Step 2: A) Enclose the stall: Why?
A fully enclosed shower stall is a luxury. You will be surrounded by warm steamy air, and will be completely comfortable, rather than having one side warm and one side cold.
You'll also save energy: as the shower stall warms up, you'll be comfortable with lower and lower water temperatures. And you'll be warm and comfortable even if you turn off the water while you soap up.
In addition, an enclosed stall steams up the bathroom less. So you'll be able to use the mirror right away after a shower, and there's less need for an exhaust fan. A dryer bathroom is less prone to mold problems, and towels hung there dry faster.
You can even save on air conditioning: Air conditioners remove moisture from the air, and require a lot of energy to do so. It's much more efficient to avoid putting as much moisture in the air to begin with.
You might think that you'd put just as much moisture in the air regardless of enclosing the stall--if running the shower produces moisture in the air, wouldn't the total moisture output be the same in either case? The reason you put less moisture in the air with an enclosed stall is that the humidity gets to 100% pretty quickly in the stall. The air inside is saturated, and no more moisture goes into the air--it stays in the water and goes down the drain.
You might also think that even though the bathroom stays dry, the stall itself would get so wet that you'd have terrible mold problems there. My experience is that the opposite is true. It seems that if the air in the bathroom is dry, the shower stall dries much more quickly once you open the door to the stall.
For more about how useful this is, and to read customer testimonials, see the New Zealand Shower Dome site.
Non DIY options include buying a new fully enclosed stall, or, if you are in New Zealand, getting Shower Dome to add a lid to your existing shower. Commercially available fully enclosed showers include ones meant for steam showers such as these, or there are showers meant to be built in with a lid. But upgrading what you have is a lot greener than throwing it out and buying all new stuff! And you can make one for a lot cheaper than the ~USD300 it costs to buy one from Shower Dome, even if you are in new Zealand.
You'll also save energy: as the shower stall warms up, you'll be comfortable with lower and lower water temperatures. And you'll be warm and comfortable even if you turn off the water while you soap up.
In addition, an enclosed stall steams up the bathroom less. So you'll be able to use the mirror right away after a shower, and there's less need for an exhaust fan. A dryer bathroom is less prone to mold problems, and towels hung there dry faster.
You can even save on air conditioning: Air conditioners remove moisture from the air, and require a lot of energy to do so. It's much more efficient to avoid putting as much moisture in the air to begin with.
You might think that you'd put just as much moisture in the air regardless of enclosing the stall--if running the shower produces moisture in the air, wouldn't the total moisture output be the same in either case? The reason you put less moisture in the air with an enclosed stall is that the humidity gets to 100% pretty quickly in the stall. The air inside is saturated, and no more moisture goes into the air--it stays in the water and goes down the drain.
You might also think that even though the bathroom stays dry, the stall itself would get so wet that you'd have terrible mold problems there. My experience is that the opposite is true. It seems that if the air in the bathroom is dry, the shower stall dries much more quickly once you open the door to the stall.
For more about how useful this is, and to read customer testimonials, see the New Zealand Shower Dome site.
Non DIY options include buying a new fully enclosed stall, or, if you are in New Zealand, getting Shower Dome to add a lid to your existing shower. Commercially available fully enclosed showers include ones meant for steam showers such as these, or there are showers meant to be built in with a lid. But upgrading what you have is a lot greener than throwing it out and buying all new stuff! And you can make one for a lot cheaper than the ~USD300 it costs to buy one from Shower Dome, even if you are in new Zealand.
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acelondon
says:
Jan 12, 2012. 1:07 PMReply
Have you run into any mold issues by enclosing the shower? Or do you just make sure the door is open when you're done? Great 'able, planning to do this in my new house i'm currently buying!
6
LowEnergy (author)
in reply to Jan 12, 2012. 2:12 PMReply
I do exactly what you say--I make sure to leave the door open. I think that's key.
spyderman5413
says:
Aug 20, 2007. 6:38 PMReply
You could also duct your existing exhaust fan to the top of the enclosure, and then turn it on when you get out leaving the shower slightly cracked to pull the majority of the moist air from the stall. This would help prevent raising the humidity and causing the A/C to work harder.
6
LowEnergy (author)
in reply to Aug 23, 2007. 7:25 AMReply
Ducting the exhaust to the top is a good idea. A lower-tech approach that I use sometimes is to run the cold water for 30 seconds or so before I open the door, to chill the air and condense a bunch of the moisture out. When I have time and am concerned about humidity (I don't have A/C), I sometimes also squeegee the walls so that water on them goes down the drain instead of evaporating into my house. But that's not really necessary--the shower dries quickly anyway, without a noticeable effect on the overall house humidity.
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