Why does water seep at the door striker on a new level tub?

On a newly installed tub, water at the bottom door striker almost always comes from one of three things: the door's locking pins not seating evenly, a door seal sitting off center in its channel, or a frame that reads level across the deck but is not bearing on every leveling leg. A few drops that appear under the striker plate only after the tub drains are not a leak at all. Start with the timing test in Water on the Floor After a Bath: Door Leak or Drain Leak?, then work through the pins, the seal and the legs in the order below.

First, Confirm It Is a Leak and Not Drainage

Fill the tub with the door locked and watch the outside of the door frame and the floor while it is full. Dry while full means the seal is doing its job, and anything you see after draining is water coming off the door and gasket. When an outward-swing door opens after a bath, water on the inside face of the door, in the gasket and on the sill runs down the frame and threshold, sometimes into the latch openings in the jamb. That is drainage, not a leak, and it is normal on a brand new tub.

There is also a normal path through the striker itself. The opening where each locking pin seats is not sealed underneath, and Ella tubs are not equipped with a drain for it. A little water that collects in the door track can pass through that hole to the floor beneath the tub after draining. No part is missing. If the drip bothers you, or the tub sits over a finished ceiling, a licensed plumber can fit a catch and hose under that opening. The pattern that needs attention is a steady run from the frame while the tub is full, and on a new installation a run at the striker end usually means the door is not pressing evenly into its gasket at that end. The part itself is described in what a striker plate is on a walk-in tub door.

Check the Two Locking Pins

On the Transfer family's L-shape door, the striker is the plate on the tub frame that the door's tapered locking pins press into when the handle is turned. The handle on the front of the door turns clockwise to close, and inside the door, gears on a shaft drive two oversized, tapered pins out of the latch edge and into the striker. Because the pins are tapered, the first part of the handle travel needs only light pressure, and the last part presses the door evenly into the integrated gasket. That is why the seal is just as tight when the tub is empty as when it is full, and why the door should never be opened until the tub has completely drained. The mechanism is explained in what a gear-and-shaft latch is.

Open the door, turn the handle to the locked position and look at the two pins on the latch edge. Both should extend the same distance, about 1 1/2 inches. If the bottom pin sits noticeably shorter, the pins have skipped a gear inside the door, and the bottom end of the gasket is under less pressure than the top. That is exactly the pattern that produces water at the bottom striker on an otherwise careful installation. The bottom pin can be adjusted on its own, and the adjustment is shown on video in L-Shape Transfer Door Pins Do Not Line Up or the Striker Plate Is Loose. After adjusting, recheck both pins. From then on, complete the full handle turn every time you close the door, because a handle left halfway means the seal is only partly compressed.

Check the Seal and the Striker Plate

1. Check the seal around the door opening. A seal sitting off center means the door does not close squarely. Press the seal fully into its channel all the way around. On a Transfer60 with an off-center seal, adjusting the seal, tightening the hardware and retesting dry resolved the door.
2. Put a hand on the striker plate. If it moves, tighten it, then close the door and confirm both pins enter the striker cleanly. The striker plate nuts are reached from inside the front apron, so any tile or trim over the apron must come off first, which is one more reason to finish this test before the surrounding walls are closed.
3. Look at the weld. If the plate wobbles or shows a crack at the weld, photograph it with a tape measure in the frame and open a ticket. A failing weld is replaced as a warranty part once the team has reviewed the photos. Labor is not covered, so plan on your installer doing the swap.
4. Close the door and rotate the handle through its full travel. It should need only light pressure at first, with the door pressing evenly into the gasket at the end.

Level Is Not the Same as Every Leg Bearing

A new tub can read level across the deck and still have a leveling leg short of the floor. Ella tubs have at least six leveling legs, and it is imperative that each one is solidly on the ground with no gaps. A leg off the floor lets the frame flex, and a frame that bows moves the striker relative to the pins and can leave the door sitting slightly low at one end, which puts less pressure on that end of the gasket. The video on this page shows the fix for a tub that has bowed down: raise the tub from the center by extending the center leveling leg so the door frame opens up and the door clears the jamb and closes squarely. Drain the tub, remove the front apron, and adjust each leg so it rests firmly on the floor, taking careful measurements on all sides, then re-test the door after each change. Never lean on the door or apply your weight to it, since the door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment of the tub and door is correct and has not been changed by the bather's weight.

After any adjustment, close and lock the door, fill to a normal bathing level and watch the gasket line for 20 minutes. Confirm the tub stays dry while full before finishing any surrounding walls. If the pins still do not line up after the tub is level and the striker is tight, why the pins on the L-shape door do not line up covers the remaining checks.

When to Open a Ticket

If the pins match, the seal is centered, the striker is tight, every leg bears and water still runs at the striker while the tub is full, contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support. Include your model and serial number, a photo of both pins with the handle locked, a photo of the striker plate, and a note on whether the water appears while the tub is full or only after draining. That one detail tells the team whether they are looking at a seal problem or at normal drainage through the pin opening.

Watch: Ellas Bubbles: Proper Door Alignment with chapters and a full transcript.

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