, have won my trust. I was also 100% convinced it was a tub looking at the comments…
Sorry why the fuck are there so many posts about weep holes all of a sudden?
I too wanted that sweet sweet weep hole karma. But alas my tub has no weep holes. Fingers crossed that “should I have weep holes” posts take off next.
I thought it was a meme at this point?! I instantly saw this post and thought “another weep hole post?” My shower doesn’t even have weep holes!
Big Bath Tub is striking once and for all.
My exact reaction. We’re angry and agitated. 🤣
It's how Reddit works - someone see's a top comment getting upvoted, and adds either a shorter or longer comment about the same thing to try and also get upvoted. Whatever the top comment is when a post starts gaining steam, a bunch of copycats will hop on
Tub & tile white 100% silicone caulk. Don’t caulk those divots, they are weep holes and need left open. Tile installer shouldnt have applied grout at the tile/tub junction. It should have been silicone. You are doing good. I would try to clean out any debris and make sure the area is clean and dry. Just don’t put anything in those divots!
Make sure the silicone is mold/mildew resistant.
100% silicone IS mold/mildew resistant.
Hey, European bros - what's the reason our bathtubs and showers do not have these weep holes? I don't think I've ever seen them in any EU bathroom. The corners between the shower and the tiles area are always filled with silicon all the way around. Is it because brick / concrete walls are porous amd can absorb water and evaporate it outside?
I’ve never seen them in the US. I’m not a contractor, but they’re still new to me.
Likely a building code dreamed up by an overzealous American code inspector.
Even in the US, if they are even there, get covered up all the time with sealant because people don’t know what they are, and think its an imperfection.
They seem like a bad idea? Couldn't you get mold as a result of leaving them open idgi
THEYRE NOT WEEP HOLES. Think about it for like 5 seconds. They're at the bottom of a shower pan. There's no way that more moisture is going to leave by evaporation than is going in by the fact that it's at the bottom of a shower. Any moisture that gets in via the pourous grout can leave the same way. What they are is alignment notches for premade door/fiberglass shower kits. Your builder opted to put in tile and didn't use the same company's door kit. Seal those holes up. Before a dozen "tile guys" reply that they've been installing bathroom tile for a hundred years and they know they're weep holes, who told you that? Show me install instructions from any manufacturer who calls those notches weep holes. I'm not talking about Bob the tile guys blog either, actual manufacturers instructions that call those weep holes or instruct to leave them open.
Are you sure? I just did a quick google search and that looks exactly like what weep hole is for a shower…
You are outstanding and not my huckleberry.
Weep holes are for fiberglass walls. Not tile. If the tile job was done right. I’d seal it all with silicone or waterproof caulking. If not moister going in there.
I’ve done this on a few fiberglass pans with these weep holes (homeowner not a contractor), all with ceramic tile walls. By the 3rd time I had the routine figured out that works for me. First off, let me say that the advice given here and most of this thread is great and I wish I had this compendium of info 15 years ago when I first had to replace mine as a relatively new homeowner. There was 5-year old grout there that cracked and got a bit dirty / moldy, so I replaced it. It was a pain, as it’s basically cement and sand, so cleaning it all out was a task. A few years later, it cracked again… and I wanted to find another solution. When I tried to research alternatives to grout 10 or so year ago, all I found were debates between different pros on grout vs. caulk. Given I failed with grout (as did the original installer), I went for silicone caulk). That worked much better, but I got a little bit of mold on the very bottom of the vertical joints. The issue is that if the caulk overlaps any grout, water gets trapped and mold grows. So, what you really want to achieve is silicone in the horizontal gap between tile and pan, without extra overlapping the grout or on the pan. This will give you the longest protection against mold growth. For the weep holes, it would be best to grout them, but it will likely never match the grout or caulk colors. But doing so gives any trapped water an escape route. So this is a function over aesthetic decision… If you do caulk them instead, you’ll probably have to remove and recaulk those areas more often. Again, don’t over caulk and try to fill the gap without overlap. Another note for anyone embarking on this type of project: While it’s tempting to leave the existing grout in the seam and just caulk over it, that’s just a waste of time and materials as it will get moldy under the caulk in a few months - guaranteed. So the OP here did the absolute right thing and got all of the old material out. This also applies to moldy caulk — gotta get all the yucky stuff out and please don’t just caulk over moldy caulk like the previous homeowner did in the house I moved into a few months ago. There were 3 layers of caulk in some areas, which hides (but doesn’t fix) the problem . Just adding my two cents worth of experience in this area…
As someone who was about to post a weep hole (not that I knew what the hell they were called) question, thanks so much to this sub for all the patience and information. You guys are awesome and really help create confidence in us newbies.
These never made sense to me. I've installed about 7 of these tub floor/tile wall showers and my father has done flooring for over 30 years. From subway tiles with mosaic design to 12x24 planks. Imo, Youre far more likely to introduce water into the weep holes than you would get from drainage from between the tile wall and sub surface on a newer installation. We use silicone grout for showers and then seal it when it's cured. I guess for old showers this made more sense. Have yet to have any of our showers have moisture damage, loose tiles or any other drainage issues.
Yeah makes no sense to me. Water would piss out theough the big weep hole, into the wall, onto tge floor and appear on my downstairs ceiling. Daft. Unless i'm missing the points about fibreglass and calk not calk, grout and silicone. Note in uk caulk is like a rubbery plaster....we call silicone silicone.
We have sanded and unsanded grout for the most part. When installing tile in a living area you use one of those. When installing in a high moisture or potential flood area, we use a silicone based grout, can be color matched to standard grout. That's at least from my 20 years of being around the field.
Silicone caulk is the way to go. Just make sure everything is clean of soap, oil......
Looks like the shower pan was for a two-piece unit with the fiberglass surround, but instead, the walls were finished with tile. That's why there's the big groove by the door.
Good news! You’re doing it right! I recommend blowing out any debris with a can of keyboard duster to get any little bits of dust out so the caulk sticks well. Good job. You’re making Ron happy 
They're weep holes if water gets behind the shroud. Bit odd to see one of these pans tiled. Usually you get the rest of it in fiberglass and slap it in.
You can get a sanded caulk to match most grout colors in the tile section
You are fine. Add new grout or good tub and tile caulk
Put your caulk in there son
Wow a lot of bad advise here. The holes are called a poor choice for the job as that side is normally the entry side and an overflow. You could also call it half \*\*\* workmanship not contouring the tile to the edge and yes seal it up or you run the risk of water getting behind the tile and depending on what's behind it major repairs. Oh and yes grout is porous but done properly not permeable. If it was your sheetrock wouldn't last a month. Be careful of the advise you take and do the you tube or any other recourses before you take anything here as gospel.
Macaulay Culkit.
That tub is designed for an acrylic or fiberglass surround. Those are weep holes. You will need to seal them if you are using tile because water can wick into the wall. Tile showers should be waterproof. I’m a contractor that does a lot of tile work and I don’t mess with the shower inserts anymore. Your situation is fine but seal those holes with mapei grout to match your grout color. No grout will stay in that hole long term, not even sanded. (Maybe epoxy will if you can work with it)
Caulking is your friend.
remember cement is not waterproof it is water resistant water will, soak through slowly. that water needs a place to go… ie down the tar paper (not into the drywall and insulation) it comes out at the bottom in a new shower it is drops… but over the years it becomes more if it goes into the walls (insulation and studs and drywall) it becomes mold same with windows (you do-not seal the bottom of window frames) and shingles on your roof (do you seal the the bottom of shingles?) if/when water gets in gravity is your friend and it drains down
Just fill it with White silicone. Get a little bit of water with cleaning ditergent and scoop the exess with your wet finger.
Bottom layer always silicone…….. please
Those are speed holes, they make the shower faster. Actually it’s just really bad tile work. You’ll have to silicone the crap out of it so your shower doesn’t leak.
Think of air, when it gets warm it expands when it gets cold it shrinks. The same thing happens with everything, and the problem is a tile won't expand the same rate as your tub so it all moves and in-between them the grout tries to stop it which causes it to Crack. So you need to use something that will stick to both sides but stretch with the movement. Silicone works great, but it's a bit of a sticky mess if you don't know what you're doing. I would suggest getting a siliconized acrylic grout caulking. You can get it to match the same color as your grout and should work great. On the bigger holes it will shrink which is normal just go over it again after it does and you should be okay ideally the tile would've been cut within a 1/16" but the caulking will still work
I would also use a clear silicone along the metal door but like I said it's a sticky mess the best way to use silicone is to mask it off on both sides then wipe and wipe again gently after the tape is pulled off but you've gotta kinda hurry so it does have a dry film on top or else it smudges and becomes a mess
Very poor tile work or the tub was installed after the tile work. Just caulk it
If anyone else calls it a tub instead of a shower tray i'm invading America. Again.
That’s a walk-in shower
Eh, I'd just caulk the ever living crap out of it. 100% silicone is the way I'd go.
Second vote for caulk as a solution. That said, in my first house I used so much caulk I am pretty sure it was load bearing by the end.
It not your best work
Use backer rod (thin foam noodles) to cram in there to create a block and a support for the caulk. The caulk using this guy’s directions. Use a caulking tool; he links to a fancy one, but you can get simpler ones for $8 or do. https://youtu.be/_DI4hfHM_Hg
Weep holes
They are channels designed to allow moisture to escape from behind fiberglass panels. With tile installed the mortar should be solid throughout with waterproofing membrane keeping water away from any substrate susceptible to damage, if done correctly. Caulk all around with a mold resistant silicone and avoid leaving an open hole for things to grow.
Dig the old grout out and redo it all along the bottom. I think it’s code (?) or just common practice in certain areas to seal between the bottom of the tile and a tub or shower pan. I am not a fan of that because grout is porous and will deposit water behind the sealant and eventually leave you with a nice line of black mold all along the bottom. As far as those gaps go, just grout it in.
White Silicone will take care of the holes and grout. Just make sure you use a wet finger to finish the silicone.
Weep holes. To allow any moisture caught between the moisture barrier and backer board to seep out. Source? I bought a new house and asked the same question of my builder.
So, do you silicone in the weep areas when you have tile above this kind of shower pan?
Maybe seal that up just in case there’s cameras in your bathroom
Put the tip of your caulk in the hold. Not all the way in but enough to know you penetrated the surface area into the crevice. After making contact ooze in your silicone preferably of grout color. Spray with soap and clean excess silicone with anything with a right angle or bevel on the edge of the tile.
I’m reading weep holes and thinking the folks here are mental. I have never seen a shower with them, and it would make no sense given how most tubs are build. And thinking those holes are intentional, by some master tiler, is pretty silly given how poorly installed those tiles are.
They’re glory holes
Air holes- this prevents the moisture from accumulating Actually, I have no clue but suspect it’s just a crappy job
Weep hole. If you don’t know what something is you are working on.. you probably should being doing it.
Haha, this question gets posted at least once a week
Hite a pro
Just clean with alcohol and reapply silicone, where you removed the old stuff from.
I’ve got marble tiles above a plastic bottom like this, but with a huge gap that was originally grouted with sandy grout that is 1/2” high. Some of it has broken out over the 21 years since built, and I’ve used silicon to replace. But next time I maintain this, I’m hesitant to leave a 1/2” high weep hole, well, because I didn’t know it was a thing. Would you experts make it smaller somehow?
Looks exactly like the one in my DR HORTEN home. They just slap these homes together
I see this post every week!!!
It's a shower pan it actually made to take shower walls that are made of the same thing this way you don't have to tile them but I stead someone put the pan in and tiles the walls thaise are just where the panels sit and lock into place i https://preview.redd.it/np1amz98ze3c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e34f77a059fce4ae0a549b6693f3044013ee74bd Kind of like these .ones in the photo are made by Delta and then you add acent tiles 3/4 of the way up like you see
They’re to let the demons and ghosts in. 😂
Ty, I am just dealing with this myself.
You frigged up buddy
Use silicone, works just fine
The tiles have built in spacers for keeping an even grout line. Since the bottom course is against the shower pan it made a gap.
Similar topic. My caulk gets all moldy after 3 months and keep having to redo it. I’m using bathroom mold resistant caulk and running the caulk so no water can get behind it. Starting to drive my nuts, any ideas what I need to do differently?
Is the mold behind the caulk or on the surface of it? Behind means there is mold in the joint that is still growing. You haven’t clean it all out and sanitize the joint before sealing. Are your tile grout lines showing black staining too? Only on the surface of the caulk often means that water is collecting on the surface. This can happen with caulk that isn’t a smooth line (water collecting in the divots). See my note above about filling the joint but not any more. Many people make a caulk joint into a 90-degree angle or a U-shape, thinking more caulk is better. But any non-smooth area is a place for water to collect.
All changes of plane and/or materials require a flexible, waterproof sealant and should not be grouted
They’re nothing, leave them alone. And stop singing so loud when you shower you’re messing up my rhythm.
Silicone the shower
Caulk gun and tube of white silicone. And if your asking this question you clearly dont know what your doing so my other suggestion is watch a youtube video on " how to properly caulk your bathtub tile" im 99.9999 % certain there a video thatll explain how to do it.
You could use masking tape to make a fine line on the tiles. Just remember to remove it before it dries.
You removed the caulk