Advice needed on reinserting shower screen

[Sandy283]

Hi

I had to remove the glass panels from this quadrant shower cubicle and I'm struggling to get one of the screens back in place properly. The small glass panel is supposed to slide into the wall channel, and some holes in the side of the channel (inside the cubicle) should align with some holes in the frame attached to the glass panel, allowing for some screws to go in and securing the frame in place. My problem is that the frame isn't going deep enough into the channel. Normally I'd take the rubber mallet to it, but I'd probably end up with glass everywhere.....

I could try opening up the channel with some quick release grips, but that might cause stability problems, and open up the possibility of future leakage. Alternatively, I could try lubricating the frame a bit with some silicone lubricant - whilst this is unlikely to interfere with the silicone sealant that i'll be applyiing on the inside of the channel where it meets the tray (like how it was when I removed the glass panel), I'm not sure that this is the best approach. Can anyone suggest a better method?

Also, the frame on the other side of the glass panel (which has the pivot hinge) was glued to the tray, but as I don't have the original installation instructions, I don't know what adhesive is best to use. What would people recommend? Liquid nails?

Thanks

[stevei]

Can you drill new pilot holes in the frame attached to the glass? I've only ever used silicone sealant to stick stuff to shower trays, wall chanels and bath tops.

[Sandy283]

Can you drill new pilot holes in the frame attached to the glass? I've only ever used silicone sealant to stick stuff to shower trays, wall chanels and bath tops.

Thanks Steve - that's always an option, though I'm hoping to get the glass frame into the last 25% of the profile so that it's as secure as possible, and in-line with the original screw-holes.

[Sandy283]

Following some advice, I started with the lower corner and managed to push that in to the back of the channel, shunted it to the bottom and gently pushed the rest of the frame in. No lubricant required. Unfortunately it doesn't go all the way to the bottom, so the frame sits 1-2mm higher than the top of the channel, however the screw holes of both the frame and the channel align so it'll be held in place.

Regarding the side of the frame which was previously bonded (i.e. the side with the hinge) to the tray - a large glass door will be resting on the hinge (it's a single door shower) which weighs approx 30-40kg. Given that adhesive was hard as opposed to rubbery, suggesting that it wasn't silicon, do you think CT1 would be more appropriate or could I use some sealant to bond it to the tray?

[aeromech3]

When I mounted the my shower side panel onto the tray the recommendation was to use silicone along the outside edge, I used a narrow bead of clear Dow 785+; been a few years and only ever had to wipe towel dust with a damp cloth; there is a steady brace at the top to the wall.

[Sandy283]

As an update, what I did was:
- Applied a blob (2cm) of BT1 to base of shower frame beneath door hinge (with hindsight I would probably have added a bit more, but it's still sturdy several months later)
- Inserted shower frame into channel:
-- Bottom corner first at a slight downward angle and push down as far as it will go (still at an angle)
-- Aligned gap beneath door hinge with runner already attached to tray and pushed downwards
-- Forced the rest of the frame into the channel (and prayed that the glass didn't explode)
-- Pushed down from top as it wasn't flush with the top of the channel
-- Placed a piece of wood on the top part of the frame inside the channel, and hit with rubber mallet until flush with top of channel (more praying required)
-- Inserted screws into channel & door frame, but didn’t fully tighten yet (NB - this is what I should have done - what I actually did was fully tighten in the first instance, and had to untighten after attaching the door)
-- Attached window bracing
- Then lifted door onto hinge and ensured it is correctly aligned on both side
- Placed top door hinge cap and inserted 2 screws & tightened

NB - I fully tightened the channel screws and then placed the door on the hinge. An hour later, thinking that I maybe should have let the shower tray take the weight of the door, I loosened the screws slightly and retightened 24hrs later. With hindsight/common sense, I wouldn't have fully tightened in the first place, and would have waiting 24 hours.

Posting in the event that someone encounters something similar.