The tile has arrived and everyone wants to see it on the wall. The empty shower is about to have its least glamorous, most useful appointment.
Ask which system and test method apply
Schluter describes water testing as a quality-control check before setting tile. Its instructions include system-specific preparation and timing. Another assembly may require a different process; the installer should identify the applicable instructions rather than borrow a convenient waiting period.
Coordinate any municipal inspection requirements with the test. A photograph of water in a pan is not, by itself, proof that every required review has happened.
Keep the result understandable
Ask the installer how the drain is isolated, how the starting level is marked, and what result the system's procedure requires. Keep the date, test duration, system details, and photos together. If the level changes, the installer needs to establish the cause, including the test setup, rather than simply add water and carry on. Reserve time for correction, curing, and another test in the schedule before tile is booked.
Do not solve a failed test with optimism
- Identify and repair the cause using the system's approved method.
- Allow any required cure time after the repair.
- Repeat the required test or review before covering the work.
- Keep later fixture and glass installation from compromising the assembly.
A successful test is useful evidence at that stage. It does not make later damage impossible or replace correct installation of the rest of the shower.
Leave room for the test and a possible correction in the original schedule. Then keep the result with the shower records. The next handoff deserves the same attention: where the glass installer can fix through the finished shower should already be agreed before the drill arrives.