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I'm in the process of recaulking a shower. In removing the old caulking, I got to where the door frame meets the wall and shower pan. There was some caulk there and it was a bit damp, so I started removing it. I quickly discovered it went deeper than I expected.

I'm worried I shouldn't have messed with it. The door frame is a U-channel, and I assumed it had something at the end to keep any accumulated water from leaking out the end and instead exit at the weep holes. But now that the old silicone is removed, I'm concerned the only thing that was doing that was the silicone caulk, which I've removed some of. This picture shows the current state.

Diagram of shower and caulking

What should I do? Removing and reinstalling the door frame is beyond my DIY-level. Is it ok to just recaulk and be sure to squeeze in enough in the gap to cover the area well?

Here are a few more pics, zoomed out to give context and also of the other side. On the other side, there actually was a bit of gap between the tile and shower pan, and you can see a small amount of caulking there that started coming out. If it matters, this is a second floor bathroom, so my paranoia about water damage into the subfloor is heightened.

Zoomed out

Other side

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  • * did I remove still not enough yet?
    – Mazura
    Commented Oct 8, 2019 at 21:33

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I think squeezing in enough caulk will fill the gap. You can tape part of the opening to seal it so that you can build a bit of pressure up in there to fill all the crevasses. It’s important to seal it from the inside too if you can, however keep an eye on the area for a couple weeks, especially right after you do the repair.

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  • Any thoughts on how to seal from the inside, other than removing much of the frame and the glass?
    – aggieNick02
    Commented Oct 6, 2019 at 21:39
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    It’s hard to tell what I’m looking at in the photo, but if you inject the silicone with the nozzle then use you finger to depress it into the small crack then do it again (as many times as necessary) you should create a good seal.
    – Steve
    Commented Oct 6, 2019 at 21:42
  • Thanks for the ideas and thoughts. I attached a couple more pictures to show some context (zoomed-out) and the same problem (perhaps worse due to the caulk coming out of the tile-pan gap) on the other side
    – aggieNick02
    Commented Oct 7, 2019 at 13:35
  • Ok I see it better now. Caulking that corner should do it. It looks like that right side doesn’t open, if it doesn’t and the seal around the glass Is still good you shouldn’t have to worry. If it opens on either side then you want to try to seal the top or wherever the water could get down there.
    – Steve
    Commented Oct 7, 2019 at 16:06
  • @aggieNick02 - I've been told you're not supposed to do the inside so that it can weep, but that's in a fresh install; looks like this has been a problem for some time. Get as much out of that gap as you can using lockpics or dental tools. Caulk the weather strip on the glass and where the frame meets the wall. Go at least a few feet up, if not the whole way. For the glass: 'less is more'; don't make a mess (cut the tip small)
    – Mazura
    Commented Oct 8, 2019 at 21:31

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