New shower installed-discoloured sealant

[Ssncraw]

I have just had a bath removed and full shower installed. The problem is that the sealant where I’m assuming the new drill holes were drilled for the screen are discolouring. Reddish/pink colour approx 1-2 inches in length, 3 areas inside and outside. I have taken the sealant out where visible on the outside but it’s changing colour again. I have shown the company but they’re aren’t fixing it.
Is this the tile dust which is then being drawn out by the moisture of the sealant and how do I resolve it?

 

[CBW]

It does seem like a potential defect, I doubt tile dust is being drawn out.

 

[Ssncraw]

It does seem like a potential defect, I doubt tile dust is being drawn out.

Defect of what though? the tiles were already there when the bath was there, just new holes drilled. New house, only 4 months old. The sealant only has staining on these 3 areas.

 

[CBW]

Defect of what though? the tiles were already there when the bath was there, just new holes drilled. New house, only 4 months old. The sealant only has staining on these 3 areas.

Are the 3 areas where the drill holes are? Maybe it could be being drawn out then?

 

[Ssncraw]

Are the 3 areas where the drill holes are? Maybe it could be being drawn out then?

Yes exactly where they are.

 

[OvertonPlumber]

Has the profile been sealed on the outside and the inside? Has the top cap been put on the profile.
If yes and yes and no.. The profile is full of water and the screws they used didn't come with the enclosure as there rusting!!

 

[Ssncraw]

Has the profile been sealed on the outside and the inside? Has the top cap been put on the profile.
If yes and yes and no.. The profile is full of water and the screws they used didn't come with the enclosure as there rusting!!

Hi it’s brand new, there was no screws left behind. I saw this as it was left overnight for grout to dry. It’s been sealed inside and out

 

[Ssncraw]

Hi it’s brand new, there was no screws left behind. I saw this as it was left overnight for grout to dry. It’s been sealed inside and out

There is no cap but it’s to high for water to get in

 

[foxhole]

Condensation will run down that needs a cap .

 

[flameport]

the screws they used didn't come with the enclosure as there rusting!!

Or the screws did come with the enclosure and were the usual cheapo crap made of ultra soft shear-o-matic metal which rusts away in five minutes..

Remove them, replace with stainless steel screws.

 

[opps]

Often, shower enclosures are screwed and siliconed to the tiles, and then siliconed on the outside, but that might not be the case with all.

It may well be the case that yours has not been siliconed to the wall, and only on the outside. At a minimum, I would have hoped they siliconed the nylon wall plugs to prevent water ingress. The fact that you have visible evidence of dust leads me to suspect that they didn't do that.

I recommend that you check the installation instructions. To check if the frame has been siliconed to the wall, push in something thin and rigid.

I often use my Olfa 9mm snap off blade knife to gauge depths. The blades are slightly flexible and only 0.38mm thick.

(Olfa XA-1) £10.38 - Olfa Standard Duty Cutter XA-1, 9 mm Blade made of glass fibre

Olfa Standard Duty Cutter XA-1, XA-1 grip is made of glass fibre-reinforced Polypropylene conjoined with Elastomer, and is superior to ABS handle in its Anti-Ac

olfacutters.co.uk

If the instructions say that the frame should be siliconed to the wall, insist that the installers sort it out. It is going to take lot longer to put it right than it took to install it. Removing silicone from anodised aluminium without damaging the finish is very time consuming.

 

[Ssncraw]

Often, shower enclosures are screwed and siliconed to the tiles, and then siliconed on the outside, but that might not be the case with all.

It may well be the case that yours has not been siliconed to the wall, and only on the outside. At a minimum, I would have hoped they siliconed the nylon wall plugs to prevent water ingress. The fact that you have visible evidence of dust leads me to suspect that they didn't do that.

I recommend that you check the installation instructions. To check if the frame has been siliconed to the wall, push in something thin and rigid.

I often use my Olfa 9mm snap off blade knife to gauge depths. The blades are slightly flexible and only 0.38mm thick.

(Olfa XA-1) £10.38 - Olfa Standard Duty Cutter XA-1, 9 mm Blade made of glass fibre

Olfa Standard Duty Cutter XA-1, XA-1 grip is made of glass fibre-reinforced Polypropylene conjoined with Elastomer, and is superior to ABS handle in its Anti-Ac

olfacutters.co.uk

If the instructions say that the frame should be siliconed to the wall, insist that the installers sort it out. It is going to take lot longer to put it right than it took to install it. Removing silicone from anodised aluminium without damaging the finish is very time consuming.

Thank you. I have contacted the company who installed it and insisted he come back out. He has agreed but recons it’s just tile dust. Unfortunately no mentioned if resolving.
I can’t find the panel that the installed. It was something like Aqua8 slimline shower panel but I can see it anywhere.

 

[opps]

If it was the Aqua8, I can find no mention of the need to silicone the frame

Installation Instructions

www.aquaiproducts.co.uk

There shouldn't be any tile dust though. You drill the hole, you wipe away any dust, you push the nylon plug in to the hole in the tile (and hopefully squirt some silicone in to mitigate the risk of water ingress).

I am guessing that he won't want to remove the whole fitting, I guess the could squirt water in from the shower side to wash away the dust but that means he won't be able to re-silicone at the same time.

 

[Ssncraw]

If it was the Aqua8, I can find no mention of the need to silicone the frame

Installation Instructions

www.aquaiproducts.co.uk

There shouldn't be any tile dust though. You drill the hole, you wipe away any dust, you push the nylon plug in to the hole in the tile (and hopefully squirt some silicone in to mitigate the risk of water ingress).

I am guessing that he won't want to remove the whole fitting, I guess the could squirt water in from the shower side to wash away the dust but that means he won't be able to re-silicone at the same time.

Sorry to ask but does it require a cap on the top of the profile? There isn’t one. I haven’t been able to find the product online.

 

[opps]

Sorry to ask but does it require a cap on the top of the profile? There isn’t one. I haven’t been able to find the product online.

I wouldn't be concerned about the cap.



The badly drawn image is from above. The blue is the glass, the red is both the box section and wall channel. The black is the wall.

In theory, if any water enters from above it should drain into the shower tray, hence the reason why the inside should not be siliconed.