From Showerdome’s perspective – in a perfect world, all showers would be framed, with a standard shower rose which is located within the confines of the framework, no rainhead, and no bigger than 1200mm in any one direction.
However we all know that variety is the spice of life, and shower manufacturers seem to live by this motto.
If you’re wanting to ensure a nice easy install of a Showerdome® stick to:-
- Framed design
- Standard shower rose (no rain head)
- Cubicle measuring smaller than 1200mm.
If you like to throw caution to the wind, and choose a shower cubicle that isn’t quite so stock standard, then we ask that you carefully weigh up the benefits against that of a Showerdome® shower top, and keep these particular issues in mind when selecting your shower.
Some of the scenarios that require a lit bit of additional technical ‘know how’ when it comes to installation are listed below:-
- Height of shower rose
- Large / oversized shower cubicle
- Frameless glass shower
- Rain heads
HEIGHT OF SHOWER ROSE:
If your shower slider goes above the liner or frame of the shower, there are several options available to you:-
- Unscrew the top shower slider bracket – pull out the slider bar – trim it down – then refit the shortened slider bar and re-fix the top bracket. It’s important to remember to fill the hole left by the original screw to ensure it is waterproof at this stage.
- Or, build up the shower walls with acrylic sheet (you can sometimes use the Showerdome® off-cuts), and then place the Showerdome on these at the higher level. You will need additional PVC extrusions to complete this option.
- Or, you can notch out the Showerdome® shower top around the shower slider bar. This is the most complicated of the options, and we’d strongly suggest using a professional installer should you opt for this solution.
LARGE SHOWER:
When your shower cubicle measures larger that 1200mm in any one direction, we need to get creative.
Our machinery can only work with flat sheet at 1200mm x 1200mm maximum, so there are a couple of options available for an over-sized shower cubicle. These are dependant on what size you are attempting to cover:-
- If your shower is larger than 2000mm in length, the solution is to simply join 2 x Showerdome® shower tops with an H shaped ‘jointer’ rail. This will cover up to 2400mm width / length.
- If your shower is between 1200mm and 2000mm in length or width, we can join a ‘flat sheet’ of acrylic in the same way (with the jointer strip). We sell 400mm wide flat sheets of acrylic specifically for this purpose, and they retail for $34.50 GST incl each. We can add up to 400mm at either end of the shower cubicle when using this option.
FRAMELESS SHOWER WITH UNSUPPORTED DOOR:
Some showers consist of frameless glass panels, which give a great sleek appearance, but aren’t the most practical when it comes to installing a Showerdome® shower top.
It can however be done, with the use of some specially designed support rails. When installing on a frameless shower cubicle, you’ll require the following parts:-
- 1 x 1.2m DIY rail kit (standard Showerdome support rails)
- 1 x 1.2m 61847 Glass Wall Rail (to support the Showerdome on the short return wall)
In some instances, the shower is completely frameless both across the front and down the return side. If this is the case, you’ll require even more ‘extra’s as below:-
- 1 x 2m Aluminium L rail (used to support the Showerdome across the door gap)
If the cubicle has a sliding door, as well as the aluminium L rail mentioned above, you’ll also likely require:-
- 1 x 2m 62050 Right Angle Flap seal (To seal the gap between the sliding door and the solid glass wall)
There may be an additional charge from the installer to do this, so please touch base with them ahead of time to confirm.
RAIN HEAD:
CEILING: –
There are several variations of ‘rain heads’ in the market – so it’s important to clarify exactly what scenario we are referring to when discussing this option.
Some rain heads come directly down from the ceiling, and these would be the most complicated of all to work with when it comes to a Showerdome shower top. However – as the saying goes … “Never say Never”, as it has been done! One of our very clever installers (based on Auckland’s North Shore) has done this on several occasions by drilling a suitable sized hole in the apex of the Showerdome to allow for the rainhead.
While not all installers would offer this service, and it’s certainly not something we’d recommend a DIY’er do without having vast amounts of experience with high grade acrylic – it’s certainly an option for those with the know-how.
OFFSET RAIN HEAD:
If the rain head is coming up off the main shower slider bar and curving over the top of the shower – this can often be accommodated by placing the Showerdome shower top in an ‘offset’ position – to maximise the height at the apex of the dome.
We have a large team of experienced installers around the country – and there aren’t many shower situations that they haven’t encountered over the years. It is very rare for us to have to say that it can’t be done, but pays to check with us ahead of time if you have your heart set on having a Showerdome® shower top.
