Shower frame repair

[Veronika KD]

Hello, is it safe to take apart a shower frame for cleaning and then reinstall back?
We have a framed shower with terrazzo base, there was a small leak into neighboring wall. Wall got wet only in a small area, we checked the back and it is dry and it is also dry under the house. There was a crack in caulking, also weeping holes were covered in caulk and caulking is all over the inside area of the frame where if I am not mistaken there should be a gasket but no caulking.
I removed all of the caulking i could between the frame and terrazzo but there is caulk under the glass and i can not get to it without taking the frame apart.

Questions
Is it safe to carefully take a shower frame apart with the plan to reinstall?

How do i repair/correct the damaged spots in the frame? Sanding ? I will spray paint the frame before reinstalling.

What are the spots in the frame where i should not caulk?

Where does one purchase vinyl glazing strips?

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

Theoretically you should be able to uninstall the shower frame and then reassemble it. The corrosion appears to me to be aluminum oxidation. Very likely the parts may have become very stuck together due to the corrosion. Another possibility is that some of those tiny screws may not be corrosion resistant and instead of backing out, may break off and be very difficult to extract. I don't know about the painting part.

 

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[Veronika KD]

Thank you for your response. Do you know by any chance where should one not put silicone when i one day get to that point? I have the replacement rubber seal that goes between the glass and the frame (at the bottom). I know to leave the weeping holes open but unsure if there is any horizontal area on the interior side where there should be silicone.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

I dont off the top of my head, I would look up the instructions of a few manufactures to see what they recommend. I would imagine most would be the same or similar.

I sort of recall that the exterior horizontal where the frame meets the shower base gets caulked, but not the interior.. but I havent installed one in several years.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/90/90d69606-2d8f-45a8-9ef3-f85c49720a4b.pdf

FRom their installation instructions:

Apply a good quality mildew-resistant silicone sealant along the profiles and guide rails; on the seams between the bottom guide rail and the profiles as well as along the shower base or threshold from the inside of the shower area. You may also apply silicone along the outside if you choose.