DIX system shower pan

[tjstahly]

Hello everyone I am new here, has anyone seen or used this type of liner? I did a quick search and found no info on this type of shower pan system. It looks pretty idiot proof and that is what I am looking for. My wife and I have beem remodeling our house for almost 2 years now and are now into doing the bathroom up stairs. My biggest fear is the shower pan leaking and having to tear everything out and start over again. You can find it on the web searching for dixsystems . Can anyone tell me if they have any experience using this product ? Thanks in advance Tom Stahly

[jgleason]

Hi Tom,

I haven't used it but I just checked out their site. Not that I put much stock in them but, the thing only has a five year warranty. Doesn't sound like they are too confident in their product.

Wait for one or more of the pros to stop in and let you know what they think. In the meantime, take a look in the Liberry on shower construction methods. Lots of good info for you.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Hi Tom, welcome.

I agree with Joe. Here’s a link that I found on the web: http://www.dixsystems.com/

I see a few misleading things about this product in the video. First, they are strongly emphasizing the lack of seams that they have and how good that is. While I agree that fewer seams are better, lots of showers don’t have any seams, except along the sides of the curb. And guess what?....dix systems require a seam at the curb, one of the more problematic areas that cause failures.

Second, they are implying that somehow using this will open the door to new design possibilities with tile sizes or types. That I don’t get. A traditional mud pan and liner has no limitations on the type or size of tiles that can be used. If you want to get down to limitations, you are more limited by the 7 specific sizes of pan liners they offer, or waiting for a special size to be made. Plus they say their size can vary up to +/-3/16". That could be very frustrating waiting for a liner to arrive and have to mess with making it fit.

Last, they recommend installing metal lath in the mud bed. I don’t like that. That can be a recipe for rust to show through the grout in years to come.

The real benefit I see is how tough the liner is and is less prone to damage. But that isn't enough to overcome the additional costs and size limitations I'd encounter.

[mrpabian]

Thank you for pointing out a perceived shortcoming in the Dix Systems warranty. I should point out that their 5 year warranty is now a 25 year warranty on every OneLiner sold.

With a large volume of OneLiners sold and installed, we have yet to have one fail when properly installed. We trust our product to be installed in luxury homes on a large scale. We are proud of our product and are confident that it will outlast any bathroom in which it is installed. As well, our 5 warranty far outlasted most tile warranties, or warranties provided by other trades. And now, it's a 25 year warranty.

In regards to the post about problems with our product... You mention that the Dix Systems method has a large number of seams once installed. Not true. As with any shower system, there will be seams at the curb throughout the installation process. Early in the installation, it is necessary to wrap the curb in bituthene adhesive, which effectively seals the curb and ensures that it remains waterproof. We recommend wrapping the return walls up to a minimum height of four inches, and then covering the bituthene in the standard cement board sheeting. The difference is that these seams are completely waterproof and durable, and on custom liners actually represent the strongest point of the shower base.

You also make claims that we state our system allows users an increased selection of shower sizes or types. We do mention several times that our system is fully customizable, but as with any system, the finished product remains at the discretion of the home owner. They are free to choose their tile and design layout, as they would be with any other system.


Further to this, you mention that our custom orders take an unreasonable time to manufacture, and 7 standard sizes offer little versatility. We offer 7 pre manufactured sizes in the most common configurations used, so that we are able to carry stock and service our customer’s needs more effectively than if we were to manufacture each liner as a one-off. As well, our custom OneLiners can be manufactured to meet specific deadlines set out by contractors. Most home renovations are planned many months in advance, and we have not had any customer complaints regarding shipping or manufacturing times which generally do not exceed 3 weeks from the date of order to the date of delivery on custom OneLiners. Standard OneLiners ship in under 24 hours, every day.

In regards to the claim that metal lathe will rust, this is false. We recommend the use of galvanized metal lathe, if any lathe is to be used at all. It is not common or necessary, and we inform our customers that it is not needed in order to maintain the product's integrity. Galvanized metal lathe is used on stucco applications and does not rust, as I’m sure you are aware.

Finally, you claim that our cost is too high. Compare our liner with similar systems or even hot mopping and you will find that we offer competitive rates.

Our product offers a more durable alternative to the standard PVC method, and we encourage you to esearch all options before proceeding with a project.

I think the goal of any forum should not be to throw stones at the competition. My intent is only to provide you with my perspective on the issue, and I fully respect not only your differing viewpoint but your right to express it. I'm not here to cheerlead or to downplay the values of the competitor's product, and I can only speak to the things I know. I can assure you of this - I know the Dix Systems product and I stand behind it without question.



Kind Regards,

Mike Pabian
Sales Manager
Dix Systems Inc.

[cornac]

Mike
I came across this post from you.
Several years back we purchased a rectangular one liner. we thought it was a great concept.
We were disappointed that to find that the inside of the bottom tray has troughs (valleys) molded in along the perimeter. Seems logical that these would hold stagnant water below the mortar bed. These by the way these are still not illustrated on your current web-site. When we called Dix, we were advised that there was no Tech. Dept, but they said they would speak to the inventor and get back to us. They did and we were advised that he said the TCNA ( I believe that was the Assoc. name) had raised the same issue, but Mr. Dix said that the water would evaporate.
Moreover, the base is buckled. When we unboxed it we called Dix Sytems and were told the mortar would flatten and hold the buckling down. We had four different contractors looks at this pan and they all suggested ripping it out. They all said the mortar would not flatten the bulges and that the tile would fail. Anyhow, heeding advice of everything thing we researched and that of the tile stone setters -we never put it to use.