Homemade steam room - electrical safety

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vince99

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I have a friend who is planning to make a steam room using a small enclosed shower and two steam vaporizers (the type that have a couple of electrodes in a reservoir of water).

He's asked me if there are any safety issues. My concern is shock risk due to conductive paths along the wet floor and the sides of the vaporizer due to condensation, or even possible conduction through the water vapor in the humid environment.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks
 
K

Kdog76

Senior Member
Location
The Dairyland State
Back in high school, after gym class we'd get into the locker rooms & all take showers. We did this thing, we called it a "power shower". Run the water as hot we could for 10 mins or so. Grab a bunch of towels & place them over all the drains in the showers. Filled the sinks with hot water also. Made a really neat steam shower, filled the whole locker room up with steam floor to ceiling. Teacher would come back in & holler at us... Ah the good old days.:smile:
As far as the application with a couple a vaporizers, I'd be pretty careful. Read over the specs on those units, & I'd bet you'll see it's not UL listed for making a steam room. Voltage from the units could spread across to the floor / surrounding areas. IMO he should look into getting a UL listed unit for a bathroom / home model steam room.
 
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vince99

Member
Well I've talked him out of using the cheap vaporizer units. I showed him links to some steam generators that are for this purpose.

Thanks
 
petersonra

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
I don't see how they would be any more dangerous used this way than in the way they are normally used in a non-enclsoed area. Most of the ones I have seen are only 2 wire plugs, meaning they are about as safe as they can get.
 
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vince99

Member
My concern has been the condensation on the floor and on the vaporizer itself, in the steam filled environment, that could create a conductive path and possible shock hazard.

Also the (as yet unconfirmed) possibility that the concentrated vapor in the air could be a conductive path.
 
mxslick

mxslick

Senior Member
Location
SE Idaho
Another good reason to avoid the cheap electrode vaporizers: the "steam" they put out is actually not very warm. The whole idea of a steam room is a HOT, moist environment. :)
 
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