Care & Maintenance – Owner’s Manual

Recommended Glass Maintenance and Cleaners

Squeegee the glass frequently, then dry with a soft cloth.  Using a squeegee after each shower helps keep spots and scale from accumulating on glass components.  Agalite also recommends cleaning the glass regularly with a glass cleaner.  Avoid abrasives, bleach, acidic or vinegar based cleaners and scrubbing pads.  Read labels on cleaning products thoroughly before using.  If your glass is coated or treated with surface protectants, follow the instruction on the labels attached to the glass.

A short list of cleaning agents that should be avoided because they either damage the metal or scratch the enclosures glass surface includes:

  • Abrasive or soft abrasive powders and liquid
  • Bleach or bleach based cleaners
  • Steel or Teflon pads

About Tempered Glass

To conform to building codes, shower doors must use tempered glass.  Tempered glass is four to six times stronger than non-­tempered (annealed) glass.  In the rare event of breakage, however, the tempering process causes the glass to break into smaller, lighter, less jagged pieces. Due to these benefits, automobile side and rear windows and many household windows and doors utilize tempered glass.

The edges of tempered glass are the most vulnerable area that cause breakage. For this reason, ensure that when the door is swinging or sliding that it does not hit something hard or sharp, such as, a toilet, towel rack, sink, or any movable hard objects.  Also ensure the glass door does not swing or slide into unprotected metal components of the shower door itself. If the door hits another unprotected part, it may indicate shifting or settling of the house, an improper installation, or any other situation that requires attention. Call your Agalite dealer or the company who installed the door immediately to have the problem corrected. In the event of breakage, contact your dealer for replacement and refer to the Lifetime Warranty included in the user care packet.

About Water Protection

Different models of shower doors provide different levels of water protection and proper installation plays a large roll in achieving proper functioning.  While Agalite engineers its products to provide a high level of water protection and offers accessories to enhance protection for smaller enclosures or high water pressure/volume situations, there is always a possibility of water dripping onto the floor.  Besides providing anti-slip protection, bath mats are a common solution if minor issues exist.

Aluminum, Brass and Stainless Steel Components

– Silver, Gold, Brushed Nickel, Satin Silver and some Oil Rubbed Bronze/Dark Bronze –
Most of the silver, gold, brushed nickel or satin silver metal components of your shower door are anodized aluminum or electroplated brass or stainless steel.  Aluminum is a lightweight, non-rusting metal which is anodized to give color and to make shiny.  Anodizing also seals the aluminum to guard against corrosion and pitting.  Electroplating is a process similar to anodizing.

Some glass and lime scale cleaners can damage anodizing and electroplating, causing pitting or discoloration. You can permanently damage the metal’s finish if cleaning compounds containing alkaline and phosphoric acids are used. The result can be the appearance of white spots and discoloration.  Many product labels warn against use on anodized and plated metals. Read labels on cleaning products thoroughly before using on your shower door.  Drywall, Spackle and tile grout, which contain lime, can also spot metal and glass surfaces.

Special Finish Notes:

  • Brushed Nickel – Stringent controls are used to ensure a shower door achieves a consistent finish between individual components.  While consistency issues are possible in any finish, Brushed Nickel presents very complex challenges due the graining (brushing) process and the use of multiple coloration methods.  The end result of this complexity causes different colors to be seen based on different lighting (natural sunlight, incandescent, fluorescent, etc.), and the angles of attack the component is viewed from.
  • Oil Rubbed Bronze – Wearing of electro-plated oil rubbed bronze finished hardware should be expected.  This potential is inherent to living finishes, and thus, does not constitute a material defect or a defect in workmanship. Living finishes usually have no protective coating, are intended to change over time, may rub off during use or may darken or lighten. Living finishes are utilized to add uniqueness to the fixture.

“Powder-coated” Metal Finishes

– Oil Rubbed Bronze, White, Black, etc. –
If your unit is not an anodized/electroplated colors listed above, it is probably painted via a “powder coat” process. The powder-coat surface is very durable, but it can scratch or chip. If a scratch occurs, please seal it with a matching paint from your local paint or big box store or clear fingernail polish. Guidance for cleaning powder-coated metal is the same as anodized/electroplated metal.

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