electrical running in wall behind shower - fairly urgent!


  #1  
Old 03-15-07, 12:17 PM
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Question electrical running in wall behind shower - fairly urgent!

Hello. Hope you will forgive a cross-post from bathroom remodeling. My husband and I complete novices, but we've begun to replace a 34x48 fiberglass shower surround in our master bath. Upon ripping out the old shower, which is, of course, nailed to studs, we realized the 220 line to our kitchen stove runs in the wall right behind it. We are replacing the shower with a 3-piece fiberglass surround, but I'm a bit worried about having that wiring right behind it. The house hasn't killed anyone for 30 years, but should I be worried about the wiring that close to the shower? Should it be in some kind of conduit? We want to start installation so I really need an answer! Thanks!

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Last edited by DIYaddict; 03-15-07 at 01:14 PM. Reason: see note in post
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Old 03-15-07, 12:30 PM
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The wire does not need to be in conduit. It should be attached to the studs, and you should have some sort of drywall "blueboard" against the wall.
 
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Old 03-15-07, 12:39 PM
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Question

Thank you for your answer. The wire runs thru a hole in the studs like it should. The fiberglass shower surround just nails to the studs. There's never been any type of waterproof board behind it before and the one we bought to replace it is the same, nail-to-the-stud type. Do you mean we should install waterproofing board behind the fiberglass surround?
 
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Old 03-15-07, 12:42 PM
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It sounds like the wire is run properly.

I guess I don't know about the surround. I thought they were meant to be attached to blueboard, but perhaps not.
 
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Old 03-15-07, 12:43 PM
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No. Your installation is very typical.
 
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Old 03-15-07, 12:52 PM
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Talking

Thanks! I'll breathe easier knowing I'm not going to fry in the shower.
 
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Old 03-15-07, 01:22 PM
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This doesn't have anything to with this problem, but if you were going to use something, you'd use greenboard (aka, moisture-resistant drywall) or cementboard, not blueboard. Blueboard is used as a base for plastering.

At any rate, this installation sounds fine. Some people like to cover the studs with roofing felt (aka tar paper) to protect the stud from moisture, but that's not an electrical issue. And of course if this is an insulated outside wall, you'd want a moisture barrier.
 
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Old 03-15-07, 07:35 PM
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Thanks again. We are complete novices at any type of home improvement, but we're really hoping it comes out well. We're still trying to demo the old one right now, but I expect we'll start installing the new shower on Saturday!
 
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Old 03-15-07, 10:29 PM
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Depending on where the walls are located, you may want to consider insulation and vapor barrier before installing the surround.

Obviously, like John said, exterior walls need insulation and vapor barrier. But you may want to insulate interior walls as well to reduce noise and provide more privacy.

Best wishes!
 
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Old 03-19-07, 08:28 AM
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One more question please?

We're putting regular Owens-Corning fiberglass insulation in the interior walls for noise reduction on the shower and I was wondering if it's okay to just run it right over the wire? Or should I cut the insulation above and below the wire so it doesn't touch? I know that they must insulate all around the wires in the outside walls, but having never actually seen it I feel like I should ask. The 220 is actually running thru interior walls, not exterior. We want to get the walls in soon, it's coming along, slowly but surely!
 
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Old 03-19-07, 09:22 AM
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The common practice is to put a slit in the insulation about halfway through it. The cable will then fit in this slit. It's okay if the insulation touches the cable.
 
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Old 03-19-07, 10:27 AM
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Thanks again! I think we can get it from here!
 
 

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