Shower door sill leak — door sill

Use only checks that match the exact appliance or system and its official guide.

1. Check 1

   After the shower is dry, inspect the sill, bottom track, and floor from outside the enclosure; if a normal shower is still being used, observe only from a dry, stable position and do not direct spray at the door.

   Expected result: Record the first place that becomes wet: under the door, at a hinge or strike corner, between a wall jamb and panel, along the track, or beyond the shower base; note whether water reaches the room floor.

   Next step: Photograph the first wet point and the complete sill from both sides without moving the glass, then give the path to the repair professional.

   Stop if: Stop using the shower if water spreads toward a doorway, ceiling below, electrical fixture, soft flooring, or any area where someone could slip.

   Why this matters

   Why: The first wet location narrows the path to a sweep/seal, jamb, track, alignment, or base/room water-management issue. Water beyond the base raises the risk of concealed damage and makes continued use unwise.

2. Check 2

   Visually inspect the bottom sweep or threshold seal without pulling it off, trimming it, or loosening door hardware.

   Expected result: Note a missing, split, curled, hardened, displaced, or visibly gapped seal, and record which side its lip or water dam faces; if orientation cannot be determined, mark it unknown.

   Next step: Photograph the seal profile and door model information if safely visible, and have the professional confirm the correct replacement and orientation.

   Stop if: Do not yank, cut, glue, or force a seal, and do not use an unverified strip that changes the door's closure or glass clearance.

   Why this matters

   Why: A damaged or misoriented seal can allow water under the door, but a replacement is not automatically correct because seal profiles and tracks vary. A seal that pushes the door open can create a gap rather than improve containment.

3. Check 3

   Inspect the visible bottom track, sill, and shower ledge for level-looking seating, dents, gaps, movement, or debris without removing the track or panel.

   Expected result: Record whether the track appears to sit flat, whether water could collect on its outward side, and whether the panel or track shifts when the door is operated normally; do not test by pushing on glass.

   Next step: Include close photographs of track-to-ledge and panel-to-track joints in the service request and ask for the enclosure to be checked as an assembly.

   Stop if: Do not lift glass, loosen track screws, wedge the door, or apply force to a moving or cracked enclosure.

   Why this matters

   Why: An imperfect or poorly seated track can keep water from returning to the receptor or drain and may also prevent proper door closure. A level-looking surface does not confirm hidden fasteners, substrate, or waterproofing.

4. Check 4

   Inspect visible sealant joints and wall-jamb edges from outside and inside only where they are readily visible, without scraping, probing, or opening the wall.

   Expected result: Note separated, shrunken, cracked, mold-stained, soft, or missing sealant, and distinguish a surface gap from water that appears to originate behind the jamb or base.

   Next step: Photograph each gap and ask the professional whether the joint needs cleaning and resealing, part alignment, or controlled removal and waterproofing repair.

   Stop if: Do not scrape into the shower base, cut wall finishes, or apply a new bead over an active leak without confirming the source and required cure conditions.

   Why this matters

   Why: A failed visible joint may contribute to the leak, but resealing over wet, contaminated, moving, or incorrectly installed parts can trap water and hide a larger failure. The exact inside/outside seal locations depend on the enclosure instructions.

5. Check 5

   Check door operation and water direction by observing the closed door, latch or seal contact, hinge side, and showerhead direction without adjusting the hinges or spraying the enclosure.

   Expected result: Record whether the door closes squarely, contacts the jamb seal, leaves a bottom or corner gap, rubs the sill, or sits with its pivot or opening direction toward the spray.

   Next step: Provide the closure and spray-direction observations to the repair professional and request an alignment and hardware safety check.

   Stop if: Stop operating the door if glass is cracked, chipped, loose, scraping, unstable, or difficult to control.

   Why this matters

   Why: Misalignment or spray aimed toward a door gap can overcome a good seal. Adjustment requires knowing the enclosure's hardware and glass support; a rubbing or loose door can be a safety issue as well as a leak path.