Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Shower re-do
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : Shower re-do
bhlonewolf
12-08-07, 11:56 AM
Hi everyone,
Found this forum while searching the internet, first time post. I've gleamed a lot of great info already through searching, but wanted to post about a project I'm doing -- some of it will be contracted, some will be done by me.
Long story short, we have a decent size master shower (about 7' long, 4' wide, 8' high, all tile, and had a shower pan leak. Most of it is cleaned up and the wood has been dried. On the ceiling, we do have a light and vent fan.
The project has morphed from what I was hoping to be a simple repair to a near complete gutting.
I had the thought of doing a steam shower. I'm worried about a few things before deciding if I _really_ want to do this.
- Is there anything special I need to do the existing fan/light in the shower to handle a steam unit? I'd hate to think steam is escaping into the walls.
- Before I call an electrician, I'm not sure how I can route 240v circuit to the location. The electrical panel isn't overly accessible. There's 240 already to a furnace in the attic (right above the shower), but I'm guessing it's a no-no to tie into that. What's the approach in these cases? Conduit external and/or internal?
- Anything I should do to prepare in case I _do_ want to do this in the future? Since the tile will only be on the walls, not the ceiling (unless of course I choose to do the steam shower), I was thinking I could just run the pan up all the way instead of the bottom foot, maybe pre-plumb some copper while the walls are open, along with some wire for controls, etc.
Thanks for the advice,
Brian
Found this forum while searching the internet, first time post. I've gleamed a lot of great info already through searching, but wanted to post about a project I'm doing -- some of it will be contracted, some will be done by me.
Long story short, we have a decent size master shower (about 7' long, 4' wide, 8' high, all tile, and had a shower pan leak. Most of it is cleaned up and the wood has been dried. On the ceiling, we do have a light and vent fan.
The project has morphed from what I was hoping to be a simple repair to a near complete gutting.
I had the thought of doing a steam shower. I'm worried about a few things before deciding if I _really_ want to do this.
- Is there anything special I need to do the existing fan/light in the shower to handle a steam unit? I'd hate to think steam is escaping into the walls.
- Before I call an electrician, I'm not sure how I can route 240v circuit to the location. The electrical panel isn't overly accessible. There's 240 already to a furnace in the attic (right above the shower), but I'm guessing it's a no-no to tie into that. What's the approach in these cases? Conduit external and/or internal?
- Anything I should do to prepare in case I _do_ want to do this in the future? Since the tile will only be on the walls, not the ceiling (unless of course I choose to do the steam shower), I was thinking I could just run the pan up all the way instead of the bottom foot, maybe pre-plumb some copper while the walls are open, along with some wire for controls, etc.
Thanks for the advice,
Brian
chandler
12-08-07, 06:59 PM
Brian: welcome to the forums! A steam shower is basically a totally enclosed cocoon, so your tile will be overhead as well. The steam will play havoc on the exhaust fan if it is in the same area, as well as the lighting. It should be moved if possible. It will take an inordinate amount of hot water to run a steam shower, so plan on a separate water heater located within a few feet of the steam shower unit. Your wiring will have to be a separate circuit, so you can't tap into another one. Accessing the "pre" plumbing will require tearing into the tile, unless you install the jets as you tile. IMO, steam showers just are a PITA to install and maintain/operate. But good luck with yours, and let us know if we can help further.
bhlonewolf
12-09-07, 09:53 AM
Well, now I'm not so sure. :)
A neighbor suggested body sprays as a nice additive, given that the walls are mostly gutted. Saves on some of the issues of running electrical and is also a nice touch.
I'd agree that my biggest concern is certainly the fan/light. I don't think there's a good way to remove it as it would make the shower cavity too dark. Waterproofing everything else shouldn't be too difficult since all the tile will be completely removed.
Thx for the feedback, I'll post back on any progress we make!
A neighbor suggested body sprays as a nice additive, given that the walls are mostly gutted. Saves on some of the issues of running electrical and is also a nice touch.
I'd agree that my biggest concern is certainly the fan/light. I don't think there's a good way to remove it as it would make the shower cavity too dark. Waterproofing everything else shouldn't be too difficult since all the tile will be completely removed.
Thx for the feedback, I'll post back on any progress we make!