Shower screen not resting on tray

Crawford · Oct 11, 2019

Hello. I'm hoping for some advice, please. I am having a new bathroom installed with a walk-in shower, using a strong resin shower tray. The glass shower screen (2m high, 1.1m wide, 8mm thick) was attached to the wall yesterday but the wall and tray were not square. At the wall end, the screen rests on the shower tray but most of the rest of the screen is actually hanging above the tray. I can see the gap.

The plumber said that this is normal and that the wall bracket can take the weight of the screen, and it just needs extra silicon along the bottom. I am sceptical and feel sure that the heavy glass screen should be spreading its weight all the way along the rim of the tray. I don't think I should be able to see a clear gap along the bottom of the screen before the silicon is applied.

Should I ask for it to be redone?

Thanks,

Crawford.

Frank Nicklin · Oct 11, 2019

I would suggest that the screen should align on the tray as well and sealed externally only. Is there a top stabilising bar for the screen. The silicon in that gap will fail pretty quickly either way. The Plumber should have squared the wall and tray before fitting.

Does the wall bar allow for any misalignment, if so I would make sure it drops to the tray to allow proper sealing and the misalignment taken up on the wall, not the way you have it.

Brambles · Oct 11, 2019

That is not “normal”. Any decent fitter would align the shower tray to the wall and ensure a true 90 degree angle. Normally by stetting the tray to a true level and then packing or chasing the wall. Sometimes taking the tray slightly off level works if the error is very small.

The wall takes the weight of the screen, not the tray. If load is imposed on the tray it will compromise the effectiveness of the seal.

Don’t accept silicon, if the screen does not seal with its own fillet seal, it will eventually leak.

Sorry if the above sounds blunt

townfanjon · Oct 11, 2019

Maybe too late for you but I always check the ‘wall to tray’ angle and get my glass cut by a glass merchants to whatever angle ,

SimonG · Oct 11, 2019

You will normally find small discrepancies between wall and tray being at exactly 90 degrees.

The first port of call is the manufacturers installation instructions for the screen. Screens will allow for some tolerance. But I don't like to see a gap under the screen.

Crawford · Oct 11, 2019

Frank Nicklin said:
I would suggest that the screen should align on the tray as well and sealed externally only. Is there a top stabilising bar for the screen. The silicon in that gap will fail pretty quickly either way. The Plumber should have squared the wall and tray before fitting.

Does the wall bar allow for any misalignment, if so I would make sure it drops to the tray to allow proper sealing and the misalignment taken up on the wall, not the way you have it.

Thanks, Frank. Yes, there is a stabilising bar at the top but it's only steadying the glass, not taking any weight. My thinking was exactly like yours, that the wall bar needs to be modified so that the glass can rest firmly on the tray.
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Brambles said:
That is not “normal”. Any decent fitter would align the shower tray to the wall and ensure a true 90 degree angle. Normally by stetting the tray to a true level and then packing or chasing the wall. Sometimes taking the tray slightly off level works if the error is very small.

The wall takes the weight of the screen, not the tray. If load is imposed on the tray it will compromise the effectiveness of the seal.

Don’t accept silicon, if the screen does not seal with its own fillet seal, it will eventually leak.

Sorry if the above sounds blunt

Hi Brambles. Thanks for your response. I'm not sure what a fillet seal is. The glass came with a metal strip that fits along the bottom which you can see in my pictures. Presumably that is to protect the bare glass and the tray from each other, and give something to run silicon along. It's a permanent screen, not meant to move at all.

If the wall and the tray are properly square, I don't understand how the wall will take the weight of the screen. Wouldn't that only happen if there was a gap, like in this case?

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Shower screen not resting on tray

Crawford

Frank Nicklin

Brambles

townfanjon

SimonG

Crawford

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