Glass and Mirrors - mirror fell off

I had a very large mirror professionally installed by a glass company in my bathroom about 7 years ago. It is a large rectangle bordered on the top and sides by strips of mirror glued on top of the rectangle. The top strip recently fell off and broke. Is that normal for the glue to give way like that? This is the adult bathroom so there are no kids messing around with it and a fan is used when the shower is on.
I called the glass company and was told there will be costs involved with replacing the top strip. How long should glue be expected to hold?

One of the rules we always used with mirrors and glass is never to trust sealants or glues. We always figured out ways to mechanically fasten mirrors even with very small brackets.

One of the commonly used kinds of glues was Palmer mastic. We had mixed results with this and went to a brand called Gunther's. I had one come off my own bathroom wall using Palmer's and after that made sure I supported it low and high with brackets.

Remember too that any glue is dependent upon what it is glued to. Sometimes the surface below will come off.

If you get them to replace it ask about what kind of glue they use and if they can use a "j-bar" or chrome fastener in addition.

Jim

It sounds like you have beveled strips applied on the face of the mirror on 3 sides. I've installed mirrors for 30 years and always used clear silicone in this type of installation. I've had other types of mastics, including Gunther, fail. If the surface of the mirror and the back of the strips were not clean it could be a cause for failure or maybe the mastic used was old. What color was the mastic?