Shower ceiling


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Old 01-21-21, 12:37 PM
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Shower ceiling

I am gutting a shower stall. You can see in the picture that there is a false ceiling. I am guessing that may have been to allow for a recessed light. Insulated attic is right above. Do I leave the false ceiling or is there a reason to remove it and go right up to the ceiling floor joists? Thoughts?
 

Last edited by pjaffe; 01-21-21 at 12:38 PM. Reason: Typo
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Old 01-21-21, 02:13 PM
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No picture included.
Do you still want the recessed light? That should be you determining factor. If it were me I would go right to the joist and install a combo light, fan and night light. In fact That is what I'm doing in my shower stall.
 
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Old 01-21-21, 02:40 PM
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The shower ceiling is a great place for a light/fan combo. That's what I did when I remolded our bath rm a few yrs ago. The only fan/light combo I could get locally is slightly undersized for the rm but it works well and the mirror and window have never steamed up, presumably because of it's location.
 
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Old 01-21-21, 03:11 PM
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I bought the Panasonic Whisper Choice Auto fan. It has that pick-a flow (80 or 110 cfm). It also has the motion sensor and humidity sensor. Don't know how that's going to work.
My remodel is on hold for several months since the shower pan is on order and it will take 7 to 8 weeks for delivery. So I can't do anything else until it is installed then everything else will be built around it.
So to stay on topic, PJAFFE, how far along are you?
 
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Old 01-21-21, 06:33 PM
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​​​​​​there is already a fan 2 feet to the right in the ceiling outside the shower so I just need to update the light. All else bring equal, do I take down the ceiling?
 

Last edited by pjaffe; 01-21-21 at 06:35 PM. Reason: Add info
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Old 01-22-21, 02:23 AM
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Unless there is plumbing or HVAC in that space I'd be inclined to remove it. With a higher ceiling it isn't necessary to tile the ceiling. Is that mold on the backside of the drywall on the right side of the shower?
 
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Old 01-22-21, 04:05 AM
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Yes. That is mold. I was going to wash it down with some bleach one I get the old tile out. Will that be enough?

- peter
 
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Old 01-22-21, 04:10 AM
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It might be. Mold needs 3 things to grow; heat, moisture and a food source. Eliminating any one of the 3 will stop mold growth. Even so you want to remove what you reasonably can.
 
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Old 01-22-21, 07:16 AM
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pick-a flow (80 or 110 cfm). It also has the motion sensor and humidity sensor. Don't know how that's going to work
That Panasonic or one like it was recommended by my contractor (whom I trust) a couple of years ago when I remodeled the bathroom. One of its features was that it could run continuously to provide constant air changes in a house that may be super-tight. The local sensors then turn on the higher flow when needed. I'm not sure the low-, constant-flow can be bypassed for full off. My existing wiring could not provide constant power to the unit so It wouldn't have worked as I wanted it to and I substituted a standard (but very quiet) unit.
 
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Old 01-22-21, 07:34 AM
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My existing wiring could not provide constant power to the unit so It wouldn't have worked as I wanted it to
So I currently have a simple light in the shower controlled by a typical on-off switch on the wall just inside the bathroom entrance. I'm assuming that's all I'll need, just a 120v power supply. What problems did you have that you could not utilize the unit as prescribed? I haven't open the box yet and I can return it if I need to. My bath and kitchen contractor (whom I buying the shower pan from) was going to sell me the same unit but without the sensor abilities and at a higher price. He told me to buy it from HD and I did. I don't need the sensor abilities. But If I kept the switch in the on position will that enable the sensors? But then I assume the light will always be on. Don't want that.
 
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Old 01-22-21, 08:31 AM
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My wiring is:

Power into switch box
Switch for light
Mechanical timer for fan
Three wires (light, fan, neutral) from switch box to unit.

If you leave your single pole switch on, or bypass it you will have power to the unit at all times. Light always on. Fan controlled by sensors.
If you switch the unit then the sensors will not work until you energize it. Defeats the purpose of the sensors and does not allow fan to run after using the shower to clear fog unless light is left on.

If you bypass the switch and use the motion sensor for the light and the humidity sensor (or combination motion and humidity) for the fan, it might work, but it might mean leaving the low-flow mode on all the time. I don't remember how programmable those sensors are and whether the outcomes (fan-light-both) can be separated.
 
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Old 01-22-21, 09:27 AM
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Thanks John,
Without additional wiring if I can keep the light separate that would be nice. If not, no big deal.
 
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Old 01-22-21, 09:44 AM
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I just took a shower. (i'm getting little worried about the number of my posts that begin that way...)

The description of my wiring is not exactly as stated although hypothetically it would be if the fan and light were controlled from the same switch box.

In fact the fan/light is just outside the shower and there is a separate light in the shower. The light in the fan unit is controlled with the other bathroom lights from a different switch in another location. It is possible that having two controlled sources going to the fan/light (even though they are on the same circuit) was the reason I could not use the Panasonic fan.

In any case the final scenarios in my previous post are valid.
 
 

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