STEAM SHOWER TUBS GENERATOR
STEAM SHOWER TUBS FULL
STEAM SHOWER TUBS PLUS

Use either two coats of a roll-on liquid polymer such as Laticrete’s Hydro-Ban, which dries into a seamless, rubbery skin, or embed sheets of flocked polyethylene, like the Kerdi membrane made by Schluter Systems, in wet thinset. Cover every inch of backer board with a waterproof membrane.Seal the seams between the concrete backer-board panels (which are unaffected by moisture) with mesh tape and thinset.Protect wood framing with sheets of 6-mil plastic stapled over studs and joists.If you don’t, any steam that condenses there will drip down onto your shoulders. The moisture that a steam shower unit generates will do a number on your shower stall, not to mention your whole bathroom unless the steam shower design is built properly from the studs out. Look for local dealers on the websites of major manufacturers, including Amerec, Mr. So generally speaking, a steam shower costs about $2,000 to $4,000. A custom steam-proof, tiled enclosure is extra.

STEAM SHOWER TUBS FULL

For the full spa experience-mood lighting, a stereo MP3 dock, and a pump for aromatherapy oils-expect to pay another $1,800.

STEAM SHOWER TUBS GENERATOR

Auto-flush: Reduces calcium deposits on the heating element and saves you from a manual flush-out every 50 uses.Ī steam generator runs about $2,500, installed.Remote controls: That way, you don’t even have to get up from your bench to adjust steam time or temperature.

Delivery speed: Better models take less than a minute to build up a head of steam.

Digital controls inside the shower let the user adjust the steam’s temperature and duration and can even add piped-in aromas, lighting, and music. How It WorksĬold water piped into a steam generator is heated to the boiling point and then sends fresh steam to an aperture in the shower stall. The Basics of Steam Showers What Is a Steam Shower?Ī moisture-sealed shower enclosure equipped to deliver clouds of steam before, during, or after your shower. Overall, a steam shower’s cost is far outweighed by its numerous benefits. Or for about $2,000 to $4,000, you can get a stand-alone, steam-ready enclosure that just needs to have the wiring and plumbing hooked up, though the space-capsule look of such units might be a bit out of place in your elegant master bath.

STEAM SHOWER TUBS PLUS

When that’s ready, the dealer can bring in a plumber to connect all the pipes and an electrician to hook up the generator’s 220-volt electric cable and digital controls.Īll told, the system should run you about $2,500, installed, plus the cost of the new stall and door. Then you’ll need a tiling contractor and shower-door installer to build you a steam-proof enclosure. (A linen or walk-in closet will do nicely, as long as the equipment is easily accessible for maintenance.) The dealer will find the best spot to hide the generator, which needs to be within 25 or so feet from the shower stall. First, you’ll need a dealer you can find one locally through the websites of major steam-generator makers, such as Mr. Installing one of these at home requires the services of a few pros. For a stall tiled in stone, you’ll need twice as much steam-generating capacity. A typical 4-by-5-by-8-foot stall (160 cubic feet) covered with ceramic tile requires at least a 7-kilowatt generator. Steam units are sized based on the stall’s volume in cubic feet, its shape, and what it’s lined with. (Even a water-saving showerhead sprays about 50 gallons of water in the same period.) Your electric bill is bound to go up, however.

By that reckoning, steam is a “green” way to bathe. Luxuriate as long as you want: Steaming for 20 minutes consumes a mere 2 gallons of water.

A pipe channels the hot vapor to the steam head, or disperser, which fills the stall with tropical moisture that never gets above a safe 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, just like a plug-in teakettle, the generator’s electric element brings the water to a boil. That triggers an electric valve to fill the breadbox-size steam generator with about a gallon of cold water. To summon steam, you simply hit the digital controls in the shower stall.

Steam shower design is fairly straightforward. The Anatomy of a Steam Shower | Harry Campbell

Steam shower tubs