Shower Trays

[Tony782614]

I am having a issue with a cracked stone shower tray that was supplied by Simpsons (Cross water) The tray has developed a crack from a Conner of the waist after 5 years , All their trays come a 25 year guarantee but i am being passed from pillar to post by Cross water and the Guy that fitted it .

Cross water are saying that the guarantee is only valid if it was fitted according to their instructions and the guy that fitted it is saying that he did follow the instructions

How do I solve this

 

[Ric2013]

Has the manufacturer explained in what way it feels the instructions were not followed?

 

[Tony782614]

No , they have not visited site , their advice is for me to buy a replacement from them , remove everting and send them some images , if they agree that it was fitted correctly they will refund the cost of the tray

is that fair ?

 

[gmartine]

I think it is, no point sending anybody out without being able to see how it was put down. Start taking pictures and if and when you replace it document the process thoroughly. Of course the installer is going to say what he did but a corner crack sounds like it wasnt supported properly or the support has degraded over time. It could be a manufacturers fault but it seems unlikely, is actual stone or a stone resin?

 

[Scott_D]

Is it on legs or directly onto the floor?
Most manufacturers (not just shower trays) only give a warranty on the product, the labour cost is never covered.

 

[Tony782614]

Is it on legs or directly onto the floor?
Most manufacturers (not just shower trays) only give a warranty on the product, the labour cost is never covered.

It was fitted onto the floor

 

[Tony782614]

It was fitted onto the floor

onto tiles which were newly laid at the same time

 

[gmartine]

Id get a copy of their installation instructions, was it bedded on mortar?

 

[Tony782614]

Id get a copy of their installation instructions, was it bedded on mortar?

i have it and the fitter says he followed it where he could but cant see if he did until it comes up .

my question would be would they crack if not fitted 100% correctly or is it a faulty tray (the 1st one they supplied had not been stored correctly and was not level) ?

The guy we used to fit did have 25 years experience of fitting bathrooms and did a lovey job

 

[gmartine]

Who knows, after 5 years anything couldve happened. It depends how much you want to persue this and it might in the end be nobodys fault. You may have a little subsidence on the tiled surface over time and thats all it takes.


How bad is the crack, itll be stone resin and you can get repair kits nowadays.

 

[Scott_D]

The other thing to consider is if it’s really stuck down it’s probably going to get damaged while removing.

 

[Tony782614]

Who knows, after 5 years anything couldve happened. It depends how much you want to persue this and it might in the end be nobodys fault. You may have a little subsidence on the tiled surface over time and thats all it takes.


How bad is the crack, itll be stone resin and you can get repair kits nowadays.

what repair kit can you use on a Stone Resin and do they actually solve the issue ?

 

[gmartine]

If you have an underlying subsidence issue no it clearly wont solve that, if the crack has relieved the stress in the tray and it has now settled then you may get away with it. Thats why Im asking, how severe is it?

 

[Tony782614]

If you have an underlying subsidence issue no it clearly wont solve that, if the crack has relieved the stress in the tray and it has now settled then you may get away with it. Thats why Im asking, how severe is it?

Its a small crack (see attached)

 

[gmartine]

Are there two cracks there, one to the left and a very fine one to the right?

It tends to go at the drain hole as the tray is usually thinnest. You have three options...

have it replaced and try and get comped, who from I cannot say.
Use a repair kit if youre a confident DIYer, youll need to channel the crack and drill the ends to stop the crack from spreading as well as match the paint as best you can.
or get someone in to repair it, the service is available the cost I dont know but you could always ask.

Im not endorsing this service, just saying its available....

Shower Tray Repair

Superior Shower Tray Repair. Affordable Pricing On All Repairs and Resurfacing. Work Done In A Few Hours And Can Be Used the Following Day. Long Lasting & Durable Bath Enamel Repairs in

www.superiorbathrepair.com

 

[Ben-gee]

You say fitted to a tiled floor. Is this chipboard/floorboards/concrete?

Any deflection of the subfloor could result in this cracking.


Another thing to consider is that is could have been dropped / damaged in the supply chain.
I have seen a courier clambering around in the back of a van full of unsupported horizontal trays. I politely tried to explain why it was a bad idea and he clearly didn’t care.

I have carefully placed a 1700 x 800 low profile tray on a carpeted floor to clean off the mould release agent, only to watch a crack propagate across it and result in two half trays.
These things are vulnerable until carefully fitted, correctly into place.

 

[gmartine]

My suspicion is, the installer did the best he can in terms of abiding by the instructions and bedding the tray down properly. Trouble is I reckon that the drain is directly under the shower head (is it?) so the users end up standing on or around the weakest and least supported part of the tray. It only takes a little bit of shrinkage or a touch of subsidence over time leading the tray to flex and a crack ensues.

 

[Tony782614]

You say fitted to a tiled floor. Is this chipboard/floorboards/concrete?

Any deflection of the subfloor could result in this cracking.


Another thing to consider is that is could have been dropped / damaged in the supply chain.
I have seen a courier clambering around in the back of a van full of unsupported horizontal trays. I politely tried to explain why it was a bad idea and he clearly didn’t care.

I have carefully placed a 1700 x 800 low profile tray on a carpeted floor to clean off the mould release agent, only to watch a crack propagate across it and result in two half trays.
These things are vulnerable until carefully fitted, correctly into place.

That's half of my point as the 1st one supplied had that very issue and I was told by the supplier that they had had a batch that had been stored incorrectly and were not 100% square . If the fitter had installed one from this batch then that could be the cause of the issue

 

[WC1]

If you're not getting any joy from a. The mfr or from b. The installer. I would do c. - have a "crack" at repairing it. If it doesn't work then you'll have to replace it. Without having taken photos during install you can't really go to either mfr or installer and expect help.