Shower Dome revisited

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lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1395475 28-Sep-2015 08:34

We are gutting our bathroom and redoing it - I'm assuming because we are installing a decent extractor fan near the shower that will be the best solution. It seems to be with the showerdome - that even though its containing the steam within the shower - it's not actually removing the damp from the house...

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ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek

#1395523 28-Sep-2015 09:39

I would still go with the shower dome. By Salk means install fan ASD well-known but I have one and it doesn't do the job the dome does. The done condenses the stream back to water and that is helpful in keeping shower clean. If you really want a drier house then go for a proper heart exchange system in the roof. To the best of my knowledge there is only one on sale on NZ made by a firm in Christchurch. Don't get ducked in by skill the TV advertisements for drying house they are a completely different thing

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kiwitrc

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#1395545 28-Sep-2015 09:43

lissie: We are gutting our bathroom and redoing it - I'm assuming because we are installing a decent extractor fan near the shower that will be the best solution. It seems to be with the showerdome - that even though its containing the steam within the shower - it's not actually removing the damp from the house...

I have both extractor fans and shower domes at home. Fan went in first and although its close to the shower there were occasions when on cold days the mirrors still got fogged up. Put the dome a few years later and have not used the fan since. I would go dome over fan any day now. I have put them into rental properties and tenants love them and you dont need to worry about fans not being turned on etc.

kodiaknz

25 posts

Geek

#1395551 28-Sep-2015 09:51

lissie: We are gutting our bathroom and redoing it - I'm assuming because we are installing a decent extractor fan near the shower that will be the best solution. It seems to be with the showerdome - that even though its containing the steam within the shower - it's not actually removing the damp from the house...

Moisture in the home is bad when it is within the normal envelope of the house and the air itself is "damp", it then can make curtains and other soft furnishings damp and get mouldy. It will also condense on glass or the aluminium of non thermally broken aluminium double glazing. Having the shower dome greatly assists with keeping the moist air contained and condensing within the dome and shower. This is a really good thing. As I mentioned we lived in a very damp flat, but the rooms that had the damp issues were the rear external (uninsulated) walls of the bedrooms. The bathroom which also had no sun was one of the driest rooms. Mirror never misted up and walls never had moisture on them, due to the shower dome containing all that moist warm air.

Extractor fans are still good to have, or a full heat recovery system (not an HRV, although that helps but only by forcing air into the home from outside).

Sadly there is a serious lack of understanding even in the professional building industry around insulation, and home heating/ventilation. Many myths and incorrect assumptions go around which I have heard from builders, to people supposedly who do "home energy assessments".

Largely it focus around a complete lack of understanding in physics and the basics of how things like heat, energy and temperature work.

Much like how many people are of the understanding that a heat pump removes moisture from the air. This is only partially correct, they only remove moisture when in "dehumidifying" mode, which is basically air conditioning mode, which makes the air cold (so useless in winter), as the only way they can remove moisture is by condensing the moisture in the air on the coils and it draining away. When in heating mode that is impossible as the coils are hot. But I have met many people including builders who don't know this. It's the heat pump manufacturers who also are to blame as they hide that fact in the small print. But again if you understand how the unit physically works then you understand how it cannot remove moisture in heating mode.

evilengineer

466 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1395554 28-Sep-2015 09:58

We purchased a house last year that already had a shower dome fitted in the bathroom.

And while it does do a good job of keeping steam out of the bathroom you do have to make sure that you keep the shower cubicle ventilated after your shower.

I've found that if you shut the door straight after your shower while it's full of steam and allow it condense inside the cubicle that there is a noticeable musty smell next time you use it. And it also seems to encourage mould growth (particularly in the tile grout) inside the shower.

But if you leave the shower door open while it dries out than the dome does a reasonable job.

wellygary

8315 posts

Uber Geek

#1395626 28-Sep-2015 11:09

evilengineer:

But if you leave the shower door open while it dries out than the dome does a reasonable job.

But presumably when you leave the door open, the moisture in the shower, in both liquid and steam form simply enter the Bathroom atmosphere albeit over a much longer period than if the shower was open topped,

lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1395680 28-Sep-2015 12:21

evilengineer: We purchased a house last year that already had a shower dome fitted in the bathroom.

And while it does do a good job of keeping steam out of the bathroom you do have to make sure that you keep the shower cubicle ventilated after your shower.

I've found that if you shut the door straight after your shower while it's full of steam and allow it condense inside the cubicle that there is a noticeable musty smell next time you use it. And it also seems to encourage mould growth (particularly in the tile grout) inside the shower.

But if you leave the shower door open while it dries out than the dome does a reasonable job.

That would be my concern - though we are not having tiles - they always grow grunge however careful you are. The shower will just be a normal acryclic sided one.

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lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1395684 28-Sep-2015 12:26

kodiaknz:
lissie: We are gutting our bathroom and redoing it - I'm assuming because we are installing a decent extractor fan near the shower that will be the best solution. It seems to be with the showerdome - that even though its containing the steam within the shower - it's not actually removing the damp from the house...

Moisture in the home is bad when it is within the normal envelope of the house and the air itself is "damp", it then can make curtains and other soft furnishings damp and get mouldy. It will also condense on glass or the aluminium of non thermally broken aluminium double glazing. Having the shower dome greatly assists with keeping the moist air contained and condensing within the dome and shower. This is a really good thing. As I mentioned we lived in a very damp flat, but the rooms that had the damp issues were the rear external (uninsulated) walls of the bedrooms. The bathroom which also had no sun was one of the driest rooms. Mirror never misted up and walls never had moisture on them, due to the shower dome containing all that moist warm air.

The bathroom has a new uPVC double glazed window and when we take the linings off we will top up the wall insulation as well (it's south facing). We don't have a huge damp problem TBH - we are in Wgtn - it's not terribly humid or warm!

Even with no bathroom heating and a very underpowered fan - opening the window and leaving the fan on for 10 min after a shower works fine. I really don't understand why some people seem to have an antipathy to opening windows particularly in bathrooms and kitchens!

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tdgeek

29746 posts

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#1395702 28-Sep-2015 12:34

wellygary:
evilengineer:

But if you leave the shower door open while it dries out than the dome does a reasonable job.

But presumably when you leave the door open, the moisture in the shower, in both liquid and steam form simply enter the Bathroom atmosphere albeit over a much longer period than if the shower was open topped,

I shut my shower door afterwards, problem solved

miked

207 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#1395941 28-Sep-2015 18:08

I've not got one, but interested in this thread with a view to getting one.

I'm assuming that the ideal is to leave the shower door closed for say 10mins to 30mins after the shower, to let the steam condense and drain away, but to then leave the shower door open for ventilation between showers, so it doesn't get musty in there.

I wonder if you could make your own? (thinking about whether I could make it with a piece of suitable clear plastic, then heat it gently and sort of "vacuum form" it over a suitable shape)

Mike

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek

#1395955 28-Sep-2015 18:21

Yes you probably could make one but to save $300 why bother. It's more than just a plastic shape. You need to think about the drain channels etc. How much do you value your time?

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mattwnz

20147 posts

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#1396000 28-Sep-2015 18:57

miked: I've not got one, but interested in this thread with a view to getting one.

I'm assuming that the ideal is to leave the shower door closed for say 10mins to 30mins after the shower, to let the steam condense and drain away, but to then leave the shower door open for ventilation between showers, so it doesn't get musty in there.

I wonder if you could make your own? (thinking about whether I could make it with a piece of suitable clear plastic, then heat it gently and sort of "vacuum form" it over a suitable shape)

Mike

I am not entirely sure what they are made of, but possibly perspex or polycarbonate. I don't think they are cost effective to make your own, if you want it to look good.

shk292

2853 posts

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#1396076 28-Sep-2015 20:36

We've had one for a few years and it has totally reduced the dampness level in the en suite, which has a skylight and an extractor fan. Highly recommended

You're defeating the way they work if you leave the shower door open immediately after showering; the idea is you leave it closed for about 20 min to let the warm moist air condense inside the shower cabinet, then open the door to allow the cabinet to dry.

It does initially feel slightly "warm and muggy" when you're showering, but not unpleasantly so and I don't notice it any more. I'd probably now think an un-domed shower would feel cold and draughty.

Mine isn't a perfect seal at the top of the door, there is a gap of about 8mm between door and dome but this doesn't seem to affect its operation

tdgeek

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#1396089 28-Sep-2015 20:47

Mine is a round door shower, on the two sides is a plastic strip thing, and the dome slides in. Great device. Our bathroom is quite large, no extractor, has a wall heater, rarely any fogging after my shower, I close the door when hop out. Next door has a shower, they open the window, steam is spewing out, geez. My steam stays on the shower, returns to water as it cools.

Niel

3267 posts

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#1396107 28-Sep-2015 21:01

The idea is the steam rises into the dome and hits the cooler surface, running down the dome shape to the sides and then drips to the floor. There has to be a gap or else you will suck a vacuum when you open the door. And it helps with air flow. Steam still gets trapped at the highest point. A flat sheet would not trap the steam and would result in cold drips on your head. But triangles/pyramids would also work, and then some might say it also has supernatural powers (perhaps to kill mould, perhaps to grow mould...).

Our house was built 4 years ago. Last year I got fed up with the mould in the en-suite which we look after while the kids have virtually no mould in their shower which they don't look after. After thinking about it, it is all about ensuring the airflow passes the shower before getting sucked out by the fan (hope that makes sense) rather than a shower in a corner and a vent somewhere in the ceiling. If you can't get air flow past the shower then get an in-line fan with ducting above the shower (and then you can also have a convenient 12V light option in the grill). Last year I've found out what works for mould. Mix 1/4 cup Borax with 1L water in a spray bottle, and lightly spray the mould when finished showering. Borax (available from Bunnings) is virtually the only chemical that actually penetrates the grout/cracks to kill mould over time rather than just on the surface, and it is safe (as long as you don't eat it). It has worked okay, certainly better than anything else. A couple of weeks ago I've learned that adding 1/4 cup vinegar to the Borax solution works better. After a week I'd say the mould is now actually going away rather than being managed. Borax kills it from the roots, vinegar triggers it to over feed and burst from the cells, so it makes sense that the combination works well.

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