Mounting an access panel with a magnet

A simple solution costing (almost) next to nothing

Author: Armando Trapani, Rom, Italy

Online since: 20/05/2020, Number of visits: 127392

Imagine the following scenario: The bathtub faucet is stuck, and the water level is rising rapidly. Panicked, you are looking for the right screwdriver to open the tub access panel and shut off the water. By the time you have removed the four panel screws, the floor of your bathroom is flooded. How can this be avoided? Should the access panel be left open at all times? No, luckily that won’t be necessary. There is a simple solution that costs almost next to nothing.

Instead of four screws, the tub access panel can be mounted on the wall with a magnet. You will need the following materials:

1 hexagon bolt (8 mm)
3 hexagon nuts
3 washers
1 magnet Q-18-08-04-Z
1 metal bracket
UHU MAX REPAIR

Step 1: First, attach the metal bracket to the upper side of the opening. Make sure not to obstruct the shut-off valves and situate the bracket so the magnet will be able to make contact later.

The assembly that holds the access panel in place looks like this

Step 2: Now take the access panel door and drill a hole matching the location of the metal bracket.

Step 3: Next, mount the bolt, nuts and washers on the door in such way, that the magnet will touch the metal bracket when the access panel is closed. Make sure that the bolt does not protrude from the last nut.

Schritt 4: Lastly, use UHU MAX REPAIR adhesive to glue the magnet to the bottom nut.

The bolt serves as a convenient handle for the panel door.

Step 5 (optional): For a touch of elegance cover the 4 screw holes in the access panel corners with suitable caps :-)

And thus, the project is complete! Next time you will be able to simply pull the access door open, thanks to the magnetic closure.

Please note: The length of the bolt and the number of required nuts and washers depends on the distance between the panel door and the metal bracket. The materials you may need could differ slightly, compared to my project.