Completely frameless means pure silicone and a tight fit, well measured and well cut. That is all. What is next? Wiping "black"? Huh? Caulking? Huh? Did he say "caulking"? That is a bad sign.

btw, caulking around a tub is not pure silicone. It's "caulking". This product does allow black stuff to grow on it. No big deal. Not around a tub. You wipe it off.

Back to the main topic: caulking in a steam shower. Uh-oh. Doesn't sound like he knows his stuff. Next most important topic: black stuff, that minor irritant that grows on caulking. Hmmm, is he saying it grows on pure silicone?

Others who know steam showers can comment more. Meanwhile, check out black and silicone.

Back to the real question: Completely frameless means pure silicone and a tight fit, well measured and well cut. The technical requirement is the same for each of the three enclosures. But you already know that. I'm just confirming it.

We went with a channel installation. You hardly notice the chrome at the top of the shower and it makes it so sturdy. I would recommend it.

Thanks. I asked the glass guy and he said silicone (maybe my mistake).

I am leaning towards silicone, frameless, no channels as the cost to me is the same doing it or using channel (i believe channel is a little less expensive).

Next question is what type of glass should I specifically ask for or is there a industry standard?

The guy also was against a transom as he said they are not good and have issues.

"not good and have issues" = a highly nonspecific utterance. This means he has a problem, that he is not sharing with you. He may be reluctant to face the facts. Keep web searching and you will find out more.

I have frameless glass for my steam shower. It has a non-functional transom. I don't think a transom is necessary because all of the steam dissipates very quickly as soon as the shower door is open.

I used starfire (lead-free) glass.

Beautiful shower.

Why do a transfom if its non-functional ?
Our ceiling is 9' feet and the guy wanted to do the door to the ceiling.
Should I insist on a non-functional transform ?

Also how wide is your door ?

Much thanks

The entire shower is 4' x 6', so the door is probably two and a half feet or so wide.

I honestly can't remember why the glass guys designed the shower this way, possibly because if the door had gone all the way to the ceiling the seal might have worn out over time, or it might have been too heavy for the brackets. Those are just guesses though - sorry I can't be more specific.

I'm not an expert in transoms or steam shower design, but I'm surprised nobody has yet said why they were invented, get installed, and are used.

1/ Steam machines make steam. More and more of it. Without new steam, the experience of a steam shower can be less and less enjoyable. New steam is needed. It actually puts pressure on the walls, and in 24hour commercial steam showers this is a big thing. But, even at home, where does all the water vapor go? It doesn't all become liquid (condensation) and go into the drain.
2/ :: Plan where it will go, otherwise it will go places you don't want it to go. A transom is a safety valve putting your excess steam into the bathroom, from where the fan exhausts it.
3/ :: Otherwise steam seeps into everything. Wall-ceiling junctions. Light fixtures. Into the attic insulation. Water vapor can penetrate anything, because it has time on its side, and the world's best solvent: H2O molecules.

The opposite approach is "If you only use the steam shower for a short time and not often, who cares?" Anyone want to defend that point of view? I think there is no point building something that you "really ought not to let run". Some future user might want long steam showers, or frequent steam showers. Without a transom, you are guaranteeing that your escape route for water vapor will be confused, since it's unplanned, uncoordinated and unwanted, and your result will eventually lead to problems. As far as I know. Anyone reading this thread so far would be well advised to look more into it instead of concluding that transoms are just for fun. Many homeowners don't care much about codes or practices and will allow anyone to build anything for them. After that, it may or may not work as expected, and ultimately the homeowner may or may not be satisfied. This applied to all fields of construction. My writing this out is not to say that anyone here has been intending to do the wrong thing deliberately.

Hth

Thanks
I assume non-functional transform is basically so that the door doesn't get too long (to the ceiling) ?

I have decided to go complete frameless (so no channel).
Just decided if my glass door should go to ceiling (9' ceiling) or put a transom on top.

And to that, a functional or non-functional transom :)

Our ceiling is slanted (builder said its needed for steam showers).

We have a 6' tall 1/2" safety glass frameless shower enclosure. The door weighs 80 LBS.!! Run it up to the ceiling and figure the weight - I have 2 hinges, should have had 3 (it sags), and you might need 5 for a 9' door.

And no mildew on silicon? My shower enclosure was done in 2003 and it gets brownish build-up in certain spots...and that isn't soap scum. It does come off easily enough, though, except right at the bottom of the door opening.

@ras9999 - I'm in the market for a steam shower! We have a 9ft celing. What did you end up doing? 9' door to the ceiling? or non-functional transom? or a functional one?