Water Drips Through the Striker Plate Pin Hole: Is a Part Missing?

If a small amount of water drips through the open hole under the door striker plate, where the locking pin seats, no part is missing from your tub. Ella walk-in tubs are not equipped with a drain for the striker plate opening, so a little water that collects in the door track can pass through that hole to the floor beneath the tub. Support does not treat this as a missing part or a defect, and a licensed plumber can fit a simple catch and hose under the plate to carry that water to the drain.

What the Striker Plate Hole Is

The striker plate is the plate on the door frame that the latch pins engage when you close and lock the door. Each locking pin drops into an opening in the plate, and that opening is not sealed underneath. When a bit of water runs down the door track after a bath, it can settle in the pin recess and drip through to the space below the tub. You can read more about how the plate and the pins work together in what a striker plate does on a walk-in tub door and in the overview of the gear-and-shaft latch.

Why There Is No Drain Fitting in the Box

Installers sometimes ask whether a fitting should have been packed with the tub to close off or drain the pin hole. The answer is no. The tub ships complete, and the striker plate is not designed with its own drain. The door seal is what keeps bath water inside the tub while you bathe. The striker plate opening only sees the small amount of water that clings to the door and the track and runs down when the door is opened. It is a nuisance rather than a leak from the tub shell or the plumbing.

A Catch Hose Is an Acceptable Fix

If the drip bothers you, or if the tub sits over a finished ceiling or a wood subfloor, a licensed plumber can add a small catch under the striker plate opening and run a hose from it to the drain line. Support has reviewed this approach and considers it a great solution. Ella does not send technicians, so this is work for your local plumber.

1. Confirm that the only water below the tub is the few drops that come through the pin opening after the tub is drained.
2. Have your plumber fit a small catch beneath the striker plate opening.
3. Route a length of flexible hose from the catch to the drain line so the water has somewhere to go.
4. Check that the door still latches, seals and opens normally once the work is done.

Make Sure It Is Only the Pin Hole

Before adding hardware, confirm the water is coming from the striker plate opening and not from the door seal or a plumbing connection. Water on the floor below the tub while the tub is full, or a steady flow rather than a few drops after draining, points to a different cause. The guide to door latch and handle alignment covers a door that is not seating properly, and the notes on how support evaluates part requests explain what to send if you believe a part is defective. On L-shape Transfer doors, pins that do not line up with the plate are a separate adjustment covered in pin adjustment and striker plate replacement.

Related Guides

• Caring for Your Door Seal: Cleaning, Reseating, and Replacing the Gasket
• Water at the Door: What to Check First and Why You Should Never Lean on the Door
• Water Under or Behind the Tub: Finding the Source at Unions, Air Fittings, the Hand Shower, Drain Elbow and Supply Lines

Common Questions

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.