5/5/11

Shower Stall Specs

    • Shower stalls may differ slightly between various manufacturer's models although the rough openings and plumbing placement is standardized. Builders should confirm the placement of the openings for all plumbing fixtures in their shower stall before placing the rough plumbing fixtures in the wall. While home showers come in many designs, the specifications for public showers, which must conform to the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA), do have more complete specs.

    ADA Requirements

    • The required floor space of a shower stall measures one square yard with at least 48 inches outside the stall to allow for transfer from wheelchair to shower seat. A shower seat is required equipment and must measure at least 17 to 19 inches up from the floor and within 3 inches of the shower wall's edge. ADA requirements state that the shower seat must accommodate weight up to 250 lbs. Grab bars are required and installed on the wall opposite the shower seat and the back wall. For transfer showers designed to accommodate a wheelchair instead of a shower seat, grab bars are required on all three walls. Handheld shower heads are required to possess a hose measuring at least 59 inches. The threshold is to be rounded or beveled and must not measure more than 1/2 inch in height.

    Rough Plumbing

    • Common placement of the valve for a shower is 54 inches above the floor and centered in the planned shower stall space. The rough stub of plumbing for the shower head or arm is placed 78 inches above the floor and directly above the valve placement. The drain plumbing is centered in the planned position of the shower basin.

    Shower Stall Enclosures

    • Shower stalls, or tubs with surrounds for shower usage, are usually too large to fit through doors of finished homes. These complete enclosures are installed in new construction or remodel projects where doors and walls are removed. Bathroom remodeling projects involving shower stall replacement usually use stalls shipped in two or three parts and assembled in the bathroom. The plumbing placement specifications are consistent in multiple part shower enclosures as in one-piece units.

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