shower dome

[jusay]

robbyp.

I agree; if you're building a new bathroom, that may well be a viable solution, but probably considerably more expensive than fitting a $400 dome...

Heating the bathroom makes very little difference in my experience..we have a 2KW wall heater plus two 250 watt heat lamps and they made not a skerrick of difference to the amount of steam...even with turning them on a good 10-15 minutes prior to using the shower. Physics (or whatever) isn't my strong point, but I figure that if your hot water has a temperature of 50 odd degrees, the bathroom air temperature would need to be at least that to stop the formation of steam?

Haven't had to clean it yet, and it's showing no signs of mould or dirt as yet. The water on the dome is distilled so it should be pretty clean and as mentioned previously it dries out pretty quick.

Ugly?? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess..., but it's a clear polycarbonate dome and you don't really notice it's there.

For anyone who's interested have a look at at showerdomes website. It answers a bunch of technical questions...can't do the link sorry.

[BusyLizzy]

For anyone who's interested have a look at at showerdomes website. It answers a bunch of technical questions...can't do the link sorry.

Here's is the link: http://www.showerdome.co.nz/

I have to say - it doesn't look as bad as I had imagined...

[robbyp.]

robbyp.

I agree; if you're building a new bathroom, that may well be a viable solution, but probably considerably more expensive than fitting a $400 dome...

Heating the bathroom makes very little difference in my experience..we have a 2KW wall heater plus two 250 watt heat lamps and they made not a skerrick of difference to the amount of steam...even with turning them on a good 10-15 minutes prior to using the shower. Physics (or whatever) isn't my strong point, but I figure that if your hot water has a temperature of 50 odd degrees, the bathroom air temperature would need to be at least that to stop the formation of steam?

Haven't had to clean it yet, and it's showing no signs of mould or dirt as yet. The water on the dome is distilled so it should be pretty clean and as mentioned previously it dries out pretty quick.

Ugly?? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess..., but it's a clear polycarbonate dome and you don't really notice it's there.

For anyone who's interested have a look at at showerdomes website. It answers a bunch of technical questions...can't do the link sorry.

$400 for just a piece of polycarbonate, I didn’t realise they were that much, someone is making a lot of money. Especially considering an entire shower box is only about double that. I don’t see why it needs to be a dome either, it could just be a flat piece of polycarbonate or Perspex, perhaps put at a slight angle, it should do exactly the same thing. It must be a bit of a cleaning nightmare having to get up to it to clean the dust off. You would think that if it was really a problem, that the shower manufacturers would put a top on their showers. I would also think that attaching something onto the shower frame like that, could invalidate the warranty on a shower fi you are installing it on a new one.
You shouldn’t need such a thing by having adequate ventilation, and heating in the room. Unfortunately many NZ houses are very badly designed when it comes to these things. $400 could buy a lot of heating and extractors. The amount depends on the size of the room.

[jusay]

Robbyp.

You may or may not be correct in your assertations...all I know is it works for me!!

[whitt]

They are quite a bit of money for what they actually are.

When I built I just used a decent solartube/ extractor system and installed a heated mirror pad ( $50) behind the mirror.

No problems at all with moisture and no ugly ( in my opinion) piece of plastic.

Although that is just me and they may be a perfect choice for tenants.

[Traff]

I don't have a fan in my bathroom i use the old fashioned method of opening the window which is open virtually all the time, yep the walls are slightly wet with condensation but it doesn't take long for them to dry and it doesn't streak as it's Resene's 'bathroom paint for wet rooms' if the mirror is fogged up then i just give it a quick blowdry whilst i am blowdrying my hair and voila no need for a dome.

Plus personally i think they are ugly not a good look in a contemporary house, but each to their own.

Sharon

[whitt]

if the mirror is fogged up then i just give it a quick blowdry whilst i am blowdrying my hair and voila no need for a dome.

Phew. For a minute there I thought Mark was posting this reply. Then I read name at bottom.

The scary visions of Mark holding a hair dryer.

[Taurean]

As with Jusay, there is very little cleaning, (again evaporation takes care of it in a matter of minutes,) in fact I have had mine 2 years, its still clean, haven't had to touch it yet.

You really got to try before you rubbish it, and if you have heaters/extractors, enjoy paying for years to come, if you have a hot water cylinder (costs more than a stove, if you don't believe me get a cent-a-meter, enjoy more)

Incidetally if you have a cent-a-meter just watch what happens after someone showers.

In summary;
1x up front payment
0 x maintenance
0 x power
shower at a lower temperature (Save Power, Save Money)

Vs heater/fan/extractor

Upfront payment
maintenance
daily on going power charges

Pretty simple maths I reckon

[Gatekeeper]

These domes sound great. I always keep my bathroom window open, so keeping the shower nice and warm with no draughts sounds great. How much are they?

[Jumpin]

Great idea for those du** a**ed tenants who leave the bathroom damp and unventilated. But all it is, is a cover for the shower. Why dont showers come like that as standard?
Question : Doesnt the steam escape and fill the bathroom as soon as you open the door?
Question 2: North Shore, I thought teenagers were all about being green, short showers and saving the planet. PS my daughter is only 6, so maybe I will find out the truth later on. :-)

[Perry]

S'funny no one's mentioned a dehumidifier.
Has worked well, for us. Takes up a little space,
but that's a small price to pay for dry towels
and a nice shower/bathroom, by morning.

At about $3 a week, only for the winter
months and $100 purchase price, does seem
like a good alternative option to consider.
Caveat: not all dehumidifiers are equal.

[whitt]

I guess the dehumidifier still relies on tenants using it.

A shower dome ( even an ugly one) is tenant proof.

[north shore]

thanks for your replies everyone, interesting range of answers. Have decided to put at least one in, hopefully in the near future. We have to hold off as we are now waiting for Sovereign homes to fix our leaking showers and repair our now weetbix based vanities. Will give us the chance to ask showerwell if it would void the guarantee's on their shower frames, if nothing else!!

[wildthing]

The only minor flaw here is the need to then fit a bath dome...
And if someone in the house likes steaming hot curries, presumably a toilet dome too?

[PropertyMaintenance]

Personal choice

As a property maintenance co, we looked at supplying and installing these for our customers, however, we felt the benefits of these domes didnt sell itself... that is, with the domes being visually unusual, and too much of 'the unknown' in terms of results for potential customers, they would have been a hard sell. It really comes down to personal choice, if you take for face value the domes deliver the benefits it says it will. and you are happy to give it a go... then you have nothing to loose... I know talking to the company that manufactures them, he told us he had happily removed a dome for a new customer that felt it wasnt for them, so if you are up front and get their agreement to fully refund if you are not satisfied you dont have anything to loose (sounds like if you dont go the dome option, you are in for a 'heat lamp - extractor fan anyway)