Replace the seal on a glass shower door

Which shower-door seal is leaking — 30-second diagnosis

A glass shower door has three sealing points where water can escape:

| Where does it leak? | Which seal? | |---|---| | Centre, closing edge (vertical, standing) | Magnetic seal | | Hinge edge (vertical, on the hinge) | Lip seal or stop profile | | Along the wall (vertical, glass meets wall) | Wall stop profile with lip | | Bottom of door (horizontal) | Bottom seal / water deflector |

Quick test: Take a normal shower and watch where water hits the floor. 90% of leaks can be located clearly this way.

Magnetic seal at the closing edge

This is by far the most common failure point. Magnetic seals last 5–8 years — with hard water + harsh cleaners as little as 3 years.

Symptoms

• Door doesn't close tightly anymore
• Magnet won't hold, door swings back open
• Water leaks centrally through the closing gap
• PVC lip hardens, turns yellow

Tools

• Utility knife
• Hairdryer (warm, ~70°C)
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Microfibre cloth
• Universal magnetic seal matching your glass thickness (5/6/8/10 mm) and door stop angle (90°/135°/180°)

Step-by-step

1. Close door, mark the magnet edge with thin tape.
2. Pull out the old magnetic seal. Snap-on profiles: grip the bottom end, pull straight down — comes out in one piece.
3. For glued profiles: Apply hairdryer (~70°C), soften glue, work loose with plastic scraper. No steel wool.
4. Clean glass edge with isopropyl alcohol — fully glue-free, or the new seal won't stick.
5. Cut new seal to length. Measure glass height, always add 5 mm. Cut at 90°.
6. Snap it on. Magnet side toward the closing edge. If unsure about polarity: hold it next to the opposing magnetic seal — if they attract, you're correct. If they repel, flip.
7. Test: Close door. Magnet pulls tight? Lip evenly seated? Done.

💡 Pro tip: On 180° pivot doors (between two glass panels), the magnet pulls from both sides. Polarity doesn't matter — both lips are magnetic. Only the water-deflector orientation toward the inside must match.

Lip seal on the hinge edge

On hinged doors (without magnet), there's often a flexible lip seal along the door's pivot axis. It follows movement and seals when closed.

Replacement

Same procedure as magnetic seal — but no magnetic strip. The lip is usually asymmetric (one long water-deflector lip + one short support web). When fitting, the LONG lip must point toward the inside of the shower.

Wall stop profile

In niche showers (1 glass wall + 2 masonry walls), there's an aluminium or PVC stop profile with sealing lip along the glass-to-wall edge.

Diagnosis

Water runs along the wall, behind the profile. The profile lip is hardened or splits along the wall joint.

Replacement

1. Profile is usually fixed with sanitary silicone + 2–3 screws.
2. Screws out, pull profile away (cut through silicone with knife).
3. Clean glass groove + wall.
4. New silicone joint on profile + glass + wall → let cure 24h.

⚠️ Don't skimp here. If the silicone joint is poor, the best seal won't help.

Universal vs. original profile

| Aspect | Original (manufacturer) | Universal (Amazon) | |---|---|---| | Price | €25–60 | €8–25 | | Lead time | 1–4 weeks | 24–48h | | Fit | 100% | 95% with correct measurements | | Lifespan | 5–8 yrs | 4–7 yrs (premium brands) |

With correctly measured glass thickness (calliper, guide →), universal profiles fit 90% of standard glass showers. Only special lift-pivot doors (Schulte ExklusivPlus, Kermi PEGA), specific sliding systems (Hüppe Studio Berlin), or custom builds require manufacturer originals.

→ Configurator: 90 sec to the right shower-door seal