Shower Screen Seals - Tube Or Wiper?

[koster]

There are two kinds of seal for the bottom of a shower screen over a bath - tube or wiper.

Which is better?

[tonyav]

Ours is the wiper type, not that impressed with it. I think the tube type would be better has there would be more surface ( of the tube ) on the side of the bath to stop the water.

[mastercraft]

Neither are effective if they are not at the correct height.
Adjust screen height, and a better seal will be achieved.

[koster]

Mastercraft - thank you for your answer, but I'd like to know what the relative pros and cons are with regard to the two types of seal, assuming that the screen height is correct.

[koster]

Thanks Methyl. What's a van wiper blade? You don't mean you've fitted a windscreen wiper blade from a motor vehicle to your shower screen do you!?

[mastercraft]

The 'pros and cons' are the same for either. 'Pro'... keeps water in. 'Con'... Does not keep water in...? Both will do the job, and both will deteriorate over time.

[The Builder]

Both will work, of course, but there is one advantage with the wiper type. If the screen drops or moves in some way, there is a fair bit of tolerance in the blade.

With the tube, the set height must stay constant for it to be effective.

[alavahalf]

Imagine the scene in Halfords when trying to buy a seal for your shower ...

What year did you say your van was sir ?
I didn't say it was a van... it for my shower !
I've checked my system Sir and your shower doesn't seem to be listed .. Can you give me your registration on your shower Sir ?

[The Builder]

^^^ so true, Homer :o)

I wanted a fan belt for a mixer once. They were completely stuffed because I didn't have a registration plate to go by.

[koster]

Thank you very much The Builder, that's very helpful.

There is another reason I had for using a wiper over a tube, but I wanted to see what other people thought. If the tube becomes dirty inside, it can become more or less impossible to clean. Our shower screen was fitted with a tube seal, so when it became dirty I had to buy a new one, whereas if it had been a wiper seal, I would have been able to clean it. That's why I was wondering whether a wiper seal would be less effective than a tube seal. As Homebase only had the tube type, that's what I replaced it with, but if it needs replacing again I'll look elsewhere for a wiper one. As Homebase only had the tube type, I thought that they must be more popular, for some reason.

Actually, when I was replacing it, on close inspection I realised that the top of the bath and the wall to which the shower screen is attached are not quite at 90 degrees. This means that the tube seal is more squashed at the end furthest from the wall. So the seal is effective, but moving the shower screen requires a little effort. That's when I started to wonder if a wiper seal would be more tolerant, so I was thinking along the same lines as The Builder.

The shower screen wasn't fitted by me, by the way. I know if you were fitting a shower screen in the first place you would be able to drill the holes in the metal U-tube to compensate for a not quite vertical wall (up to a point). But I don't know if there's any way to fix this now, without getting another metal U-tube.

[alavahalf]

Slacken the screws in the U-tube and pack the tube out to gain a right angle between the screen and the shower screen.
Then when your seal is fitted it will have an even gap to slot into to.
Re-silicone the edges of the U-tube.

[alavahalf]

Whoops .. "between the screen and the top of the bath"

[koster]

Thanks Alavahalf. I was thinking the adjustment would be made between the U-tube and the shower screen, I didn't think of making the adjustment between the U-tube and the wall.

[The Builder]

Once again, I agree with Homer :o) I've adjusted these many times, as I guess he has.

Often, the screws attaching the screen to the wall bracket have elongated slots to allow you to adjust until square.

[koster]

Thanks again!