How to cover existing heating vent in bathroom?

[SarahK1996]

Okay so we have recently bought and moved into our new house and we have noticed many weird things going on (so I am sure there will be many more posts!).

Two things so far in the main bathroom:

-There is a ducted heating vent in the bathroom, however, it is placed in the most odd spot. It is directly across from the open shower, in which when you shower, water goes straight into it! I have shut the vent louvres for now and place a bath mat over it when we shower, but what would be my best option to cover this for now, and what would be my options for long term? It is in the most annoying spot!

- The bath is not placed all the way to the wall where the shower is either, so water just goes everywhere in this side gap next to it and it is a pain to dry every time after etc. Any suggestions on what to put here to make sure water doesn't sit in the gap and cause problems down the track?

Thanks in advance legends!Main BathroomDucted heating vent positionSide gap at bath

[MitchellMc]

Congratulations on your new home, @SarahK1996! What an exciting time.

Those are a couple of tricky layout issues.

With the bath, that side gap will always collect water because the shower is open and the bath itself is not tight to the wall. You can keep mopping it each time, but long-term, that is going to get tedious. The most reliable way to stop the water getting in there at all is to install another fixed glass panel on the bath side, similar to the one already on the vanity side. That would block the splash path and keep the whole end of the bath dry. Yes, it encloses the shower a little more, but it solves the problem at the source. Anything else is really just managing the aftermath rather than preventing it.

The vent is a bigger concern. The key question is whether the water is directly spraying onto the vent from the shower head, or whether it is hitting the floor inside the shower zone and then travelling outward across the tiles until it reaches the vent. If it is the second scenario, that suggests the tiles outside the glass panel have been laid flat instead of being graded back towards the shower waste. In an open shower like this, the entire tiled area should fall towards the drain so that water naturally returns to the waste rather than creeping across the floor. If yours is a new build, it is worth raising this with the builder because incorrect grading is a construction issue, and the vent placement so close to the wet zone does make matters worse.

Moving the vent now would be a major job because it would involve disturbing the waterproof membrane beneath the tiles. For the moment, closing the louvres and placing a bath mat over the vent before you shower is probably the safest temporary approach. If the issue turns out to be water creeping along the floor rather than direct spray, you could also consider a very low, stick–on water stop along the front edge of the vent to divert water away, provided it is low enough not to create a trip hazard.

If you can work out whether the water is reaching the vent by spray or by creeping along the tiles, that will guide the most sensible long–term solution.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[SarahK1996]

Hey Mitchell!

Thanks so much! And yes, it is such a weird layout!

Yes, I have been mopping it each time and you are right, it is getting tedious only a month in! So I will have to look at that option of the glass panel for sure.

With the vent, it is mostly just the water from the shower head being the main concern especially when you are washing yourself etc as water just splashed everywhere because it is such an open zone. The water doesn't necessarily travel across the tiles until it reaches the vent so that is a plus. It is just a bummer as we actually bought this house only a month ago, but the vendors actually renovated it themselves beforehand so we know we are going to run into a few issues, which we already have! So I think a stick on water stop will be the best option for now! Any recommendations on what I should get?

Thanks so much!

[MitchellMc]

A waterstop is something that helps prevent water from migrating across a surface; it's like a mini wall @SarahK1996. It won't do anything for the water that is splashing into that area. Unfortunately, throwing a bath mat over the grate might be the best solution here. 

Is the water just water hitting the grate, or do you think it runs down into the grate, too? If it's just splashing, it might not be an issue.

Mitchell

[SarahK1996]

Okay that makes sense!

Looks like a bath mat for the time being then! I think it is just generally hitting the grate and splashing into it, but if I have a louvres closed it should be okay yes?

[MitchellMc]

I would say so, @SarahK1996. My only real concern would be if it is metal ducting and if any water running down into it causes corrosion.

Mitchell

[SarahK1996]

Hey Mitchell!

Not sure if it metal ducting but I guess we will get to that issue if it arises!

This may sounds silly but is there anything that exists like a specific vent blocker or cover or anything like that?

Or I remember even my grandparents back in the day had these vent covers that were kind of domed plastic over the vent that redirected the way the air went if that makes sense? So maybe I could put something like that on backwards so that the dome covers it if that sounds silly?

[MitchellMc]

Look at you go, @SarahK1996! Trying to put me out of a job? I didn't even think of that. What about one of these Accord Heavy Duty Floor Vent Air Deflector or Accord Large Air Deflector For Floor Vents? I'd probably silicone them in place instead of using the magnets alone to help stop water creep underneath them.

Mitchell

[AlanM52]

Hi @SarahK1996,

You win my weekly award for the best set of photos 🙂

What is that distance?

@MitchellMc suggested another glass panel to the right.

I am proposing this which should fix all your issues.

But you will need to have one made to order.

Cheers