Showers Don’t Actually Fill Up Like in the Movies

In the movies, the hero is sometimes trapped in a shower stall with the water running by the villain. As the shower fills up with water, the hero has to tread water at the top of the rapidly filling shower tank just to keep their head above water.

If you accidentally leave the water running in your shower and keep the door shut, will it really fill up all the way to the top with water like it does in the movies and on TV?

Not 100% Leak-Proof

The real answer is: “Probably not!”

Showers are not completely enclosed tanks in the way that sinks and swimming pools are. So if you accidentally leave the water running — or a villain locks you in the shower as slowly fills up — at least some of the water is going to leak out of the gaps between the floor and sides of the shower door.

Strength of the Glass

Even if the shower were to be completely sealed, the strength of the glass also comes into play. As long as the glass is thick enough and strong enough to hold back the weight of the water, the shower would keep filling.

But water is quite heavy. So before the shower completely filled, the force of its weight could crack or shatter the glass, spilling the water out onto your bathroom floor.

Magnetic Locks

A far more likely scenario would be that the magnetic lock that holds the door closed under normal conditions would click open — releasing the water — long before a wholly enclosed shower could fill up.

The locks on glass shower doors are designed to be strong enough to keep the door closed while you shower normally, not hold back hundreds of pounds of water.

So if you are worried about your shower filling up with water accidentally (or on purpose if you are on the wrong side of a movie villain), don’t worry! You’re safe!