Shower door won't stay closed due to a stuck "ball"/"bullet"

August 23, 2015 11:34 PM

My shower door in my new home won't stay closed. It looks like the door catch used a bullet/ball, and it is now permanently depressed - which makes me kind of depressed (hah?). How do I get this sucker out and working again? See inside for picture!

This guy:

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q608/fofofoto/20150821_195450_zpshwbch1mt.jpg

Is so stuck!

How do I get it back out and working again?

posted by Mushroom12345 to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

Maybe jammed up with shower schmutz? Try spraying a little WD-40 in there. Hold a rag over it while spraying, you don't want it all over. Use the little red spray nozzle. Then just press on it to work the solvent in.
posted by Marky at 11:55 PM on August 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

Ditto. Pressing the ball using something with a bit of friction, like a dishglove or sandpaper, to help turn it a little and help the WD-40 get back into the gunk, if needed.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 12:09 AM on August 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would try to go one step further - start with WD-40, but try to go around the flange and see if you can loosen things up to remove the whole catch, then give everything a thorough cleaning before putting it back.

My reasoning is that if it took a decade to get into its current state, if you can get it back to close to original state, then you won't have to fix it for another 10 years.

Or if you can get it out, you can see if there is a cheap stock replacement. Bullet catches are between $2 and $5 on the low end.
posted by plinth at 6:16 AM on August 24, 2015

I would try getting it out. Use an thin bladed screwdriver to slowly pry from around the edge. Once it's out you can measure it, and try to find a replacement.

Once it's out you could also drop it in a disposable cup filled will some kind of cleaning product.
posted by gregr at 8:45 AM on August 24, 2015

WD-40 is made for this kind of thing-- the WD stands for "Water Displacement." However, it doesn't always do "schmutz displacement," and SD-40 is impossible to find. There's probably a leaf spring in there that has sprung its last. I think some internal maintenance is due, but you can probably kick it to a more opportune time with the WD-40.

As always, up your ventilation game when using WD-40 in a bathroom space, and take a breather outside the room as needed.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:46 AM on August 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would scrub at the edges with a toothbrush (old or new, mark it as FOR CLEANING ONLY) before the WD-40 to see if there is any gunk to be loosened.
posted by purple_bird at 9:44 AM on August 24, 2015

I'd just try to pry it open with a flat-head screwdriver. Is it possible you could just replace the latch?
posted by AppleTurnover at 11:52 PM on August 24, 2015

I'd hit it with something like this, wiggle it around a lot with a screwdriver, then if/when it pops out gratuitous application of something like this.

Ugh though, i hate these latches. Why was anything besides magnets ever used in this type of environment? If this was my shower door i might have already drilled two holes in the door, and two in the frame, and epoxied like these into both.

On preview, to be clear, i wouldn't try and pry the ball from the side. You don't want to score the little shaft it rides in or the opening which could just lead to further jammination. I'd wiggle it directly from the middle of the ball, or as close to that as possible. And hard.
posted by emptythought at 3:24 AM on August 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Ohh, that's going to be tricky to get out if there's nothing to unscrew. It's a sealed unit and the ball/bullet has a spring (coil or leaf) that sits behind it to push it out. The leaf must either have snapped or the spring boinged out of position. Even if you get it out it's going to be tough to get it back in again and have it working properly. Plus, it's designed not to be able to come out of the front so you're going to snarl everything up while trying to extract it. I'm sure you don't fancy taking the door off, taking the glass out and seeing if you can get to it from behind...

I can only suggest leaving it in place (it's not getting in the way), and finding a magnetic strip which you could affix to the door frame (at the top so it's not visible) which holds the door in place (a little like a fridge) - that's assuming the door itself is made of a magnetic metal. If not, you might have to put another strip opposite it on the door to have the attractive magnetic force hold it in place.
posted by guy72277 at 4:43 AM on August 25, 2015