Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
babka68

How long for a shower to dry?

Babka NorCal 9b
10 years ago

We live in California with very low humidity. We have a timer on our shower fan in our newly remodeled 7'x 11' bathroom. The Panasonic fan is in the ceiling right above the 3'x 4' shower and is 110 cfm, about 2 feet from an exterior wall where it vents. We've taken our first showers in there and after running the fan for 60 minutes, there are still a lot of water droplets on the bench (which has a slope) and floor is wet and slightly pooling around the linear drain. OBTW there wasn't any steam as we have the wrong shower head that only puts out 1.5 gpm. (It just drips on you). Even the glass enclosure (which doesn't go to the celiing) didn't get wet because we had to stand so close to the wall. So much for Eco showers. Forget those.

Our old (1978) ceramic tile shower never stayed this wet with only an 80 cfm Nutone fan. All the new tile is porcelain, and I carefully sealed all the grout lines (using an 1/8" brush) with StoneTech grout sealer made for ceramic and porcelain tile installations.

Am I expecting too much to have my shower look dry (or at least mostly) after a hour of running the fan?

Thank you for your expertise. I'm dealing with a GC and we already had the tiled shower pan replaced once due to improper installation of the Schutler linear drain.

-Babka

Comments (11)

  • motherof3inct
    10 years ago

    We also just installed a 110 cfm panasonic vent in our new bathroom with the standard tub/shower. We have a family of 5 showering nightly. I am noticing pink goo on the tub by the spout and bottom of the shower curtain. Last night I started wiping down the tub to dry it out. Before we remodeled we didnt have a vent and I never noticed if we had mold. I am interested in replies to babkas post.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you, Enduring. I think you may be right about the water droplets. There are a lot of them because everything is so thoroughly waterproofed. The tile installer sprayed some sort of sealer and damp sponged the whole works and called it a day. He suggested that I do that WEEKLY. (no way!) I didn't like the grout still turning dark when it got wet, so I hand sealed each grout line. We've only showered in there once, so the surface tension is high, like a freshly waxed car, even tho we sprayed it with Clean Shower when we were done. Perhaps it just needs to be used a bit. ;-)

    The door is open to the bedroom, and was even trimmed on the bottom to clear a throw-rug when it opened, so I don't think it is an air pulling problem.

    -Babka

  • Olychick
    10 years ago

    It's possible that if your other grout (in old shower) wasn't as resistant to water as the new with fresh sealer, so water was soaking into the grout instead of sitting on the tile until it dried. My fan is also installed above the shower (fantech) with another intake further out in the room, and it does not seem to affect the water droplets, which have to dry naturally, just the steam.

  • catbuilder
    10 years ago

    The pink goo is the bacteria Serratia marcescens. It is commonly caused by fatty substances found in soaps and other products.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Olychick- That is VERY possible. We had that old shower for 40 years and I'm sure I sealed it when it was installed, and never after that. We had the glass replaced one over time, and since then I've been using Clean Shower and never had a problem with mold or mildew, except under the clear silicone caulk along the edges if the aluminum frame.

    You know...moisture probably snuck under that silicone by way of the un-sealed grout around all those 4" ceramic tiles. Makes sense to me.

    -Babka

  • corgimum
    10 years ago

    I use a squeegee after every shower to remove excess water from the tiled walls and glass enclosure. This definitely helps it dry out faster.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    No squeegee-ing here. That was the whole purpose of having porcelain and patterned (bamboo) glass. I needed to be able to use the Clean Shower spray and walk away. The CG came and assured me that I won't have a problem once we use the shower regularly. Keeping the floor well sealed is all I need to do. The StoneTech product label says once a year, and the CG said that if I see the grout darken when it gets wet then it is time to re-seal it.

    -Babka

  • Fripp_07
    10 years ago

    I agree with corgimum: Definitely squeegee after using the shower. The vent removes moisture from the ambient air but you need to wipe down the shower after use. I have porcelain as well and my shower dries super quick with the vent on if I use the squeegee.

  • mydreamhome
    10 years ago

    What Enduring & Corgimum said. And really, squeegeeing a shower that size shouldn't take longer than it does to spray the Clean Shower stuff. Plus, think of all the $$ you'd save not having to buy the Clean Shower spray! What's in that spray anyway?

    We've been squeegeeing for going on 2 yrs in our new house and it takes less than 60 seconds for all walls, the top & front of the shower bench and the floor--our master shower is 4x7. The kids squeegee the tile surrounds in their tub/shower combos in their baths after every use too. No big deal.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Never did squeegee before for all these many years and had clean (patterned rain glass) and textured ceramic 4"tiles even with hard water. The shower spray takes less than 10 seconds costs only a few bucks for a bottle. It makes the water sheet off and dissolves the minerals. Also, we are old and don't bend as easily as we once did. This is so much easier for us. Do what works for you.

    -Babka