Shower Door Leaking at the Bottom? How to Fix It

Water on the bathroom floor almost always comes from one of four places. Find which one first, then the fix is usually a $20–$40 seal you can install in ten minutes.

1. Find exactly where the water gets out

Dry the floor and the outside of the glass completely. Run the shower for a minute with the door closed, then look for the first drops. Run a dry paper towel along the bottom edge and the corners. Where it gets wet is your leak.

2. The four common causes

A worn, torn or missing bottom sweep

The soft fin on a bottom sweep hardens and curls after a few years of cleaning products and hot water. If the fin no longer touches the curb, or there is no sweep at all, replace it. For frameless doors we use a bottom wipe with drip rail: CRL P990WS for 3/8" glass, CRL P912WS for 1/2" glass. The drip rail sits on the inside of the shower and sends water running down the glass back into the shower instead of under the door.

The wrong sweep for the gap

Measure the gap between the bottom of the glass and the curb with the door closed. Bottom wipes are made for a range of gaps (the product pages list a suggested gap). A sweep that is too short never touches the curb; one that is too tall drags and gets pushed out of shape. For tighter gaps, a dual-durometer seal like CRL P880WS (3/8") can work better.

Leaks at the bottom corners

The corners are where most "bottom" leaks really are. Water runs down the side of the door and escapes past the end of the sweep. Cut the sweep to the full width of the door, and seal the vertical edge too: an 'H' wipe like CRL P375HW on the door edge where it meets a wall or panel.

The curb slopes the wrong way

A shower curb should slope slightly into the shower. If it is level or slopes out, water that reaches the curb will run out no matter which seal you use. A seal will slow it down; the permanent fix is re-sloping the curb. Check with a level before buying parts.

3. Also check

• The shower head aimed straight at the door seam. Turning it slightly can stop a leak on its own.
• Cracked or missing caulk where a fixed panel meets the curb.
• A sliding door? Those use system-specific sweeps, like CRL P995WS for Cambridge and Crescent sliders.