Need to remove metal shower valve plate from tiled wall

[AlistairDIY]

Hello!

I’ve got a Roper Rhodes ‘Wessex’ concealed shower valve installed by the previous owners of the property. I need to replace the dual diverter valve as the existing valve is leaking out of the front of it (I.e. into the shower pan).

From internet research and the small number of YT videos on this specific topic, I need to remove the metal cover panel to access the concealed valve itself. I note that the metal should simply be siliconed on to the tile but I’m struggling enormously to remove it (all knobs were removed before trying to remove the panel). I have attempting prying (to the point where I believe either the tile will shatter or the panel will bend irreparably), and I’ve also tried using guitar strings to cut whatever adhesive was used to stick the panel on. The guitar string doesn’t cut anything at all, so I’m led to believe that the panel wasn’t attached with silicone. Does anyone have any idea what it may have been attached with, and what I could do to remove it?
Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[footprints]

Worth posting a picture.

 

[conny]

Try using a safety razor blade, (the type with a steel shroud on one side), to slice around the outer edge. The more you slice it, the more it should slip under. Follow this up with a thin bladed pallet knife, slowly working your way around the plate. As you move round slip matchsticks or small nails under the edge to prevent it re-attaching itself to the other side of the separated mastic/sealant.
Patience is the key to success.

If this guy had put matchsticks/nails under the lip as he worked around it he would not have struggled so much. The other danger was not wearing gloves. One sudden slip of his palette knife could have had him needing stitches in his thumb/fingers when his hand shot forward and impaled itself on one of those corners.

 

[AlistairDIY]

@conny - yep, that was one of the very few videos with my exact control panel. It was a comment on that video that suggested using guitar strings, so far to no avail. I haven’t had the time for another attempt (with matchsticks and sharps etc) just yet.

@footprints - pics should be attached, fwiw.