There is no downward pressure on the front panel (ok…very little) Downward pressure would come from gravitational forces above. The only direct downward force on that front pane is the pane itself.
The water in the tank exerts force in two directions. Downwards on the bottom pane. And outwards on the vertical panes on all sides
The bottom of the tank will (shouldn’t but it can) bow downwards if not properly braced / supported, and also if it’s not thick enough. The bottom pane is what really crucially needs support so there’s no flexing
The silicone should be strong enough to hold all those vertical panels together. Otherwise all tanks would be built with frames
Having the top of the cabinet extend forward 1/2” to “support” the front glass really does nothing but help offset downwards force, which is minimal for the front pane. There is nothing above the front pane causing downwards force needing it to be supported. This is why/how other companies use this design without issue. Maybe rare occasional issue. Not in the realm of the Red Sea issues.
The problem with the front seam failures is from 1) poor silicone / glass bonding and/or 2) bottom panel flexing / bowing, which puts strain on the seam, and then combined with a weak silicone…
Red Sea did not admit to a bowing issue of the cabinet, but they did revise the design to include…a vertical front brace…so it’s a half admission.
Red Sea did not admit to a seam issue either. But they did revise the design to include “armored seams”…so that’s a half admission also.
Now…I have seen another issue besides bottom seam failures and that’s the side seam failures. This doesn’t seem like a cabinet issue to me. This screams silicone issue.
But from the combination of both side and front bottom seam failures it’s clear to me with 20+ years of engineering background and managing departments of engineers and overseeing and approving / rejecting all their designs and projects, these tanks are not
1) overbuilt with a 3-5x safety factor
Meaning if tank weighs 300 lbs filled, stand should support minimum of 900 lbs without any flexing in any way
And
2) not using materials designed to do their job for 10+ years
Meaning as example - wood / chipboard that will turn to mush after 5 years in humid environments, silicone that won’t hold a bond with xxx lbs of pressure 24x7 for 10 years etc etc
Sorry for the novel, I just want it clear that the cabinet being 1/2” short so the doors can shut flush, is not the issue and extending 1/2” would not prevent the issues
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