Problems! Used Shower Enclosure Installation

A used shower enclosure, of excellent quality, came into our possession a few months ago. We carefully stored it somewhere safe. Impatiently, we waited for the day we could pull it out for installation in one of our bathrooms. The north container turned out to the perfect bathroom for this amazing shower set. But we encountered some unexpected problems.

Why This is a Great Used Shower Enclosure Set

There is no doubt in our minds that the quality of this shower enclosure set is first class. This frameless set has beautiful heavy chrome-plated fittings and a triangular toiletries shelf that fits in the corner. The fact that it was only in use for about two years before removal, and that the quality is excellent, means that the parts look brand new. Especially after we polished up the chrome with some car polish.

Surprisingly, this excellent quality was the cause of our first problem.

Our First Problem: The Used Shower Enclosure Doesn’t Fit Well

Originally, fitment for this shower enclosure took place in a bathroom with badly built, slanting walls. During the original removal of the shower side panels, Louis and Kevin noted that the panels did not fit very well against the walls. Therefore they did not think to check that the glass panels had been cut at 90 degree angles. However, on installing this shower set in the north container bathroom, we discovered that the manufacturer had cut the shower panel at an odd angle to accommodate the crooked wall!

As you probably know, general run-of-the-mill bathroom fitting stores usually sell their standard shower panels and enclosures in sets. They have corners that are perfectly square. If your walls are not straight, you just have to install them as best you can using the tolerances as catered for in the design. In this case, the glass had been originally cut to fit the skew wall, just proving that this is indeed a high-end product. Despite this, the panels still did not fit as well as they should have in the previous location. Our guess is that the measurements for the glass were taken before the tiling was completed. The tiling was then completed afterwards, resulting in the ill-fitting problem.

We had a bit of a surprise there. The glass cannot sit perfectly square in the corner of our bathroom. We obtained the smallest gap possible by having the glass against the floor and wall at the points furthest way from where the wall and floor meet. Where the wall and floor meet, it’s hanging in the air.

But I know what you’re thinking. How do we know it’s the glass and not our tiling work? Well, see picture below.

Our Solution

What’s our plan to fix the problem? Sadly, this set can no longer be a completely frameless shower enclosure. Our plan is to powder coat some lengths of aluminium angle and silicon them into place along the gaps. This will hide the unsightly gap and stop water from running out from under the glass panels.

We know that this solution will still leave the shower looking aesthetically pleasing. It will also solve the problems caused by the gap. Therefore, we’re still very pleased to be able to use this set for a few reasons. 1) It’s of excellent quality and 2) fulfills our goal of using as much reclaimed materials and fittings on our house as possible.

Our Second Problem: A Rusty Hinge

Our second problem was less of a surprise. The insides of one of the hinges was rusty. The corrosion was so severe that the spring inside had broken into four pieces. This one hinge was originally directly in the line of fire from the shower rose. We expected some damage.

We were curious to know how the second hinge compared to the first. It had had a life more in line with what the manufacturer expected. Kevin took both hinges apart to refurbish and check them. We were very pleased to note that the springs in the second hinge look new and shiny (see above picture). Now that Kevin has refurbished the hinge and packed both with new grease, we can expect them to last many more years.

The bathroom is almost complete. It should soon be fully functional. We’ll share more photos soon.