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Remodeling Bathrooms

Glass shower door keeps slipping "out of square"?

last year

last modified: last year

had a remodel done 3 years ago on a 15 yo home here in AZ with usual "tract home" builder. I had a glass shower door and glass panel installed. The door is held by rubber "gripping" hardware at top and bottom. THe door is only about 2-3' feet wide and 6' tall. It keeps needing adjustment by slowly tilting towards the glass wall from the top. THe glass installer is telling us the wall is probably "moving". BUt the tile and grout line look good without any cracks. I think the hardware used is just not "strong enough" to grip the glass. Maybe it needs a middle hinge? But I am not buying the wall/studs are moving... The glass tolerance is close so it rubs with just being 1/8" out of square...

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millworkman

last year

last modified: last year

Pictures? Your description can use a bit of help.

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Comments (10)

just_janni
last year
Intresting that the root cause is almost never on the trade that shows up to deal with warranty issues, isn't it?

It's the door. If the WALL was moving - you'd have other issues.
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azbruin21
Original Author
last year
Updated original post wirh pics
millworkman
last year
Only thing I can think of if the hinge is tight and I assume you checked that first, is that the glass cutout was not done properly for the hinge pattern and the hinge is slipping. Should not do that I would believe but the weight of the door may not be able to hold it in the cutout.
azbruin21
Original Author
last year
So my hollow core bedroom doors weigh 1/2 as much as my glass shower door. But they all have 3 hinges to support not a lot of weight. BUt my shower door only has two hinges to support a lot more weight. What gives?
millworkman
last year
How thick is your shower door, 1/2" or 3/8" That may be a factor, if 1/2" two hinges are rated for 110 lbs. and if your door is 1/2" it would weight approx. 105 lbs., which is within the product spec, I still think it is more like the cutout is off. As far as 3 hinges on a HC Door that is overkill and most are always hung on 2 hinges.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
It's harder to align three hinges on a glass door and the door is less forgiving than a hollow core wood door. Two of the correct hinges on a shower door like yours should give years of good service.
ci_lantro
last year
Maybe it needs a middle hinge?

Not an option. Tempered glass can't be drilled or cut.

What gives is gravity.

After 3 years of use, it is possible that the hinges have worn and developed some play.

The only things that I can see/ think of is to remove a hinge and see how much slop there is between the holes in the glass and the screws/ posts that go thru the glass. And possibly the hinges may have developed slop due to use, time, gravity.

Perhaps a combo of rubber grommets to reduce screw hole slop and new hinges might fix the problem for a couple/ three more years.

One other thing--possibly the screws are loosening up just a bit and allowing the door to slip. Because of being part of a moving part as well as being repeatedly loosened & tightened trying to readjust the door. If that is the case, then try some Loctite (thread locker).
chispa
last year
Hinges come in different quality levels and weight bearing levels. Call a better shower door company and have them replace the hinges with heavy duty ones. When I did a bathroom remodel years ago the heavy duty hinges were not that much more expensive than regular ones.

We built this past year and recently had one of the doors slip, just like yours, after barely 4 months of use. Called the shower door company and they didn't blame themselves for a bad installation ... but instead blamed it on cleaning products "softening" the hinge. Yeah, sure!
chispa
last year
I used hinges from CR Laurence when I remodeled the 4 showers in my previous house and no issues with the hinges in 10 years.

https://www.crlaurence.com/apps/contentloader/default.aspx?content=www.crlaurence.com/adv/shower_doors/index_us.html

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