Do Frameless Shower Screens Leak? How to Keep the Water In

It's the number one worry we hear, and it's fair. Forum threads about frameless showers are full of lines like "water everywhere" and "it has leaked from day one."

Here's the honest answer: a frameless screen doesn't have a rubber seal all the way round like an old framed one. Whether water stays in comes down to three things: the layout, the width of the glass, and what's happening at the floor.

Splash vs leak: two different problems

• Splash is water spraying past the edge of the glass or through the open end of a walk-in. That's a layout and width problem.
• A leak is water escaping under the glass, around the door or through the silicone. That's a floor, seal or installation problem.

It helps to know which one you're fixing.

Walk-in showers: width does the work

A single fixed panel with an open end (a walk-in) relies on the glass being wide enough, and the shower head being positioned so the spray hits glass, not the gap.

• One forum regular put it simply: "For a frameless shower to work you need a panel to be at least 900mm wide. Any shorter and you'll get water everywhere." That's a rule of thumb, not a standard, but it matches what installers see.
• Put the shower head on the wall the glass is fixed to, or angle it so the spray faces the glass.
• A rain head straight overhead in a tight walk-in will always throw some water out the open side.

One point worth knowing: the NSW Guide to Standards and Tolerances says unenclosed shower screens "are not intended to prevent the spread of water" and aren't considered defective when some gets out. A walk-in is a design choice. If you want zero water on the floor, choose an enclosure with a door.

Our fixed panels come in stocked widths from 600mm up to 1200mm. Use the configurator to see what fits your opening.

Enclosed showers: it's all about the floor

If you have a door, water that escapes is usually getting out at the bottom.

On a hob (a raised tiled step): the screen should sit flush with the shower side of the hob, or overhang slightly into the shower. That's how the National Construction Code describes it. If the glass sits on the bathroom side of the hob, water running down the glass lands outside.

Hobless (level entry): there's no step to hold water back, so the floor fall and the waterstop do the job. The NCC says the waterstop's vertical leg must finish at least 5mm above the finished floor where a screen is installed. Our doors are made 15mm shorter than the panels (1985mm vs 2000mm) to leave room for a door seal and a low water bar.

On a shower base (tray): the tray's lip does the job of the hob. The screen needs to sit inside the lip.

Our hob, hobless or shower base guide goes deeper.

The door gaps

Frameless doors need a small gap to swing. That's where seals come in:

• A bottom seal with a drip rail on the door.
• A water bar on the floor, under the closed door.
• Side seals between the door and the hinge panel or wall.

Seals are cheap and replaceable. They do wear, and some people skip them because they can get grubby. As one buyer said, they "can gunk up." Clean them when you clean the glass.

Silicone: the last line

Silicone goes along the base of fixed panels and where glass meets the wall. It stops water tracking underneath. Use a neutral-cure wet area silicone, give it time to cure, and expect to redo it every few years. The NSW Guide to Standards and Tolerances treats replacing silicone after about five years as normal house maintenance. See which silicone to use and how long to wait.

Quick checklist before you order

1. Walk-in? Aim for a panel of 900mm or wider, and plan where the shower head points.
2. Hob? Make sure the glass will sit on the shower side of it.
3. Hobless? Check your floor falls towards the waste and there's a waterstop at the screen line.
4. Door? Budget for seals and a water bar.

Not sure your layout will keep water in? Send us a photo through the Five-Minute Fit Check. We'd rather tell you now than have you mopping later.