The Pros & Cons of Steam Gaskets
Steam Gaskets
In the past, our standard practice was to apply polycarbonate (clear plastic) steam gaskets around the border (air spaces) of all shower doors enclosing steam showers with steam generators. More and more of our repeat customers are choosing to have us leave off the gaskets for maintenance and aesthetic reasons. Some companies use these gaskets on virtually all of their frameless doors to hide the large gaps on ill fitting enclosures. Not Drexler. We measure and cut with precision to ensure the perfect fit every time. We invite you to decide whether or not to use steam gaskets around the perimeter of your steam door after reading the pros and cons below. Your shower door will include a bottom sweep whether it is steam or not.
Some Typical Gaskets
Steam Retention
Using gaskets keeps virtually 100% of steam in shower.
Not using gaskets keeps 98% or more of the steam in shower.
When customers choose the “no gaskets” option, we intentionally make the air spaces around the door tighter, to minimize escape. The understanding is that a little steam might escape around the edges of the door, but it will not be sufficient to adversely affect the quality of the steam experience, or enough to adversely affect areas outside the shower with excess steam. The only drawback is that the tighter gaps may not be able to accommodate gaskets in the future. We have found that most people only use the steam generator on a periodic basis, so if a little steam escapes it is not problematic.
Door Swing
The most effective steam gaskets prevent the door from opening in. Frameless doors without gaskets will open both in and out.
Maintenance
Gaskets may require periodic maintenance to replace when they wear out. This is not covered under warranty. There are also more “nooks and crannies” for mildew and grime to hide underneath the gaskets, so more cleaning may be necessary.
Aesthetics
When gaskets are used on a steam enclosure, the pretty frameless glass edges are now covered by plastic. In addition, over time the gasket can “cloud” making them even more visible.