How to fix shower leaking under screen door?

mej95

A few years ago we renovated our bathroom and we have a frameless shower door with this ledge. Unfortunately, the ledge is now just ever so slightly tilted down away from the shower - barely, but enough to make a difference.

Water really pools on the floor in front of the shower, which is obviously less than ideal.

It’s been somewhat manageable for us - the floor is heated so it dries a bit quicker, and we’ve been diligent at wiping it up. But we’re getting the place ready to rent out and I would hate for it to be a safety issue or a complaint from a tenant.

I got our plumber to look at it while he was here and the only thing he could suggest was getting the whole screen removed, the tile ripped up and starting again.
While I’m somewhat resigned to that as an eventual reality, I thought I’d see first if anyone had a great fix for this kind of thing.

I’ve tried the black strip to dam water in a bit, and it made a small difference. I’ll get another vinyl seal for the bottom of the door as ours has been well-used, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @mej95. It's sensational to have you join us and many thanks for your question on sealing a shower door.

I'd start with the simplest and least expensive fix: replace the seal on the bottom of the shower door.

Over time these seals can shrink, harden or deform, and even a small loss of contact with the tile can allow a surprising amount of water to escape. A new shower door seal that makes positive contact with the floor is often enough to resolve the issue.

Looking at your photos, I'd also be cautious about the black water-stop strip. While it's intended to keep water in the shower, it can sometimes have the opposite effect by trapping water running down the glass on the screen. That water then pools against the door seal and can eventually work its way underneath and out the only exit, which is the door.

My suggested order of attack would be:

1. Replace the bottom door seal with a new one that makes firm contact with the tile.
2. Test the shower and see if the issue is resolved.
3. If water is still escaping, try removing the black water-stop strip and test again.
4. If necessary, fit another new bottom seal and adjust it so it compresses slightly more firmly against the door.

Given the amount of leakage you're describing and the age of the seal, I think a fresh door seal is the most likely and cost-effective solution before considering more invasive work, such as removing the screen or retiling the threshold.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell