Steam Shower Cabins - FAQ's

 1. Your units come with a 1 year ‘Return to Base Warranty’, what does this mean?

We are a supply only company and do not operate a fitting service for our units. If a fault develops with your unit within the first 28 days of your plumber installing that is not a fault of the way it was installed, we will cover any reasonable cost (upon receipt of Installation Completion Certificate) for your plumber to come back to you and rectify the problem. If any other fault occurs past the 28 days, we operate a no quibble warranty system where we will send any required replacement parts to you on a next day delivery service where possible, completely free of charge for a period of 1 year from the date of purchase. (Please retain your original invoice number to validate this and your Installation Completion Certificate).

2. What is the delivery time for your units?

In most cases, our Products are either held in stock or within our supply chain rotation. We aim to deliver your order within 7 days direct to your door with a palletised distribution company. Should you require your order urgently, we can often deliver within 24 hours. Likewise, if you do not require your order until a future date, we can hold this for you in our warehouse until you are ready to receive delivery. 

If for any reason we do not have the unit you wish to purchase in stock, you will be told immediately and advised when the item is due back in stock at which time you can wait the timescale quoted, or we will refund your payment in full.

Currently, the units come in 4 separate packages and as mentioned above, this is supplied shrink wrapped on a palette and will arrive on a tail-lift lorry. The delivery palette will be taken to your door only, but this will depend on any access restrictions (narrow gates, passageways etc). When confirming delivery, we request that you inform us of any further restrictions, that could effect a delivery to your location where perhaps a smaller vehicle would be more suited.

Following delivery of your order, you are asked to check the packages upon arrival and inform us of any damage within 24 hours. Please Note: If after having confirmed a delivery date, you are not at the premises when the delivery is made, a re-delivery charge of £25 will be payable

4. What Pressure is required to operate your steam units?

The unit requires above 2 bar of pressure to operate at a satisfactory pressure. Please note that Browne's Steam Cabins require a flow rate of at least 7.5 litres per minute. The water supply to the unit must also be balanced.

5. I have a Gravity Fed Hot Water System, will this work the unit?

No, Gravity fed hot water is not at sufficient pressure. The units operate best above 2 worth of pressure. We recommend a Salamander Twin Impeller Pump to be used so that the hot and cold water are sent to the system at the same pressure.

6. I have a Mega Flow or similar unvented cylinder system - is this okay?

A Mega Flow system will produce sufficient balanced pressure for our showers to operate efficiently. Other types or brands of unvented hot water cylinders may vary, so it is advisable to check with the individual manufacturers or suppliers. In rare situations where the distance between the hot water cylinder and shower is extreme, i.e. cylinder on the ground floor, shower on the 5th floor, there may be a pressure issue so again, do check this with your installer or manufacturer.

7. I have a Combi Boiler, will this be ok?

Yes, most Combi Boilers will output the 2 - 3 bar of the required pressure, but because you will be typically using mains pressure cold water, you must have a Pressure Equalising Valve (PEV) fitted. This ensures that water pressures are always balanced.

8. I am using a Pump to increase my water pressure is that ok?

Yes, however you may find that the pump starts and stops when in operation and the flow; especially from the back jets is not acceptable, if this is the case then you need to remove the non-return valves (NRV’s) These are located in the diverter assembly. Follow the hoses that are the Hot and Cold water feeds into the unit, where they join into the divertor, unfasten them and then look into the divertor, there you will see the NRV, they are typically black or white in colour.

9. My Plumber has never fitted one of these before, what assistance can he have?

All of our units come with both manufacturer’s instructions and a set of our own instructions, and of course our FAQ sheet. We have a technical helpline with staff available to guide your plumber through each step of the installation should the above not be sufficient.

10. How do the electrics work and what is required?

The Steam units require a 13 amp fused spur if the socket is located in the bathroom or a standard 13 amp house socket if you are running the flex out of the bathroom into another room. The Whirlpool Combi Units require 2
sockets as above. The sockets must have their own separate RCD to isolate the unit if required, but the flex supplied with the unit has an inline trip defence system integrated within it also. The power is converted within the unit to operate the lighting and radio etc to a safe 12 volts.

11. Your units have an Extractor Fan, why is this and what is required in my bathroom?

Naturally, a steam unit creates a lot of moisture. The extractor fan fitted to the unit will kick in for 60 seconds after the unit is turned off. This extracts the steam from the unit after use. We suggest 100mm flexible ducting which sits over the fan assembly on the unit. If you already have an extractor fan in situ, as long as the unit is located near this, this should also suffice.

12. How do I clean the unit?  

The units have a fitted Ozoniser. When this Ozoniser is running all other ancillaries will cease to operate such as the radio etc. The Ozoniser extracts all impurities from the steam. We suggest closing the doors on the unit, turning on the Ozoniser, and running the unit for 10 to 20 minutes a week. This will clean the unit and prevent any mould build up. We also recommend using our Shower Guard product as this will both clean and protect the Unit.

Since the unit has joins between panels, care must be taken to attend to areas that may house a build up of dirt. Applying a suitable bead of sealant on the inside joins when building the cabin will minimise such areas of build up. Cleaning the cabin or whirlpool is best done with a solution recommended for acrylic surfaces and glass cleaner on glass surfaces (non abrasive, non acidic etc). If your unit has a Whirlpool, then is is recommended that you clean the whirlpool system frequently using a suitable solution, such as those sold by www.pure-spa.co.uk.

13. There are 3 chrome knobs on the control panel, what do they all do?

All our units come with 3 control knobs located on the control panel to operate the ‘water’ functions in the unit. The top control is a divertor valve, turning this will divert the water to the various functions in the shower such as the foot massage unit, the hydro massage jets, the monsoon shower head and the personal hand shower and on the whirlpool bath units, there is a 5th setting which fills the bathtub. (Please note, the unit divertor only operates one function at a time.) The middle control knob operates the pressure of the water, and the lower control knob is the
thermostatically controlled valve which has a safety switch that stops it at 38 degrees. If the knob is depressed, the unit can be set higher than 38 degrees if required.

14. Do the units come with all the necessary piping?

Yes, the units have all the piping included. They have a flexible waste pipe located underneath the tub which must have an ‘inline trap’ fitted to it by your plumber. Choosing a HEPV0 trap can eliminate the need to purchase a McAlpine ST28M as the HEPV0 can be purchased with the appropriate reducing/enlarging ends to enable a good tight connection.

15. My Divertor valve is labelled incorrectly, when I turn it to the diagram on the plate, it operates a  different function?

This is not a very common issue, but is easily resolved. Unfortunately, the pipes on the divertor valve can very infrequently get mixed up at our manufacturers. To resolve this issue, just swap the pipes at the valve end of the connection which are secured with a standard 15 mm connection and this will solve the problem.

16. How do I wire in the LED lights, as I have three sets and only 1 connector?

The LED lights are all low voltage. The shower has 2 lighting circuits, one for the ceiling lights, and one for the low voltage LED side lights. The wires simply twine together and go into the same connector, simple as that!

17. Can I use the smelling oils and bars that I have heard of with the steam function?

Yes of course! The steam outlet has a cap fitted to it. Simply remove this and you will find a gauze style plate for the bar/oils to sit into to give the steam any fragrance you wish.

18. I cannot get the glass side panels to fit into the curved frame; the glass seems to be too tall?

This is a common phone call we receive. The glass panel is factory cut, so will always fit, it’s just that it is a tight fit on purpose to seal the unit. To fit the glass side panels, simply loosen the screws at the top and the bottom of the vertical framework that hold it to the curved front rails, and this will give you the freedom to fit the glass into the vertical upright, then once you have done this, tighten up the screws to nip the curved rail back into position.

19. The doors are too short and I cannot get the runners into position?

This is also a common question. We have found that the doors are easier to fit if you only put the top cam runners on first at their lowest position and hang them in place, then place the bottom cams in the runners on the bottom curved rail, and slide the door over and connect the cam runner bolts on once you have the holes in the doors lined up with them. If they still aren’t close enough, check that the shower is level, as the frame could be twisted if it isn’t. Also check that the grey end caps on the two central vertical uprights are fitted correctly as they will force the curved rail
upwards if not.

20. The Grey end caps for the central uprights are a very tight fit, what can I do to help fit them?

Place the end caps in boiling water to soften them. These are quite fragile and can be bent very easily, so we always suggest taking care when fitting these to prevent any stress marks occurring in the plastic which will effect
the look of your unit when finished.

21. I cannot get the vertical uprights on the curved rail to fit now that I have built up the framework?

From inside the cabin, you will see there are curved sealing strips screwed to the centre of the curved rail. Remove these, and you will be able to fit the uprights in at an angle, and then slide them into place to meet the
fixed side glass panels.

22. There are a number of loose seals in the box, what are they all for?

The seals that are 1 inch wide with a lip running down one edge of them and holes located along its length are to be used between the central control panel and the back panels. The U shaped seals with gripping edges are to be used on the long sides of the fixed glass panels. (The thicker seals are to go on the side that meets the aluminium frame upright, and the thinner seal to be used for the side of the glass that meets the central uprights.) We suggest using washing up liquid on these to help slide the glass panel into position in the aluminium upright. The hard plastic seals are to be fitted to the trailing edge of the doors to create a seal from the door to the fixed glass panel when closed, and the magnetic strips are used to seal the doors when closed. (Check that these are on the right way round so that they join together instead of repelling each other.)

23. Where do I seal the unit once it has been built?

We recommend sealing with a bead of clear silicone where the central control panel meets the back boards, and where the back boards meet the tub, but to leave the drainage channel clear for any moisture build up on the outside of the tub. Finally, run a bead on the outside of the aluminum curved rail where it meets the tub, once again, leaving the drain chutes clear.

24. I can only get cold water from my shower, even when I turn the temperature up to full?

It is imperative that the pressure between hot and cold feeds going to the thermostat on the unit are balanced, if they are not, it will cause the thermostat to malfunction, check that there are no kinks in any of the pipework due to the way the unit is packaged, and if all of this is fine, please call us to arrange a replacement thermostat to be sent to you.

25. The units you sell seem to have a lot of great features, but are they all included in the price?

Yes, there are no hidden extras or accessories needed. All you need to do is provide cables to the connectors on the unit for the telephone, power, water, waste and TV if fitted.

26. Will the tub support my weight?

The tub/bases in our units are all supported by a steel frame, this means that unlike some other products on the market they will not bend and give when you stand in them.