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The power shower is a bathing device that is intended to deliver a strong amount of pressure through the shower head resulting in powerful water delivery. Not for the fainthearted, the power shower will spray a potent stream of water which is designed to stimulate, clean and refresh. A Power showers spray is enhanced by the use of a pump to force the water through the shower head in a concentrated way.

Power showers are available in single pump or in double pump systems, and depending on the shower a consumer wants, they need to determine which type will give them the desired results. A single pump power shower model is usually adequate when natural water pressure is just a little less powerful than the consumer desires. When a home’s water pressure is exceptionally weak, double pump systems are usually a better option. In either case, low or very low pressure, the pump, or pumps used, will help to maintain water temperature as well as regulating the hot and cold water flow. There are a few different companies that manufacture the power shower and whether a consumer goes with a Triton Power shower or a Mira Power shower, they can be assured that they will be getting a quality power shower system whether they need a single pump system or a double pump system.

The Triton Power shower comes with the shower unit, a riser rail, all the necessary wall brackets and any needed fixings as well as the hose, and offers a superior showering experience. Thermostatic control of the temperature, shower heads with several patterns of spray, and an adjustable temperature stop to keep from being scalded are all a part of their power shower system. These power shower systems are easy to install and work great with a powerful spray of water that does not even need to be set at maximum potential to deliver a great showering experience.

A Mira Power shower uses the water from cold as well as hot water supply, mixes them together until they reach the desired water temperature, and then delivers a remarkable spray force, more powerful than that of an electric shower. The reason for this is because the Mira uses an internal pump in order to boost the flow of water through the pipes. Because they deliver such an impressive supply of water through the shower, the Mira power shower system is best for houses that have a large supply of hot water, such as a bigger water heater system. With precision concentric flow to give a vigorous shower experience, the Mira system delivers all that a power shower promises and it does so with style.

The electric power shower is able to be used with any domestic showering system. Though a person may not like the sound of electric and shower being placed in the same phrase, rest assured that this does not mean that there will be a shock hazard when showering. It just means that an electric heater is connected to the main line’s cold water system to heat with an electric element when the water passes through the unit. Then it delivers a vigorous heated spray of water through the shower head.

There are a few words of caution for those who want to install a power shower. Consumers need to keep in mind that power showers are not water saving devices. Since a power shower creates a system with high pressure to force larger quantities of water into and through the shower pipe a power shower is likely to use considerably more water than other sorts. The quality of the shower will be significantly improved, but that can correspond to an increase in water usage particularly if the power shower system is used by several people. If a higher water bill will not fit into the budget, or there is an inadequate water supply, a customer needs to keep this in mind when making their power shower selection. There are also a few instances where installing a power shower has the potential to damage an existing water system. If there is a heating device attached to the showering device, a power shower is going to create added wear and tear on that device, with the result potentially being that it will be harder to maintain regulation of the temperature. Additionally, if a water source is a combined boiler that is also being operated by the water mains pressure, a power shower system should not be installed. A power shower may eventually create too much strain on that boiler in order to generate the heated water and eventually mean that the boiler would need replaced.

Whatever power shower a person chooses, the result should be a vigorous and powerful spray of water through a shower head that feels good, looks good, and leaves a person feeling fully refreshed and clean when they step out of the power shower, ready to tackle anything the day may have to offer.

Although it is easy to get clogs in your shower drain and bathroom sinks, there are also some easy tips you can follow to not only keep your shower drain working at its best, but also fix problems such as clogs that can occur from time to time.

Preventing Shower Drain Hair Clogs

One of the most common problems that can occur with shower drains is hair going down the drain and causing a clogged drain. Since hair is almost always present in a shower, there are some steps you should take to avoid hair clogs from occurring in the first place. One of the easiest ways of dealing with this potential problem is to invest in a good shower drain cover. If your current shower drain cover is broken and letting hair slip down the drain, or if you currently do not have a shower drain cover, do some research to find which type is designed for your particular shower, and get one installed. These drain covers have small holes that help to prevent hair from going down the drain. After a shower, you simply need to remove the accumulated hair from the top of the drain cover. If you currently have a shower drain cover, but the openings are too large, you can also find portable drain covers that sit on top of the existing shower drain cover, and help catch the hair before it slips down the drain.

Unclogging a Shower Drain

If your shower drain is already running slowly, it is likely to already be clogged with hair. Fortunately, it is often easy to fix a clogged shower drain. This is because the hair often catches directly in the drain mechanism itself, and by removing the drain mechanism, it is likely that the hair that is clogging the drain with stick to it and be pulled out of the drain in a large clump. If this is the case, you simply need to untangle and remove the hair from the drain mechanism, and then replace the shower drain. Once this has been done, if the hair you removed was the extent of the clog, the drain should be running clear again.

Dealing with Difficult Clogs

If after trying this first step you discover that the drain is still clogged, then remove the drain cover again, and look further down the drain with a flashlight. You might be able to see some additional blockage further down inside the drain. If this is the case, try using a straightened metal hanger to hook the hair clog, and pull it out. If you cannot see the clog with the flashlight, then you can try using a plunger to pull the clog up. First, put a thin layer of petroleum jelly around the edge of the plunger, so that a tighter seal can be achieved. Then put the plunger over the shower drain, and make sure there is some water in the bottom of the shower. Push the plunger up and down over the drain about twenty times, and then look into the drain again with the flashlight. If the hair clog has been pulled further up the drain by the plunger, you might be able to hook it with the straightened wire hanger, and remove it.

Using a Plumber’s Snake

If the plunger method was not effective at removing the clog, you will need to try using a plumber’s snake. To do this, with the drain cover removed, push the snake down into the drain until you can feel it hit the clogged area. Then, turn the handle to bring the snake back up, hopefully hooking and pulling the clog up along with it. If you still are not successful in getting the shower drain unclogged, you might need to call a professional, as sometimes the clog is further down the drain than what can be reached with household drain cleaning equipment.

Preventing Shower Drain Clogs

Once you have your shower drain cleaned, there are some things you can do to help keep it clear and running freely. One good tip is to run hot water down the drain for about a minute once a week, or dump a bucket of hot water directly into the shower drain. You should also always remove any hair and soap scum that accumulates on the shower drain cover after every shower, to prevent it from slipping further down the drain and clogging. You can also start a weekly or monthly routine of pouring a half cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by two cups of white vinegar. After the mixture stops foaming, you can then run water down the drain for five minutes to clear out any residue. Of course, if your shower drain cover is broken or missing, a shower drain installation is definitely called for, since an effective shower drain cover is absolutely essential if you want to avoid hair going down your shower drain and causing clogs.

Frameless glass shower doors have a stylishness of their own, to say nothing of a little extra safety factor, since there is no frame to become damaged and possibly inflict a cut or scrape upon you as you enter or exit your shower stall. In addition, if you want to refit your stall with a frameless door, you almost do not have to go further than Kohler.

The storied Wisconsin fixtures maker features at least ten frameless shower doors priced between $237 and $600. The K-70210-L-SH Purist door is described by Kohler itself as open, light-filtering, and three inches of adjustability for the door, and can be installed to open either left or right depending on the bathroom or shower area layout. The door is available in clear or frosted glass and, while listing for $789, it can be found for as low as $582.

The Fluence (Model K-702400-L-SH) features the increasingly prominent Eurostyle design. Available only in clear glass, the door is a quarter-inch thick, allows inch-and-a-half adjustability for out-of-plumb installations, and can likewise be installed to open left or right. This door also features a roller-compression latch securing its closure as you shower.

Artistcraft makes frameless glass shower doors and even frameless glass shower stalls, if you want to go all the way to the Eurostyle look and ambience. One of their more distinctive frameless doors is a curve-top door with hinges on the long edge of the door rather than top or bottom corners, and you can order your door custom-drilled to open right or left. This door comes in clear (three eighths or half-inch thicknesses), obscured or frosted (three-eighths or half-inch thicknesses), or patterned (three-eighths inch thickness only) glass.

One of the stall offerings is a neo-angled stall that features frameless glass doors and flanking walls with a header rail. The opening width can be made in eighteen to thirty inches widths, and the standard height is sixty-six inches. As with the curve-top door described above, the glass comes in clear (three-eighths or half-inch thicknesses), obscured (same), or patterned (three-eighths thick only) glass, and the header rail offers about a two-inch opening between the rail and the doors and flanking panels for maximum steam ventilation.

Do-it-yourselfers may find a frameless shower kit challenging, and eShowerDoor.com offers several such kits with very flexible style and hardware options. Their Euro S5 frameless shower stall kit comes with the erratic edge style, their Custom Style 5 kit features a frameless doorway cut into a larger frameless glass panel plus a full panel that can be cut to your specifications if your stall area is bisected by other bathroom fixture or short wall. Those are only two examples. Each of their kits comes with your designated glass panels cut to your measurements, hinges and pull handles in assorted styles, bottom wipes, U-channels, stainless screws and anchors, pre-taped seals, silicone sealants, masonry drill bits, and other accessories.

The Shower Door Store offers a number of reasonably priced frameless shower doors. Their 3400-3500 series is a frameless sliding shower door with optional second towel rack, options for custom widths up to 72 inches, and starts at $295. Their Infinity French-style frameless door kit is a door pair with continuous hinge (running the length of the door), twin handles, an optional towel rack and handle combination, and starts at $795.

Essentially, a frameless shower door makes the bath area seem larger and more open and, in a benefit any homeowner appreciates, is easier to clean than a shower curtain, a sliding track, or a framed shower door. And if safety is your concern, be advised that the thicker, heavier glass involved is durable and difficult to break—but if it should break, because it becomes safety glass thanks to the tempering process in its manufacture the door will shatter into several thousand tiny pieces that actually reduce your injury risk.

The majority of households have a standard shower set up in their bathroom. It usually consists of a bath and shower combined, typically with some sort of shower curtain blocking this area from the rest of the room. This is an issue for smaller bathrooms, as that area takes up a lot of space in the room, and since it is boxed in, can make your bathroom feel many times smaller than it actually is. Likewise, this closed in area can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria and mildew, as it traps in the moisture created from regular showering. There is an alternative out there, however, and that is to rip out that old bath and have it replaced with a walk in shower. You may be surprised at just how easy it is get a walk in shower enclosure installed in your bathroom, and the benefits of doing so are just incredible.

By installing a glass shower enclosure, you are opening up your bathroom tremendously; you will be astounded at just how much bigger your bathroom feels after installation. The crisp clean lines make it a very attractive option for modern style homes and certainly add to the comfort level of your bathroom. Aesthetics aside, a walk in shower also provides you with a safer showering environment. This is particularly true for elderly people, as the majority of accidents that happen in a shower happen while the person is scrambling in or out of the bath. Most shower enclosures are at the same level as the floor, meaning that there is no potentially nasty step up into your shower.

Once you’ve tried a walk in shower, it will be hard to go back to the more traditional bath and shower setup. You are afforded a lot more room in one of these showers, and you will find showering a more pleasurable experience as a result. Some people utilise this extra space by installing a second shower head, or even a shower bench, giving you the ultimate comfort while washing. There is nothing more relaxing after a hard day at work than to be able to enjoy a little peace and quiet in a shower that is designed to accommodate your needs.

One decision that you will have to make when deciding on a style of walk in shower enclosure is whether you want the drainage to be installed straight into the floor, or to utilise a shower tray. If your shower floor is level with the rest of the bathroom, this is commonly called a “wet room floor”. This type of floor is a little more expensive to install, but the benefits are that it is much easier to walk in and out of your shower, indeed your shower becomes an extension of the rest of your bathroom, rather than being something that is just tacked on like an afterthought. If money is an issue, then you will find that you can save a fair bit by opting for a shower tray instead. Shower trays will minimise the amount of water that is splashed out on your bathroom floor as well.

You may be used to having your showers drain hole in the middle of the floor, with the floor itself sloping down towards it. Another option that is becoming more and more popular is to have the drain installed in the far corner of your shower. This means that it is out of the way and that you are not constantly standing on it when showering. You may also want to consider a channel drain, which is long and narrow and runs along the length of the shower wall. Other accessories that will need to be considered when deciding on a walk in shower enclosure include lighting, grab rails to assist elderly people, and storage options. Some shower enclosures even provide heating underneath the floor, for those chilly winter nights when it’s difficult to get excited about stepping into a cold shower.

A shower enclosure is a great addition to any bathroom. There are many different materials that you can choose from, but by far the most popular choice is glass, quite often trimmed with chrome to give that neat polished look that is so attractive in the modern home. Glass shower panels open you bathroom up even more, however you need to keep in mind that you are sacrificing your privacy by utilising glass. If you share your bathroom with other members of the household, then modesty may prevent you from opting for this material. In this case, you could look at using glass blocks. These blocks will still give the benefit of light into your shower, but the frosted nature of these blocks guarantee that your privacy is kept intact.

Unless you have been put in a situation where you have a need for a bench in the shower, you may not realise that there are some problems in acquiring the right type of furniture for this use. Shower benches are in important item for elderly people, or for people that have either a permanent or temporary disability that prevents them from standing up while having a shower. The obvious solution is to get a bench that can be used to sit on while washing. The problem is that the damp environment of a shower makes it difficult to find a bench that won’t end up being ruined from the moisture.

To alleviate this problem, most people use aluminum, as it is rust proof and will last a long time in these conditions. The problem is, aluminum benches are not at all comfortable, and are very unpleasant to sit on when it is cold. Another popular material for shower chairs and benches is polyethylene, however they tend to look very much like a piece of equipment that you would find in a hospital, and certainly do nothing to add to the homely charm of your bathroom.

There is a third option, however, and that is the teak shower bench. I know what you are thinking, wood and moisture don’t mix, right? That teak is going to end up warping, cracking, growing mold and looking absolutely terrible. This is not the case, however. Any person involved with boats will tell you that teak is an amazing type of wood, and perfect for moist environments. Most boats that utilise wood in their design will use teak, as it is able to withstand the majority of water, and dries out very quickly, before the water has a chance to get absorbed into the wood. It is this same reason that teak is a popular choice when designing outdoor furniture for the patio and garden.


If there is only one person using the bathroom, then your teak wood shower bench can be set up as a permanent fixture in the shower. If you are sharing your bathroom with other family members, however, that same piece of furniture that provides you with such assistance can actually be a real hindrance for them. In these cases, you will want to look at something that folds up when it is not in use. A folding teak shower bench is going to cost you a little bit more than the normal models, but the extra expense is well worth the versatility that it gives you.

The bench pictured to the left is on of the best folding shower bench options that I have seen. This bench is mounted to the wall, and when it is not in use can be folded up against the wall so that it is completely out of the way. There is a little bit of installation that will need to be done, and you will want to make sure that it is installed by a professional, so that you are sure that it will bear up under the weight of a person. This model will hold up to 160kg (or 350 pounds).

The one downfall of having a wall mounted teak shower bench is the fact that it is installed at a certain height and cannot be raised or lowered. If more than one person will be using the bench (which is particularly the case for nursing homes and hospitals), then you will probably want something that can be adjusted vertically to match the needs of the individual. The product pictured here is just such a bench. Although you do not benefit from the ability to fold it up when it is not in use, the four legs can be adjusted as high as 19 inches and as low as 13 inches. The legs come equipped with rubber tips to prevent slipping in the shower.

Another thing that you will need to consider before purchasing a shower bench is the amount of room that you have available in your shower. If the space is limited, and you don’t take that into account, you may receive the shower bench only to find that it doesn’t fit in the space, or takes up so much room that there is no room left for you to actually sit on it. If space is at a premium, your best option is a corner teak shower bench, as they will take up less room than the other two styles mentioned above. The bench pictured here also has adjustable legs, and is designed to tuck into the corner of your shower, giving you more room to stretch out.

Although steam shower units are becoming extremely popular amongst homeowners as an alternative to the traditional bath and shower set up, the use of steam for bathing and relaxation is not a new phenomenon. As a matter of fact, steam has been used in this way for literally thousands of years. Back in ancient Roman times, steam baths were considered a hub of social activity, a place where important decisions were made by important people. Back then the steam was produced by having a pit of hot rocks, or coals, in the middle of the room, and pouring cold water over these rocks to produce the steam. In the early 1980’s expensive trips to health spas became extremely popular, as people once again found the benefit of steam to both their health and wellbeing.

Steam is well known for it’s health and medicinal properties. It is reported to help with many ailments such as body aches and pains, arthritis and back aches. It is also believed that a steam shower can help with nasal congestion bought on by the common cold or from hay fever, as it will clear your sinus passages. Likewise it can help to open up the pores of your skin and release toxins that have been trapped in there. Another popular belief is that regular steam showers are beneficial in the fight to reduce weight, and many people have reported that along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, a steam shower can really help to easily shed those pounds.


Thanks to modern technology, we can now have this same setup in our very own home via the use of a steam shower unit. For those that don’t know, a steam shower is basically an enclosure that is installed in your bathroom that looks very similar to a shower enclosure. The difference is that these units are completely sealed in order to keep the steam in. Steam units for shower use consist of small jets that are strategically placed along the walls of the enclosure. I say strategically because more often than not these jets will correspond to acupuncture pressure points in your body. The ancient art of acupuncture, coupled with the therapeutic benefits of steam, give you an overall sense of wellbeing when using these units.

The steam is usually created using a generator; water is boiled at high temperature within a compartment that is around the size of a bread box. Once the water reaches boiling point, the steam that is created is then pushed through these jets and into the shower enclosure, similar to a kettle spout when it boils. Because you are using this steam instead of the regular flow that you get from a shower, you are actually saving a heap of water. Your average steam shower unit will only use around 1 or 2 gallons of water for ten minutes of use. Compare this with the 100 gallons that is used from a traditional shower and you will see why it is such an eco friendly solution. That said, the generator used to produce the steam uses electricity, so you will need to decide whether the payoff is worth it if helping the environment is your main aim.

Because of the rising popularity of steam showers, there are many companies that now manufacture these units, and many different sizes, shapes and styles that you can choose from. The one that is right for you will depend on a few factors. For example, you can get single or double steam showers, and most of them will come equipped with seats, so that you can enjoy your steam shower in comfort, or optionally with a loved one. Another deciding factor will be the number of jets within the shower. The lower end of the scale can have as few as 5 or 6 jets, whereas the top models can have up to 24, giving you a more even spread of steam throughout the enclosure. Finally, the space available in your bathroom will be another deciding factor. For smaller bathrooms, a corner steam shower unit will be more beneficial, as it utilises space that would otherwise be wasted.

Steam showers units are generally not something that you want to be installing in your bathroom by yourself. The installation process is actually quite involved, and you will need to keep this in mind when working out how much money you can afford to spend on a unit. Firstly, you will need to hire a tiling contractor to get the enclosure installed. You will then need to hire both a plumber and an electrician to ensure that everything is operating according to health and safety standards. Because these units use a combination of water and electricity, it is important for your own safety, and that of your families, that everything is done properly. Although the price ranges differ greatly from one model to the next, you will be looking at an average of around two or three thousand dollars to have the unit purchased, installed and hooked up ready to go.

When shopping around for steam shower units, you will notice that there are many added extras available that will try and entice you into buying a particular model. For instance, many units now come equipped with colored lights that utilise the concept of chromatherapy. This alternative style of therapy is also known as colorology, and works on the principal that specifically targeted light beams can help to balance a person’s energy throughout their body. It is also believed that particular colors will help to effect a persons emotional state, and these lights are used to help induce a more calming atmosphere in your steam shower unit. If chromatherapy is not your thing, then there are plenty of other batrhoom light fixtures that can be utilised to great effect.

Other extras that many steam shower units come equipped with include thermostatic control, in order to get the temperature just right, a timer, to turn the steam on and off at regular intervals, and even radios and mp3 players, so that you can cue up some relaxing classical music, jazz, nature sounds, or whatever else will get you into a calm and relaxing mood.

One of the most respected names when it comes to bath and shower accessories is Kohler. Kohler steam shower units come in a variety of sizes and style, along with all the added extras we’ve mentioned above. Their website has a comprehensive list of models that you can choose from, along with a handy calculator that will help you decide which unit is the one that is right for your bathroom. When looking at spending such a large amount of money, it pays to shop around. Spending a few hours researching the product that you are after will not only save you money, but will make you more knowledgeable about the products available.