Silicone Nightmares

Sooo... i finally broke down and sealed the shower yesterday, even though we haven't finished the ceiling paneling in the bathroom.

I siliconed in every nook and cranny around the shower... made the mistake of starting near the bottom, so by the time I was trying to do the top the fumes were near unbearable. I was nearly suffocating trying to finish the top.

So... I finished the whole thing, then tried to turn the shower on. No flow.

So I thought there must have been an on/off valve somewhere preventing the flow. Oh no. "It's probably inside that access panel underneath that Bub told me about." I thought.

But I had already siliconed in the whole area, and done a nice job of it too.

I accepted defeat for the time, and told myself that I would peel off the silicone and dig into the panel in the morning.

Morning came, and I tried to get at that silicone. That stuff does NOT come up easily, especially off soft pine boards and oak hardwood floors. (Kind of terrified about trying to put down another layer now.)

I said "fuck it" and took a knife to it.

After cutting the board free and wrenching it out with a hammer-claw wedged into the tiny space between the peck's pipes, I discovered the climax or anti-climax: no knobs under there.

My frustration had at this point reached a crescendo and I began shutting down. I sat for about 20-30 minutes, more or less just staring at a wall.

What else could be done at this point?

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I called Bub this morning, and got him to contact his plumber. It turns out that the water will not flow to the shower unless the hot water is on due to some temperature-check-valve or something. Personally, I don't entirely understand this, but it is an answer that means I might be able to take a shower tonight, so I am embracing it.

What sucks (read: pisses me the fuck off) is that I already ripped the damned silicone off that bottom panel. I could rip my own fucking hair out over this situation, if only that would do anything helpful.

So all I can do is take home a razor blade and try to scrape the god damn silicone off the floor and wood without taking off the urethane underneath. (Oh my God.)

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I'm on the verge of a psychological check-out here... God damn.