Shower device based on kettle theory

Monday, 28 March 2011

A bathroom full of moisture and a boiling kettle have seemingly just one thing in common – steam – but that was enough to give Tauranga inventor Ken Evans an 'aha' moment.

The former automotive engineer was making a cuppa one day when he realised that if a shower's moist, warm air could be prevented from hitting cold air, there should be no steam.

He showed his invention – at the time a piece of safety glass over his shower – to Maurice O'Reilly, a friend down the road and a former auto parts importer.

Six years later, 45,000 Showerdomes have been sold and Showerdome (the company) is making annual revenue of $1.5 million. Mr O'Reilly, who is now chief executive, jokes that he'd like it to be more. 'But the good thing is, downstream of us there are lots and lots of other companies [– installers and retailers –] as a result of ours.'

The company has three shareholders including Mr Evans and Mr O'Reilly, who admits they are all in their 'autumnal years' so they hired a young business manager to handle things locally while Mr O'Reilly does much of the overseas marketing.

Already Showerdomes are sold in Australia and the company is talking with distributors in South Africa and Canada. 'In time, we believe it will become exceptionally successful and very, very large,' he says.

In the meantime, there's 'plenty of scope' in New Zealand, with 120,000 new showers made here every year.

Mr O'Reilly says he has been tempted to manufacture overseas, but quality control has been a problem.

'If you don't have quality control in these Showerdomes, they don't work properly.'

With the new equipment, 'we believe we can compete virtually in Chinese prices and keep the business in New Zealand'.

Another advantage will be some new research by Waikato University which shows that with some modification of shower behaviour, the domes can save a user hundreds of dollars a year.

Mr O'Reilly has been waiting for the test results to get an official recommendation from the Government's energy efficiency body, EECA.

People sometimes find it hard to believe the Showerdome's claims, he says, but the principle of warm air hitting cool air is simple.

'That cold air is falling down into the shower, so the visible moisture ends up coming down to probably waist height … If you were to bend down to pick up the soap, you'd find you were in clear air down there.'

However, he says the Showerdome is more than just a roof over a shower, and is contoured to lead drips away to the sides.

'Sometimes people say, why should I pay $270 for a bit of plastic with a bubble in it? It's not quite like that.'

Meanwhile, Mr Evans continues to tinker.

'He's a constant inventor and he's got new things on the go all the time,' Mr O'Reilly says.

'In fact, he had me down there a month ago looking at his latest and I said: `Ken, I don't want to know about it, you've got me in enough trouble already'!'