Shower Door Issues – Warping

Hi Ron,

Thanks for your email, this is a great question…

Warping is a common side-effect of the glass tempering process. The thinner the glass, the more prone it is to becoming bowed during tempering. I’m guessing that the glass in your sliding bypass doors is ¼” thick, and is more vulnerable to this type of warping. There is a tolerance for the bow in tempered glass, because there is no way to eliminate it completely. When the warping in the glass exceeds the amount that is tolerable, the result is the issue you are experiencing. The manufacturer’s willingness to replace the panel is all you can really ask them for, in fairness.

As far as the installer goes, they should notice the excessive bowing, and turn the panels to face away from each other in a way that prevents the warping from posing a problem. Of course, this only works when the glass type is clear. Obscured glass has a “rough” side, and prevents the possibility of turning the glass around. Thicker glass has less of a tendency of warping during the tempering process, and is a good reason to use thicker glass. Even in an enclosure that utilizes hinges, bowing in glass can present challenges in making the panels line up properly.

Thanks again,

-Chris Phillips
Having glass suction cups helps a lot with manipulating the glass. It can be done without them, but they will sure make the job easier. The advantage to hiring a pro is that he will have the right tools, and experience moving the glass around without breaking it.

Let me know how it works out,

–Chris

I recently had a Coral sliding frameless glass door installed in my shower enclosure. The doors each have euro through the glass towel bars installed. The mounting screws for the towel bars scrape against each other when the doors are opened from either side. The installer said we could just pull the towel bar towards us as we slide the door but that is not an acceptable long term solution to us. The outside door seems to be bowed inwards slightly in the middle where the towel bar is located. The manufacturer has indicated they would replace the outside door but my question is whether it is a door materials problem or an installation problem that might continue to exist after replacement. Have you seen this type of issue and if so how was it resolved?

Thanks for any assistance.

Ron C.