How do I find source of leak?

[A Senna]

When I shower I find a pool of water starts to collect at the front edge of the tub. Even after I shower and soak it up it continues to form.

It a stamped metal tub and has a seam at the front where I have noticed small streams of water start. Is the water coming from the lip of the tub and making its way around to the front under the tile? I know that there is green drywall under the tile - not cement board.


I am using a latex silicone caulk. Should I use a pure silicone . Is it better?
Going to recualk the tub and see if that helps.

[COBALT]

Sounds like the old tub I had in my bathroom before I tore it all out. I had an old cast-iron apron tub (that weighed about 500 lbs I swear) that had a tiled surround. The tile was mastic-ed right to the green board, and then someone calked the hell out of the seam between the tub and the surround. In front of the tub at the floor they didn't do a very good job of sealing up that gap, so water was constantly running down the front of the tub from the shower curtain and getting into that space which basically leads to the subfloor, but whenever I'd be extra careful water would still be there. As it turns out water was getting in under the tub lip at the corners in the surround, working its way to the front by gravity.

Long story short it rotted my floor. I had to rebuild my subfloor including sistering in new floor joists. None of the surround, tile, or floor was salvageable.

You might want to do a little bit of probing to see if any damage is occurring. Usually the path of destruction tells the story of where the water is coming from. Check the drywall at the corners of the floor near the tub for softness, and the corners of the tub where the wall meets it. If you have vinyl peak under it wherever you can to see if there's moisture getting under there.