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How to Fit Bar Mixer Shower Pipework

This post describes how to 1st fix pipework for a bar mixer shower valve installation.

Intro

When installing a bar mixer shower valve such as the one shown, it is initially essential to run hot and cold pipework to the valve.

Setting Up a Bar Mixer Shower Valve

Please see Choosing a shower for your restroom for more details on shower types and their viability for your bathroom.

This is done by recessing the pipes within the wall prior to tiling.

In this case study I will be recessing the pipework into a bathroom wall that has actually already been dot n dabbed with moisture resistant plasterboard.

Doing the plaster-boarding before the 1st fix pipework makes it much easier to get perfectly flat & level walls as you don't have the fiddly job of trying to fit the boards around/ over the pipework (to name a few things.).

Walls also need to be square in the corners to allow a great seal (along the edge of the bath in this circumstances.).

Please see Preparing walls for tiling-- reboarding to find out more associating with this topic.

Method.

Using Bath to Mark Overflow/Waste and Center of Bath Taps.

The bath is temporarily positioned in position, and the centre line (that goes through the overflow/ waste and the centre of the bath taps) is marked.

This will assist us line the shower valve up with the taps for a more visually pleasing surface.

The horizontal level of the bar mixer shower valve is then marked, which is normally around 130cm from the floor. If you are planning to fit a bar mixer shower with a fixed riser and shower head, you will need to make sure that this height allows you to fit the shower in without it hitting the ceiling.

Correct Shower HeightIncorrect Shower Height.

Next the pipe centres are marked with vertical lines at 150mm centres i.e. 75mm far from the centre line in both directions. This is where the pipework will range from the valve, down the wall and connect to the pipework under the bath.

Most bar mixer shower valves accept pipework at 150mm centres as this is considered basic-- if your specific design has a various pipeline centre worth, then you need to reflect this at the marking out stage.

A location to be gone after out is then significant (into which the pipes can be recessed beneith the surface area of the plasterboard.).

The approximate height of the bath rim is also marked at this phase.

Correct Shower Height.

The areas to be chased out are then gone after out utilizing an exact saw, guaranteeing that they extend below the level of the bath rim, which is marked in pencil on the plasterboard.

Here we can see the pipework under the bath that will be extended up to feed the shower valve.

The hot feed will be run up the left hand channel, and the cold feed will be added the right hand channel.

This is because the hot feed will get in the valve on the left (as we take a look at it) and the cold eat the right.

This is an industry requirement.

Because of this, the pipework under the bath is in line with this setup.

You can see that the bath waste pipe & trap has likewise been fitted at this time. When the bath was in position, a cross was marked on the floor through the waste hole in the bottom of the bath to mark the needed area of the bath trap.

Copper Pipework Is Soldered And Then Placed Into The Channels.

Two pieces of 15mm copper pipework are then soldered together with a 90º elbow for each feed, which are then positioned into the channels as revealed.

The horizontal pieces of copper (at the top) will become lowered to enter into the back of the bar mixer valve.

The pipes are held level and square to the wall at 150mm centres (centred on the initial centre line) by a home-made jig which is screwed to the wall briefly. This is very important as connecting the shower valve relies on this phase of the work being done precisely:.

Pipes Are Held Level And Square To The Wall.

It is very important the the pipes are recessed far enough into the wall so that the 90º elbow fitting does not protrude out beyond the ended up tiled surface.

This will make sure that it does not interfere with the fitting of the bar mixer shower valve.

Incorrect Shower PipeworkCorrect Shower Pipework.

The pipes are then protected in place by using either drywall adhesive, rapidset tile adhesive or a sand-cement mix.

If utilizing a mix consisting of cement, please ensure the pipes are wrapped in duct tape to prevent the cement from attacking the copper which might cause pinholes and leaks establishing with time.

The mix is pressed in and around the pipes and is utilized to support the cut edges of the plasterboard.

Mix Is Levelled Off Flush With Surface of Plasterboard.

This is then levelled off flush with the surface area of the plasterboard, making sure access to the bottom of the pipes is left open so that they can be connected up later.

Batons are screwed and glued to both walls bordering the bath, and these will help to take the weight of the bath when it is full of water and/or residents. This will avoid it from dropping, which can result in damaged silicon seals and water ingress problems.

Momentarily Position The Bath to Allow For The Pipework To Be Connected.

The bath is then briefly put in position to enable the pipework to be connected.

The existing cold and hot pipework is connected to the appropriate pipework in the wall that will feed the shower valve.

Provisions are also made at this stage to link the bath taps-- through versatile push fit tap adapters in this circumstances.

As with the shower valve, hot is on the left and cold on the right (as you look at the tap) so this makes pipework easier.

Jig Is Removed And Voids Are Filled With Adhesive.

Once the adhesive holding the pipes has actually gone off and the pipes are firmly held in the proper position, the jig can be eliminated and any remaining spaces filled in with more adhesive.

As the pipework is now connected to the hot and cold supplied, stop ends can be seen in location at the ends of the pipes.

The bath is now be set up, and you can see the primary https://pbase.com/topics/o8ljhal354/15tipsab193 silicon seal around the edge of the bath in this image.

Tanking And Tiling The Walls.

The walls are then tanked and tiled.

Installing a Bar Mixer Shower Valve.