How does a suction shower caddy actually work? Are they all the same? How do I know if it will stay up? Part 1

How does a suction shower caddy actually work? Are they all the same? How do I know if it will stay up? Part 1

I’ve been asked these questions so many times by my friends, family and customers. Whether it was due to their negative experience of a suction shower caddy or perhaps they were researching suction products and came across hundreds of options at all different price points and didn’t really understand the differences. Well the short answer is NO, they are not all the same. Each suction cup works differently which affects how long they stick onto the wall, how much weight they can hold and how easy they are to install. I’ve addressed these questions over two parts, Part 1 discusses how suction cups work and Part 2 is a comparison between many of the most common types of suction cups.

HOW DOES A SUCTION CUP WORK?

In simple terms, suction products work by creating a negative vacuum between the suction cup and the wall. This may sound complicated but it is simply the creation of a space or void that has lower air pressure in contrast to the air outside of the space or void. The air pressure on the outside is higher so it essentially forces the suction cup to stay on the wall. Here is a simple diagram from physics.stackExchange.com which demonstrates what I am talking about.

So the idea is to create the lowest possible air pressure inside the suction cup so that the difference between the two air pressures is as high as possible. This difference in air pressure is what determines the strength of the suction. Another consideration is the surface area of the suction cup. The greater the surface area of the suction cup, the stronger the suction. So ideally you want a large surface area with the lowest possible air pressure.

The final consideration is the material used to make the suction cup. Ideally you want materials that will stop the high pressure air from entering the low pressure area. It can enter several ways, the most common are through the suction cup material or between the suction cup and the wall.

So the key difference between suction cup brands is how well they create this negative vacuum or low air pressure and how long they can keep the negative vacuum by preventing air from out side the suction cup from entering into the suction cup.  which will increase the air pressure and cause the suction cup to fall off the wall.

In conclusion, when selecting a suction shower caddy the most important factor to consider is the quality of the suction cup. A poor quality suction cup will only disappoint you when it falls of the wall in the middle of the night sending your shampoo bottles scattering. Here is the link to Part 2 (CLICK HERE) of this blog which is a suction cup comparison which will help guide you to choosing the best suction shower caddy. You may also want to check out our Fusion-Loc range on the Bunnings Website, just CLICK HERE.