Which Silicone Should I Use to Reseat a Walk-In Tub Door Gasket?

Ella does not name a brand or grade of silicone for the door gasket. The door seal maintenance video calls for a thin bead of silicone, and the handle screw guide describes silicone sealant as an ordinary hardware-store item, so any silicone sealant sold for that purpose is what the team means. What matters far more than the product is where the bead goes and whether you need one at all: most gaskets that come loose are simply pressed back into their channel with no sealant, as explained in Why Does the Door Gasket Pop Out Every Time I Shut the Door?.

Start Without Any Silicone

The door seal on every Ella walk-in tub is a soft silicone gasket that presses into a groove running all the way around the door. It is held in that groove by its fit, not by adhesive, so a section that keeps lifting out is usually resting on the edge of the channel rather than inside it. Before reaching for a sealant, work through the plain reseat:

1. Open the door and find the section that lifts, usually near the top or at a curve.
2. Clean the groove and the door frame with a household cleaner so nothing sits under the gasket. Grit, hair and soap film in the channel are among the most common reasons a door starts to leak.
3. If the seal looks flattened or stuck from shipping, squeeze it gently between your fingertips, pull it slightly away from the frame so it relaxes back into shape, and wipe it with rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is what Ella uses to restore a seal; no oil, grease or spray lubricant is called for.
4. Starting at one end, press the gasket into the groove with your thumbs or a plastic spatula and work around the whole door until it is fully seated.
5. Close and open the door several times, then fill the tub and check for leaks.

If the door leaks at the bottom edge rather than at a lifted section of gasket, check the leveling legs before touching the seal at all. The number one cause of a door leak is a leg that has lost contact with the floor, which warps the frame so the door no longer meets the seal evenly. Why Does My Walk-In Tub Door Leak at the Bottom? puts those checks in order.

When a Bead of Silicone Is the Right Step

The maintenance video on this page covers the one situation where Ella does use silicone on the seal: a gasket that has become loose or damaged and has to be removed, or one that no longer stays put on its own. The bead goes under or beside the gasket, never on the face that presses against the frame.

• Outward-swing doors. With the gasket out of the door, run a thin bead of silicone into the gasket channel. Allow the silicone to set up for 20 minutes before reinserting the gasket, then wait 24 hours for the silicone to dry before the tub sees water.
• Inward-swing doors. Roll the seal gasket away from the frame and run a bead of silicone down the corner where the gasket meets the frame. If necessary, add a bead on the other side of the gasket as well. Wait 24 hours to dry.

Keep the bead thin. The gasket has to compress evenly all the way around when the latch draws the door into the frame, and a thick bead in the channel changes how deep the gasket sits. Wipe away any silicone that squeezes onto the sealing face before it cures.

Where Silicone Must Never Go

Do not spread caulk or silicone over the sealing face of the gasket, and do not run a bead over the seal as a way of stopping a leak. A seal that still leaks after leveling and reseating is replaced with a model-specific part, and covering it in sealant only hides the problem while the water finds another way out. Silicone is also not a lubricant. A sticky or tacky seal is cleaned with a household cleaner and rubbing alcohol, and the door is left open or unlocked between baths so the gasket is not compressed for long periods. What Is the Door Seal on a Walk-In Tub? explains why the seal needs only a clean surface to press against and a rest when the tub is idle.

Fitting a Replacement Gasket

When a seal has torn, has come loose from its channel, or will not stay seated after a reseat, the team ships a replacement under the Lifetime Limited Warranty after a ticket with your serial number and clear photos of the seal and the leak point. Each door uses its own seal size, so the part is matched to your model and serial number. The installation video on this page shows the fitting technique the team uses:

• Spray adhesive remover onto the gasket so it slides more easily into the door channel, and press it into the groove with a spatula until it is fully seated.
• At the outer curves of the door, use diagonal cutters to make four V-shaped relief cuts on the gasket where it bends, keeping the cuts above the gasket reach line shown in the video.
• At the inner curves, where the door bends inward, make straight vertical cuts instead.
• At the end point, make a small angled cut so the tip of the gasket slightly overlaps but is fully inserted into the groove.

If the removed gasket had loosened rather than torn, the thin bead in the channel from the maintenance video is applied first and given its 20 minutes before the new or reseated gasket goes in.

The Handle Screws Are a Different Silicone Job

Water appearing at or just below the handle while the rest of the door edge stays dry is not a gasket problem. The handle screws pass through the door panel, and when the seal around them loosens, water follows the screws through. The fix is to remove the screws, clean out the old sealant, apply silicone into each hole and under each screw head, drive the screws back in, and let the silicone cure for the full time stated by the sealant manufacturer before filling the tub above handle height. Water Leaking From the Door Handle Screws covers that procedure and why the team asks you to test it before ordering a new seal.

Who Does the Work

Ella does not send technicians. Reseating a gasket is well within reach for an owner or a family member, and a local licensed plumber can handle a full replacement. Technical support answers that person's questions by phone or email and reviews photos before and after. Have your model, serial number, a photo of the loose section and a note on whether the door leaks when filled ready when you open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850.

Related Guides

• Door seal or gasket looks worn, loose, or leaks: care, repair, and replacement
• Caring for your walk-in tub door seal so it stays watertight for years
• My Door Seal Is Sticky. What Can I Clean or Lubricate It With?

Common Questions