Rain forest shower head photo

[Gene South]

Check out this ceiling mounted Rain forest shower head. These type of shower heads are typically a secondary shower head as you can see the primary shower head in the photo. That is drywall around the rain forest head. That drywall is not going to look so good if that head begins to spray water onto the drywall.
http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_inspection/attachment.php?attachmentid=34004&stc=1http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_inspection/attachment.php?attachmentid=34005&stc=1

[Jerry Peck]

From the 2017 IRC: (underlining is mine)
- P2708.1 General.
- - Shower compartments ... blah, blah, blah ... The minimum required area and dimension shall be measured from the finished interior dimension at a height equal to the top of the threshold and at a point tangent to its centerline and shall be continued to a height of not less than 70 inches (1778 mm) above the shower drain outlet. ... blah, blah, blah ... The wall area above built-in tubs having installed shower heads and in shower compartments shall be constructed in accordance with Section R702.4. Such walls shall form a water-tight joint with each other and with either tub or shower floor.
- - - Exceptions:
- - - - (There are two exceptions, neither of which affects this discussion.)


- R702.4 Ceramic tile.
- - R702.4.1 General
- - - (blah, blah, blah)
- - R702.4.2 Backer boards.
- - - (blah, blah, blah)

Those walls are supposed to be ceramic tile.

- P2710.1 Bathtub and shower spaces.
- - Walls in shower compartments and walls above bathtubs that have a wall-mounted showerhead shall be finished in accordance with Section R307.2.


- R307.2 Bathtub and shower spaces.
- - Bathtub and shower floors and walls above bathtubs with installed shower heads and in shower compartments shall be finished with a nonabsorbent surface. Such wall surfaces shall extend to a height of not less than 6 feet (1829 mm) above the floor.

The end result of both P2708.1 and P2710.1 is the "shall be continued to a height of not less than" in P2708.1, and "shall extend to a height of not less than" in P2710.1, is the "not less than" requirement - that does not mean that the height can stop there without regard to the design of the shower, that just means that, regardless of the design of the shower, the walls shall continue to that height minimum ... and up however high the shower goes.

My recollection of the wording in the older codes was that the height of the walls was required to be the minimum stated or to above the height of the shower head (for the obvious reasons you mention and the photo shows), seems as though in an effort to 'streamline' the code requirements, that part of 'obviousness' was left out ... such as 'and what idiot would even think to construct a shower with walls which do not go at least as high as the shower head'.

This is a very true statement "Just when you think something is idiot proof, someone will make a better idiot", or wording to that effect ... and that photo is evidence that a 'better idiot' has arrived. :D or is it :(

[Gene South]

Hey Jerry, thanks for going through the detail and specs. Saved me some time, Appreciate it.

Gene