Wall Channel Installation

[Luke_A]

Hello There,

 

Could someone provide me with advice how to properly install a glass within wall channel?

I had an installer that has done this before but he has done completely terrible job, that I had to purchase a new set of channels as he covered everything in silicone and ripped apart the knock on seal.

So I removed everything and want to do the job properly.

I have instruction from manufacturer but I am not sure where the gasket goes, looks to me that it should be installed on the external side of the tray. But do I seal internal side with sealant?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

-Luke

[bassanclan]

It looks like it's asking you to deal the outside of the channel.

The gasket is on the outside part of the channel, diverting water into the channel which should then run down the channel and back into the tray.

If you install your silicone on the inside that water will flow out of the channel toward the outside of the tray.

[Onoff]

I'd run a line of silicone on the wall and screw the channel  onto that making sure it oozes out the screw holes. Then wipe ALL traces of silicone from within and outside the channel. Use cheap baby wipes for this, it works a treat. Do not block that channel with silicone. Any water that gets in there needs to be able to run downward. 

 

EDIT: I take no credit for the above. Seem to recall it and the baby wip tip, being the word of wisdom from @Nickfromwales.

Edited July 13, 2020 by Onoff

[Luke_A]

Thanks guys for help.

One more thing, should i put a line of silicone on the bottom of the channel where it touches the wall and on the external part as well?(I would leave inside of the u channel without the sealand for the water to escape.Glass is sitting directly on the top of the tray so I am assuming this needs to be sealed externally only.

 

-Luke 

[joe90]

Yes.

[Onoff]

28 minutes ago, Luke_A said:

Thanks guys for help.

One more thing, should i put a line of silicone on the bottom of the channel where it touches the wall and on the external part as well?(I would leave inside of the u channel without the sealand for the water to escape.Glass is sitting directly on the top of the tray so I am assuming this needs to be sealed externally only.

 

-Luke 

 

If you want to do a super neat job...

 

Silicone only the back of the channel where it goes on the wall as described above.

 

Don't run a bead up the outside unless needed for cosmetic reasons. Use a Fugi kit to do any beads. All the rest are poor imitations:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cramer-Grouting-Silicone-Profiling-Applicator/dp/B07H8K5W8D/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?

 

Where the shower screen meets the tray, clean the tray and bottom edge with C-tec Multisolve. Get some clear C-tec CT1. Read this, especially p3 "Fitted the glass today".

 

 

Leave the thing to set for 36 hours. Seriously just walk way and don't touch.

Edited July 13, 2020 by Onoff
Added about Fugi kit.

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, Luke_A said:

Thanks guys for help.

One more thing, should i put a line of silicone on the bottom of the channel where it touches the wall and on the external part as well?(I would leave inside of the u channel without the sealand for the water to escape.Glass is sitting directly on the top of the tray so I am assuming this needs to be sealed externally only.

 

-Luke 

You MUST fit the channel onto a wet bead of CT1 / clear silicone ( I only use CT1 for this as silicone has a limited life ) otherwise water collects inside the channel and will find its way between the wall tile / panel and the tray and soak into the wall. This has to be the most common F up I see on a lot of jobs, mostly insurance claims after it's gone rotten  

Offer the channel up dry and hold it in place, level, and use bits of masking tape as runway markers, mark and drill holes, clean up drill dust and then set the channel aside. Then apply a generous bead of sealant down the wall ( between the masking tape so you know you have the sealant in the right place ) all the way down onto the tray, and then put a line of sealant across where the channel will sit, over-sizing that bead by about 5-10mm either side, crossing the vertical bead, and all whilst still wet.

Fit the channel as above, wipe off excess at the channel / tray intersection, and then clean the wall / channel with wipes until all excess is removed. Seal the channel outer edge to the tray by rubbing a finger full of sealant on the inside of the channel and then the outside, and then clean up excess on the outside only. That will stop water getting behind or outside the channel, but will allow it to seep into the inside edge and run into the tray.

Install the seal on the outside of the glass and do not silicone / other anywhere else. Leave for 24hrs and try the shower for leaks. If the compression seal is good that should be it, and water will get into the channel on the inside, run down, and out into the tray, as intended. You can seal the inside of the glass if you want to, to stop the worst of this happening, but you'll need to stop 5-10mm from the bottom to allow any trapped water to escape. I'd try it first and only seal further if required. 

[Luke_A]

Thanks for help. On the bottom I need to bed the glass onto the CT1 as well.As the glass sit direcly on the top of the tray.

Should I seal the bottom of the glass pane on both sides inside and outside or nly outside?

 

-Luke

[Temp]

Our (otherwise) frameless shower glass has a chrome channel at the bottom where the glass sits meets the tray. The channel was fixed to the tray with clear CT1/silicone and more was used in the channel to bed and seal the glass into it. Virtually all of the sealer that squeezed out was wiped off. There is no obvious fillet of sealer anywhere. Been fine for 12+ years.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Temp

[Luke_A]

Thank you guys for all the help.

The channel and glass is now installed. What clear silicone would you recommend for bead around shower tray, I kind of like the matt clear silicone but don't know the product name. 

[Nickfromwales]

Use clear CT1. It doesn't degrade like silicone does. It's not 'shiny' either.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Nickfromwales

[Nickfromwales]

Have lots of baby wipes to hand as this stuff sticks like shit to a blanket. Nothing like the way silicone behaves so beware setting lots up for finishing at any one time.

[Onoff]

18 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Have lots of baby wipes to hand as this stuff sticks like shit to a blanket. Nothing like the way silicone behaves so beware setting lots up for finishing at any one time.

 

And an open black sack folded back on itself. Wipe the bin, wipe then bin etc. 

[Reiver]

26 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Have lots of baby wipes to hand as this stuff sticks like shit to a blanket. Nothing like the way silicone behaves so beware setting lots up for finishing at any one time.

Sounds like my fave Sikaflex EBT+: get one dab on one finger, close your eyes and count to 10 and it will have transferred itself to several places on both hands, your face and every item of clothing you're wearing ?

[Nickfromwales]

54 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

And an open black sack folded back on itself. Wipe the bin, wipe then bin etc. 

Yup.

 

45 minutes ago, Reiver said:

Sounds like my fave Sikaflex EBT+: get one dab on one finger, close your eyes and count to 10 and it will have transferred itself to several places on both hands, your face and every item of clothing you're wearing ?

And yup.

 

Sika is bloody good stuff too. Used a load of that in the marine works environment and it doesn't get much better. Just a lot of variants so you have to choose the product to fit the application. We used 251 and 252 a lot, like by the pallet, never let us down.

[bassanclan]

I was disappointed the last time I used clear ct1 as a "silicone" around a basin, it went yellow, haf similar problems in the past with white ct1, but never any of their coloured adhesives.

[Nickfromwales]

6 minutes ago, bassanclan said:

I was disappointed the last time I used clear ct1 as a "silicone" around a basin, it went yellow, haf similar problems in the past with white ct1, but never any of their coloured adhesives.

I've used it in 5-figure bathroom installations ( where the first of those 5 figures isn't a 1 ) and have never had any issue with the clear doing anything other than staying clear for the duration. Mostly high-end wet-rooms so that's where they'd get the most hammering too.

White CT1 conversely is shite and goes to custard in no time at all.

Agree on the other colours, they're robust too.

[Onoff]

3 minutes ago, bassanclan said:

I was disappointed the last time I used clear ct1 as a "silicone" around a basin, it went yellow, haf similar problems in the past with white ct1, but never any of their coloured adhesives.

 

I've used a lot of Ever White...it's still white. 

 

Evo-Stik The Dog's B*ll*cks Crystal is also pretty good imo. Another one that feels totally different to ordinary silicone. More like a "gel" like CT1. I fixed a neighbours leaking heating oil tank with it too. Still good.

 

 

[Lucie]

On 13/07/2020 at 14:23, Nickfromwales said:

You MUST fit the channel onto a wet bead of CT1 / clear silicone ( I only use CT1 for this as silicone has a limited life ) otherwise water collects inside the channel and will find its way between the wall tile / panel and the tray and soak into the wall. This has to be the most common F up I see on a lot of jobs, mostly insurance claims after it's gone rotten  

Offer the channel up dry and hold it in place, level, and use bits of masking tape as runway markers, mark and drill holes, clean up drill dust and then set the channel aside. Then apply a generous bead of sealant down the wall ( between the masking tape so you know you have the sealant in the right place ) all the way down onto the tray, and then put a line of sealant across where the channel will sit, over-sizing that bead by about 5-10mm either side, crossing the vertical bead, and all whilst still wet.

Fit the channel as above, wipe off excess at the channel / tray intersection, and then clean the wall / channel with wipes until all excess is removed. Seal the channel outer edge to the tray by rubbing a finger full of sealant on the inside of the channel and then the outside, and then clean up excess on the outside only. That will stop water getting behind or outside the channel, but will allow it to seep into the inside edge and run into the tray.

Install the seal on the outside of the glass and do not silicone / other anywhere else. Leave for 24hrs and try the shower for leaks. If the compression seal is good that should be it, and water will get into the channel on the inside, run down, and out into the tray, as intended. You can seal the inside of the glass if you want to, to stop the worst of this happening, but you'll need to stop 5-10mm from the bottom to allow any trapped water to escape. I'd try it first and only seal further if required. 

@Nickfromwales thanks for this, very helpful, can I just ask at what point you put wall plugs and screws in to screw the channel to the wall, are you using CT1 into drill holes? 

[Nickfromwales]

7 hours ago, Lucie said:

@Nickfromwales thanks for this, very helpful, can I just ask at what point you put wall plugs and screws in to screw the channel to the wall, are you using CT1 into drill holes? 

Yup. Do all of the drilling, and hoover out the dust, BEFORE you seal the tray. Otherwise all your hard work gets a nice coat of grit / dust over it and then you swear a LOT and go buy another 700 baby wipes. 

[Lucie]

@Nickfromwalesyeah I get that drilling needs to be done first before all the silicone but when do you put the wall plugs and screws in to hold the wall channel? ( I'm assuming after you sort all the mess with baby wipes around the channel? Or screw it first then sort all the mess ?) And any silicone ( cT1) into screw holes? 

[Nickfromwales]

13 minutes ago, Lucie said:

@Nickfromwalesyeah I get that drilling needs to be done first before all the silicone but when do you put the wall plugs and screws in to hold the wall channel? ( I'm assuming after you sort all the mess with baby wipes around the channel? Or screw it first then sort all the mess ?) And any silicone ( cT1) into screw holes? 

Drill, hoover etc, and then fill the holes with CT1. Insert the plugs and push them home with the screw, then remove screw. Apply CT1 to wall channel, apply CT1 to where the channel will hit the tray, and then screw it on and wipe clean. All needs to be done in one sitting so you're 'wet CT1 hitting wet CT1' etc.

[Lucie]

@NickfromwalesBrilliant, thank you for all your time and help