Leaking Shower Door

[Baron]

Hello,

Any thoughts on how to detect exactly where a leak is occurring in a shower when it is not obvious and how to possibly fix it?

The old shower door I had did not leak unless it was not shut properly. It was old enough that it did not have a magnetic seal but rather, an interior latch. As long as the door was completely shut and the latch was engaged, no water penetrated the door or seal.

The new shower door is the same basic design as the old one. It has a narrow panel on one side and the door itself makes up the rest. The hinge is between the panel and the door. The door has a magnetic seal. After a shower, water can be found on the floor outside the far end of the panel and the end of the door away from the hinge.

I have played with the gasket on the bottom of the door and even temporarily installed a larger gasket on the outside of the door. Water still leaked. The top lip of the shower floor was barely wet at the ends suggesting that water is not getting by the gasket but I may be wrong.

I am especially concerned since 1) the water has penetrated the floor and can be seen in the ceiling below and 2) an acquaintance who does rehabs told me he has never had much luck with shower doors. They always seem to leak, at least for him.

TIA, Baron

[Uno]

Hi Baron,

I'm installing a shower door now, so I feel like I'm up on them now. My first question is why you think it's the shower door as opposed to the many other ways a shower can leak?

How much water leaks to the next floor? If I'm finding a leak, I take my cordless and an 1/8" drill bit and drill through what seems to be the most-distressed point. Sometimes make a few holes. It's not an exact science.

Does your showerhead have a pattern that all hits within the shower when pointed where a person might stand? If the showerhead has dingleberry flows on it, I'd start by replacing it.

Do a stress test. Let it run for 15 minutes, and see if it remains water-tight. If it does, then do another stress test where you take a

15-minute long shower. (Make it more fun by asking the wife to do the first half, and then you the 2nd.)

Good luck,

[Evan]

Yeah, you could use some sort of food coloring drops to see where the water is leaking... Then apply caulking both inside and outside the shower where you saw coloring on the outside of the shower... The water might be leaking underneath/beside the frame of the door and allowing the random cast off spray as you shower to escape...

~~ Evan

[Baron]

It did not leak with the old shower door but does with the new one. I replaced the shower head and the fixtures as well but not the tile or shower floor.

After a 15 min shower, about 3/4 of a cup at the door and about 1/2 cup at the panel.

It does not appear to be so when no one is in the shower but definitely when someone is in it.

I will try this first. Replacing the head is easy enough but will take some convincing on my wife's part as she likes the look of the showerhead.

Thanks, Baron

[Baron]

~~ Evan

I though about this but I was concerned that all the dye will run to the same place. In hind sight, I guess that's not a problem as long as I can tell where it exits.

Thanks, Baron

[Ron]

Use baby powder.

[hrhofmann]

Have your wife take a shower while you stand outside and see where the water is coming from. This is Not Rocket Science!!!