If your tub door still leaks after you caulked the seal, the caulk was never the fix, and the real cause is usually simple. A walk-in tub door stays watertight when the silicone gasket sits fully in its channel and the door closes square onto a level tub. Silicone spread across the sealing face of the gasket adds no sealing power; it holds the gasket away from the frame, traps grit, and stops the door from compressing the seal evenly. When a caulked door keeps leaking, clean the caulk off, re-level the tub, let the seal reform, and only then consider a fresh seal or a latch adjustment. Leveling is the number one cause of door leaks.

Likely Causes

• Caulk or silicone on the face of the gasket, or bridging the gasket and the frame, so the seal can no longer compress evenly.
• A leveling leg that lifted, letting the frame flex and the door go slightly out of square.
• A section of gasket pushed out of its channel, flattened from being kept latched, or coated with residue.
• A handle refitted in the wrong orientation, or an outward door not latched with a full turn.

What to Check, in Order

1. Remove the old caulk. Wipe every trace of silicone off the sealing face of the gasket and the frame it closes onto, using rubbing alcohol or a common household cleaner. Our door seal care guide shows the only place silicone belongs: a thin bead inside the gasket channel to hold a loose seal, set for 20 minutes before the gasket goes back in, then left 24 hours to dry before the tub is filled.
2. Check every leveling leg. Try to slide a slip of paper under each foot; if it slides, that leg is not carrying weight. Adjust until every leg is solid and the deck is level in both directions. The walk-in tub leveling guide has the full procedure.
3. Inspect the whole loop of the gasket. Press any lifted section back into its channel; if it looks flattened, squeeze it gently between your fingertips and pull it slightly away from the frame.
4. Let the seal reform by leaving the door open for about a day, or at least overnight.
5. Check the handle. On an outward U-shape door the handle faces toward the hinges after a full 180 degree turn; on the stainless inward door it should sit flush.
6. Retest. Close the door, fill to a normal bathing level, and watch the gasket line for 20 minutes. The door leak checklist covers where else water can come from if the door stays dry.

The video shows why a bowed, unlevel tub keeps a door from closing securely and how extending the center leveling leg opens the door frame back up so the door can seat and seal.

When to Open a Ticket

If the door still leaks after the caulk is off, the tub is level, and the seal has had a night to reform, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or reach your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. Include your model and serial number, a photo of the full gasket loop, a close-up of the drip with the tub full, and a photo of the handle in the locked position. From those photos the team confirms whether you need a replacement seal or a latch adjustment. The door and door seal are Lifetime Limited Warranty parts, verified with photos.

Common Questions