Steam Shower Bath

Home Steam Showers: Installing a Steam Bath - Part One

Do you love steam baths so much that you feel you can't live without taking them? If you answered yes to that question, getting a steam bath installed in your home may be right for you. Owning one is the ultimate for steam bath lovers. Having one in your own home may be easier and less expensive than you think.

There are two basic choices when installing a steam bath in your home. One is converting an existing bathtub or shower. The other is installing a modular steam bath. There are several steam bath designs which are self-contained and simply need appropriate plumbing and electrical connections.

Preparation

Steam is a highly penetrating form of moisture, so any room that has a steam bath must be properly prepared to prevent moisture damage. If steam gets into the infrastructure of your house, it can cause serious damage.

If you are in the process of building a new home, it is a simple matter of asking the builders to use the proper materials to make your bathroom steam-proof. If you are installing a steam bath in an existing house, you must make sure that the bathroom can safely withstand steam.

The basic principals in safe steam bath installation are threefold: to prevent the steam from escaping, collect the condensed water without dripping on the bathers, and allow the water to drain. To achieve these three goals, the steam room must be completely sealed and insulated, it must have a sloping ceiling, and it must have proper drains.

To prevent steam from escaping beyond the steam bath, the structural materials should be waterproof and have an underlying vapor barrier of thick plastic. Sheetrock or plaster must be specially made to withstand moisture or be covered with a waterproof finish. The walls and ceilings of the steam room must be covered in an impervious material like ceramic tile or glass. All the joints and connections must be sealed with silicone to prevent moisture from escaping.

Once the underlying structure has been prepared, the height of the ceilings must be considered. The ceiling should be lower than eight feet high to maximize steam build-up and prevent cold spots. It should be slanted to allow condensation to slide down the ceiling rather than drip on the bathers. A slope of two inches per foot is appropriate.

If you are converting a bathtub into a steam bath, you need to enclose it with a suitable door. Small steam areas (the size of the bathtub) should have a narrow gap at the bottom of the door to allow for airflow. Larger steam rooms can be made airtight.

Even if you are installing a modular steam shower, the bathroom should still be constructed to contain steam. These units contain steam pretty well but still release moisture into the surrounding bathroom area. Modular steam showers have the advantage of extra features such as multiple shower heads, built-in seating, lighting, and even CD players and telephones.

Whether you are installing a modular steam shower or converting an existing bathtub into a steam shower, you still need to select and install a steam generator and all the connections correctly. That will be topic of our next article.

About the Author

Mike Hirn is a longtime steam enthusiast. His website supplies a wealth of information about the construction, use and health benefits of home saunas and steam showers.
www.the-home-sauna-center.com

Aston White 86-inch 9-jet Steam Shower with Whirlpool Bath $7213.78 This all-inclusive Aston steam shower with a whirlpool bath provides all you are looking for to create an oasis within your own home. This set has a whirlpool bathtub, rainfall showerhead, handheld shower, body jets, steam generator, radio and much more.Made of durable, fiberglass-reinforced acrylicTempered safety glass with aluminum framingBuilt-in, 3kW steam generator creates steam in under 5 minutesDirectional, overhead rainfall showerMultifunctional, handheld shower unit with 5-foot brass constructed shower hose9 directional body jet control: choose between massage areas of auto cycle, top, middle or bottomWhirlpool bathtub with 6 whirlpool jets and 1 HP pumpDiverter valve: 3-function, brass diverter valve with chrome finishThermostatic faucetPush-button LED control panel with built-in FM tuner equipped with marine-grade speakerOne built-in seat, 12V light, storage shelves, exhaust fan, mirror, adjustable feet for levelingDrain kit includedPower requirements: 110V, 60Hz, 28AAvailable in right and left-handed units Installation required by a licensed electrician; licensed plumber recommended.Assembly required

Steam Bath I $8.99 Silvia Vassileva Steam Bath I - Art Print

Steam Bath II $8.99 Silvia Vassileva Steam Bath II - Art Print

Steam Bath III $8.99 Silvia Vassileva Steam Bath III - Art Print

Steam Bath IV $8.99 Silvia Vassileva Steam Bath IV - Art Print

Facial Steam Bath $37.24 Facial Steam Bath by Dr. Hauschka for Unisex - 3.4 oz Bath

DS202 Steam Sauna Bath Combo With Steam Generator Hydrotherapy Back Massage Jets Handheld Shower Telephone Hookup Exhaust Fan Storage Shelves & Ozone $5090 Relax and sooth your mind with the built-in steam generator This unit features a high quality 3000 watt steam generator which will start producing hot steam in just under 2 minutes Steam therapy offers many positive health benefits such as the relaxi...

Thermasol Pro Series Steam Shower Generator PRO-84 $3607.57 Enjoy the feel of a sauna with this Thermasol Pro Series Steam Shower Generator PRO-84Sauna generator is great for relaxing at homeSteam generator has whisper quiet componentsPatented SmartSteam (only from Thermasol) produces the precise amount of steam for the set temperature FastStart technology produces steam in secondsAuto PowerFlush pressurized inner tank cleaning systemWater conserving unit uses two gallons of water for a 20-minute steam bath Stainless steel drain pan Stainless water flex connectorPre-plumbed safety relief valve 0.5-inch union to connect to steam lineConstant steam at a constant rate Can be plumbed 50 feet from the shower without purchasing a larger kW unitSuperior heating elements - low watt density Stainless steel construction Split tank enhances performance and life span Watertight data link cable for control To select the correct generator model for your application, first determine the cubic feet of the room the generator will be producing steam for, and then select the corresponding unit belowLength of room x width of room x height of room = cubic feetFor every foot of ceiling height over 8 feet use the next larger steam generator For example if you have a 250 cubic feet room with a 10 foot ceiling height you would need a PRO-650 generatorPRO-84 unit recommended for 52-84 cu.ft. roomsAll steam generators require the use of a Signature Series Control kit or a Temp-Touch Plus Control kit12 inches high x 13.75 inches wide x 18.5 inches long

DZ972F8 Platinum Luxury Steam Shower With Aromatherapy Ventilation Fan Overheat Protection Standard Bath Tub Size Overhead Rainfall Showerhead Handheld $4490 Enjoy the pleasures of the Ariel Platinum DZ972F8 Steam Shower in your own home These units are fully loaded steam shower enclosures with a built in steam generator water pump Radio and much much more for your therapeutic experience We are confident ...

DS201 Steam Sauna Bath Combo With Accupuncture Massage Hydro Massage Jets Computerized LCD Rainfall Ceiling Shower Handheld Showerhead & Chromatherapy $5290 Enjoy the pleasures of the Ariel Platinum Series steam shower in your own home These units are fully loaded steam shower enclosures with a built in steam generator water pump radio and much much more for your therapeutic experience We are confident t...

Shower Bath $39.99 Shower Bath - Giclee Print

Actress Sheree North in Steam Bath $79.99 Loomis Dean Actress Sheree North in Steam Bath - Premium Photographic Print

Tags: bath, bathroom, home, shower, steam, steam shower bath, steam shower bath combo, steam shower bath units, steam shower bathtastic, steam shower bathtub

This entry was posted on Monday, April 9th, 2007 at 2:06 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.