Glass Shower Door Leaking Solutions – pFOkUS

Leakage from your glass shower doors can be very annoying. You feel that the very purpose of installing a shower door is futile. Your bathroom gets dirty and there is always a pool of water beneath the shower door after every use. So, if you find your shower door leaking as well, do not let your contractor fool you into getting a new door installed! Here are some clever solutions to arrest the leakage and get a dry bathroom again.

Before we jump to the solutions, we need to ascertain clearly the reason for leakage and the exact place of leakage. The entire procedure for glass shower door leaking solutions has to go step-by-step as explained below.

Glass Shower Door Leaking Solutions:

Exact Place of Leakage:

You need to first find out the exact place of leakage. Many times, water may accumulate at the drip rail below and then start leaking when it is full. Is it collecting and then unable to direct it back to the drain? Is the water coming to the front and then leaking from there? Or is there a gap in your drip rail, seal or sweep that is the reason for leakage? Frameless door bottom leaks can be fixed by using a higher threshold. Door joints leaks can be fixed by installing the right seal. Find out the exact place where the water is leaking from. This will help you find a solution easily.

Reason of Leakage:

After you have found the spot where water is leaking from, you need to ascertain why. Is the enclosure insufficient to hold the water and then direct it back to the drain? Does the enclosure have gaps or holes? Has the enclosure deteriorated and hence is causing the leakage? Shower door leaks can be easily rectified by using the right quality and size of the door enclosure.

When to Install a Seal, Sweep, Threshold or Drip Rail?

All these enclosures are made especially to be attached to a framed or frameless glass shower door to prevent leaks. A seal can be used to fix horizontal or vertical door leaks. In frameless or framed glass doors, seals can be used if the gap between the bottom and the door is quite narrow. Shower door seals can also be fixed on the vertical sides of the frameless doors to prevent leakage. These are nothing by enclosures that cover the gap, thereby directing the leaking water back to the shower drain.

A door sweep is generally used only for frameless glass shower doors when the gap is little bigger than usual. It can be attached to the bottom of the door to close the gap. This enclosure then directs the leaking water back to the drain and prevents it from flowing outside.

Sometimes, the gaps are too large and cannot be filled with a sweep. During such conditions, a threshold can be used on the shower floor to adjust the gap between the door and the ground.

Framed doors already have a frame at the bottom. They also need a drip rail that is installed slightly at an angle so that it can easily direct the flowing water back towards the drain. These prevent the water from seeping in from between the joints and flow outside. The elevated angle of a drip rail helps to prevent leakage from framed doors.

Removing the Old Seals/Sweeps/Drip Rails or Thresholds:

If you find your old seals, sweeps, drip rails or thresholds inefficient to prevent shower door leaking or just deteriorated, you should remove them and get new ones installed. Once you remove the old enclosures, you might find a layer of dust, dirt, filth, mold and soap scum on the door beneath the enclosures. This dirt needs to be cleaned first with a good-quality glass cleaner. Ensure that you use a cleaner that does not cause any etching on the glass.

• Frameless Shower Door Sweep Replacement:

The sweep is not fixed to the door with a glue or adhesive but it is engineered in such a way that it easily pushes on to the door and attaches itself. It is a firm and flexible product that has a channel which is narrower than the glass, thereby creating a tight pressure-fitted connection. In order to remove the sweep you need to start pulling from one end of the door and then gradually remove it along its length. Sometimes, due to excessive hard water, you might find minerals build up at the edges of the sweep, which make it difficult to remove. In such cases, you can use a glass scraper to remove the sweep.

• Framed/Frameless Shower Door Seal Replacement:

The seal, just like a sweep, is not fixed to the door with a strong adhesive. In a framed door, it is attached to the drip rail and can be easily pulled off. In a frameless door, it is just attached to the glass bottom and can be easily pulled off with bare hands.

Installing New Shower Door Enclosures:

After you have removed the old enclosure and cleaned the glass door, it is time to install a new one. But, if you are not sure of which enclosure to install, it is better to send a picture of your door to experts at pFOkUS. They can rightly guide you to buying the best suitable door enclosure. You will also have to measure the size of your glass first.

• How to measure a frameless door?

A Frameless shower glass is available in four thicknesses with 3/8” being the most famous. Other measurements include ¼ inches, 5/16 inches, ⅜ inches and ½ inches. The glass will have a tapered edge, so for measuring glass, always measure the farthest points on the side of the glass. Since the tape measure has a metal clip attached to the end, it’s always better to start measuring at the 1” or 2“ mark. The most popular glass size is 3/8,” so your tape measure would read 1-3/8” because you started at the 1” mark.

• How to measure a framed shower door?

A framed shower door only needs a seal which is attached at the bottom of the drip rail. You cannot measure the door and then buy a seal. You need to remove the existing seal and buy a similar one. A framed shower door seal strip can be done easily by pulling it out of the drip rail. If no seal is installed, you need to analyze by looking at the groove in the drip rail and getting a seal with a similar pattern. You can even send a picture of your framed shower door if you need a framed shower door seal replacement.

How to cut the shower door sweep/seal to fit the door opening?

You can use pFOkUS cutters for cutting the extra length of the shower door sweeps. Most commercial door sweeps/seals are made in standard sizes but you may need to trim the length sometimes. Scissors are not strong enough to cut the sweeps or seals.

How long does a shower door sweep/seal last for?

pFOkUS door enclosures typically last for years, but if you get hard water in your bathrooms, mineral build-up may deteriorate its condition. The life of the enclosures also depend upon tile installation and this may alter their life as well.

Once you have attached a new enclosure as a solution for your shower door leaking, you will find respite. If you want to buy a new one, it is best to ask our experts at pFOkUS. You can send closeup pictures of your framed/frameless doors to help our team find the right enclosure for you.

So hurry up and get the exact shower door enclosure soon to stop your shower door leakage. If you ignore this issue, the water leaking below might etch the tile below. It may also lead to mold and mildew breeding. Furthermore, you will always have to use a wet bathroom and there would be no use of getting a shower door installed. Easy and smart solutions from pFOkUS will prevent you from spending more on new doors and saving more with smart enclosures.