How to install the perfect steam shower

What needs to be in place before we begin:

WATER INPUT:

Firstly the hot and cold water connections, all steam rooms will work with a 1/2 inch/15mm connection. Somewhere behind the unit you will need a water supply for both hot and cold, ready to be adjusted to connect to your steam unit. The connection on the back of the steam cabin valve will always be a 15mm o” male connection. The best way to make the connection between the unit and the supply is through ‘flexible braided hoses’. Due to the way a steam shower is built away from its final rest position to allow for its construction, braided hoses allow the flexibility needed to move the unit back and forth. The connection through the hoses should be made to the 15mm threaded connection on the valve and some isolation valves fitted to the pipe feeding the water supply to allow you to shut off the water to the shower if needed in the future (good practical) and this also allows you to return the water to the house while you continue with the installation. The best units will come with these flexible hoses supplied.

DRAINPIPE:

To allow your unit to fit completely against the desired wall or corner, without the need to ‘cut’ or modify the unit, the drain pipe to the unit will need to be supplied below the floor. A 1” drain pipe with a suitable downward drop should be located somewhere below the steam shower. Again, due to the need to move the unit while construction is taking place, the connection to the shower trap must be made via a ‘flexible drain connector’. The best units will come supplied with these, if not they are available to purchase at any good hardware store.

ELECTRIC:

The power supply of the most common steam shower cabins will be made through a standard connection of 13 amps at 240v (two if it has a hydromassage bath function). This is the most important part and with all electrical work, especially when it comes to water, it MUST be done by a qualified person. Steam units require the installation of a 13 amp insulated fused branch line to ensure a completely waterproof connection. The sockets must be on an RCD to ensure safety and to isolate the unit if necessary. Your electrician will advise you on this, as I said, a qualified tradesman must do the electrical installation. The power inside the unit is converted to operate the lighting and the radio is converted to a safe 12 volts.

Building the unit:

RULES YOU SHOULD NEVER FORGET!

1. PTFE, which stands for Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene or, as one plumber calls it, Plumbers Tape For Everything. Must be used on every 15mm/” connection.

2. Don’t fuck around and screw to the end. This allows the panels and glass to move and rotate into position as you go.

3. Check each component before you start

4. Do you need a PEV? Pressure compensation valve? This only protects the life and functionality of any shower valve, but also helps to ensure consistent temperatures.

5. If it is possible to fill the tub or pan with water before you start checking for cracks or leaks, do so.

6. After installation is complete, allow unit 24 hours for silicone to fully set before using.

BASE/BATH:

Once everything is in place and you’re ready to go, turnkey, the first hurdle you’ll face is the tub tray or base for your shower. The first port of call is to fully wire and ensure a tight connection of the tray trap and waste pipe. Make sure all rubber gaskets and fittings are tight and snug, it might be an idea to pour some water into the trap or fill the tub to make sure there are no drips at this stage as it’s easier to to access. Second, fully level the tray or tub via the adjustable feet. Check, check and double check, having the tub completely level is essential to the rest of the build not only to ensure it stays straight and vertical but also to ensure all connections are made while individual components have no gaps and they are “settled”. as they should be.

WALL AND CONTROL PANEL:

This is when you will need two people. Check each panel and the back of the control panel first and tighten connections to the valve, water jets and anything else you can see as many are only hand tightened for shipping purposes and will not initially be watertight. The first thing you will need to do is fit the ‘back panels’ into the bath and tighten the connections to the base, do not fully tighten them yet, leave them with the fixings to hold them in place but loose enough to allow some maneuverability. Then fit it to the control panel, the best steam shower units will have a rubber or plastic strip along where the panels meet to ensure a waterproof fit. If not, it would be more than smart to place a small bead of silicone. lengths, it is better to use too much silicon than too little, as any excess can simply be wiped off.

DOOR AND GLASS FRAME:

With his shower he is now looking for something like a shower. The next thing to address is the frame of the glass doors. The best way to do this is to build it separate from the shower and lift it into position when finished. The connecting screws for the frame are notoriously difficult to put together, so first make sure you have enough room around them to fully manipulate and move the frame. Starting from the bottom up, first attach the two sides to the base piece and then to the top frame. Next, install the “fixed glasses” and support/clamp pieces on the frame. Once this is done, lift the frame over the shower tray or bath, again using silicone if necessary, tighten the connection between the frame and the panels. REMEMBER that nothing needs to be screwed down yet to allow all parts to fully snap into place during assembly.

CEILING:

The ceiling usually houses all the main functions and features that come with a steam shower. Carefully lift the ceiling over the shower, make sure all the holes ‘snap’ as they should. (the silicone between the ceiling and the panels it sits on is not as important, as it should be at a level that volumes of water should not reach)

CONNECTIONS:

Now is probably the best time to attach the shelves, vertical rails and any other components that come with the shower to the unit itself and to fully tighten all remaining screws and fixings in the shower, check before doing this that each panel and part come to a complete stop and fit as they should. Now is also a good time to connect power to the supply and connect all connections to the fan, speakers, or any other connections that need to be in place. Now it is also possible to connect hot and cold water via braided hoses. All connections must be direct and labeled to match each other. The steam generator will usually have three connections: first, the water supply, which is usually located in the middle and is fed from the shower valve or directly from the cold water feed. the second, the steam outlet, which is in the highest position of the three and feeds the steam outlet of the unit and, finally, the third, which is the water drain, which in most cases is It will connect to the waste through a pipe that is attached on a spigot.

DOORS:

Hopefully, if I haven’t missed anything, the last thing you should be left with is the unit doors. Before fitting theses it is a good idea, as with any shower enclosure, to apply a small bead of silicone along the length of the panels and the tray/tub to ensure a waterproof fit. This is not always necessary, but it greatly increases the water integrity of the unit. Then, depending on the quality of the unit, spend a couple of minutes looking for gaps or weak spots in the frame where water can penetrate. Finally the doors, using the door cams provided, simply fit them to the ‘slides’ on the frames, adjusting them to fit and slide directly through the adjustable cams.

THE FINAL CHECK:

First run all functions both electrical and water, checking top, back and bottom for leaks, drips or any sign of anything amiss, BE THOROUGH! After everything is good, which it will be if you’ve followed this guide, it’s time for the final check, put the valve on the shower head and spray! Methodically spray the corners, then up and down the connected lengths, moving on to the next, along the bottom, and in turn, spray everywhere, with one person spraying and another behind the unit to checking the complete integrity of the water before happily sliding the shower back into its final position. place of stay

That’s it, you’re done. Chill out.

Hopefully, along with this guide and a little bit of thinking from yourself, your shower is now perfectly installed and ready to go. A steam shower is a fantastic luxury item that is an absolutely fantastic place to relax and unwind, and when installed correctly it is a durable and long lasting feature for your bathroom.

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