How To Fit A Shower

How To Fit A Shower

How To Fit A Shower - Brief Guide

If you've ever been the victim of a sudden surge of hot or cold water when taking a shower with a traditional mains fed shower when an unsuspecting family member turns on another tap in the house, or flushes the loo whilst you're showering you will hopefully soon benefit from the luxury of constant temperature waterflow which comes from fitting a thermostatic shower, using our handy step by step guide to fitting a shower.

Different Types Of Thermostatic Mixer Showers

There are two main types of thermostatic mixer showers available, although there are many variations upon these two main categories of mixer showers - the first main type of thermostatic mixer shower is a surface-mounted mixer shower. Essentially, surface mounted mixer showers fit to the surface of the wall and so does the pipework - i.e the pipework is not embedded in the wall behind plasterwork or embedded in brickwork.

The second main type of mixer shower is a recessed mixer shower. Recessed mixer showers have their pipework recessed into the wall with plasterwork and tiling fitted between the pipework and the thermostatic shower itself.

Our step by step guide to fitting your thermostatic shower includes a complete list of the tools and materials you will need to carry out your DIY shower fitting project.

Tools Needed To Fit A Shower

Quality spirit level
Drill suitable for drilling tiles - i.e. tile drill
A spanner - adjustable spanner preferably
Measuring tape
Pencil for marking out
Pipe cutters suitable to cut copper pipe or plastic water pipe
Dust sheets to keep the area clean

Materials You Need To Fit A Shower

Shower shut-off valves / isolating valves
15mm plastic pipe
15mm copper pipe
A selection of tees and elbows in copper and plastic
Thermostatic mixer shower
Shower head for mixer showers
Fitting Your Shower

Where Will You Get Your Hot And Cold Water Supply From For Your Shower?

Before you start to fit your shower you will need to think about where you are going to bring the shower water supply from. You can choose to either bring the water supply from the bath below by tapping into the taps using plumbing tees and elbows or you can bring the water supply from a nearby shower cubicle. If you decide to bring the water supply from a shower cubicle you will normally find a suitable pipework tee point below the floorboards. If in doubt about where the pipework is running, switch on the water to your selected watersource (i.e. the taps to the bath or the shower cubicle) and trace the flow of water back to a suitable point to tee in, as the water is running through the pipework. Obviously the hot water pipe will be warm.

Turn off the water supply at the stopcock

Once you have identified where you are going to bring your new shower's water supply from, it's time to switch off the main water supply at the stopcock. Just in case there is water already in the pipework and to prevent water leakage, you should turn on all the taps to run off any remaining water which is still in the system.

Run the pipework to the shower

With the water turned off at the main stopcock and any remaining water emptied from the system, you can start running your pipework to the site of the new shower. You can use either plastic piping or copper piping to run the pipes to the shower. Plastic piping is easier for the DIY plumber to work with but you should be careful to avoid leaks in plastic piping by fitting pipe inserts between joints and fit copper fittings at the end of the pipework for increased leak prevention. Remember to fit isolating valves at the end of the pipework as near to the shower as possible without being intrusive or cosmetically unattractive. Isolating valves might very well come in handy if your shower or pipework springs a leak. With an additional water shut-off point near your shower you will not need to rely as much on the main water stopcock.

Flush the new pipework through

To avoid damaging thermostatic shower valves you should ensure that the pipework does not have any dirt or grit in it. Flush the pipework through to check this.

Measure where the shower valve will go

Hold the valve against the wall and check how much pipework length will be required to ensure the new thermostatic valve can fit flush.

Cut the hot and cold water outlet pipes to the right length
Once you have ascertained how much pipework is needed to fit the thermostatic shower valve you can cut the hot and cold water pipes for the shower using pipe cutters.

Make the holes for the thermostatic valve

Drill the holes in the wall to fit your thermostatic shower valve. If you are drilling into tiles ensure that your drill bit is suitable to work on tiling. Use a spirit level to fit any bracket or wall fitment flush to the wall to prevent problems when fitting the shower valve and to avoid damaging tiling or plasterwork.

Fit compression olives into each of the water inlets

For additional leakage prevention fit a compression olive and nip it up snugly.

Align the shower valve

Mark up the wall for the shower valve fitting taking care.

Fit the shower riser rail

Assess how high you want the shower riser rail. Use a spirit level to mark vertically up the wall from the valve position to the height you would like the shower head to be. If in doubt, for further assessment, stick masking tape to the wall vertically replacing the spirit level and take it to the point where the shower head will be. Step back and check that the shower head will be in the correct position using the masking tape as an indication of the shower riser rail. Once you are confident that the shower riser rail will be in the correct position, cut the shower riser rail and run the pipework up the riser rail.

Fit the shower head to the riser rail and test for leaks

The penultimate step to fitting your new shower is fixing the shower head at the top of the riser rail. Turn your new shower on and check the shower for leaks.

Checking The Shower Thermostat Works

Ensure that the thermostat kicks in by turning on the hot and cold water taps whilst checking that the temperature of your newly fitted shower stays constant as expected.

Your New Shower Is Fitted

A new thermostatic shower fitted. Enjoy your new shower!

Need A Plumber To Fit A Shower?

If you decide that fitting a shower is not for you why not use Top Tradespeople's free quotes service to find a local plumber.

Find a plumber to fit a shower

How To Fit A Bath Panel

How To Fit A Bath Panel

If you’re unsure how to fit a bath panel, don’t worry - use our guide on how to fit a bath panel and you’ll be luxuriating in a bubble bath in no time at all! Alternatively, find a specialist bathroom fitter and that relaxing bath will be even closer than you think.

Step By Step Instruction For Fitting A Bath Panel

If you’re replacing an old bath panel, unscrew it from the bath frame and you should be able to pull it out easily. There are a few awkward bath panels that will have hidden fittings or brackets, so make sure that you unscrew these too.

Once you’ve removed the old bath panel, you’re ready to measure up for the new one. If you’re lucky, your bath panel will already fit your bath but in many cases, you’ll have to tailor the bath panel to your requirements.

Building A Bath Panel Frame

Before you do this, you should build a wooden frame for the bath panel. This will secure it in place and reinforce the bath panel against bumps and knocks in the future. Make sure the timber you use is strong enough to stabilise the bath panel - 50 x 25mm timber is ideal. If a wooden frame is not an option, then try to fix some timber along the floor at the bottom of the bath - that way, you’ll stop any movement to the bottom of the bath panel.

Remember, if DIY’s not your thing, get some competitive prices from your local bathroom tradesmen. It’ll be worth it in the long run and you’ll avoid any damage to your bathroom units or yourself!

Before you start to cut, make sure that cutting your bath panel will not damage its construction. Now measure the void underneath the bath and cut your bath panel to fit this space. A handy tip to keep in mind is to measure twice, cut once.

Tools Needed

A fine blade jigsaw or handsaw should be perfect for cutting your bath panel, and can tackle either acrylic or wood. Be careful not to damage your new bath panel by using excessive force!

If you’ve cut a wooden bath panel to size, be sure to add some PVA glue to the end where you cut, it will stop any water from seeping through.

Now you’re ready to secure the bath panel. Place it under the lip of the bath, then screw the panel onto the frame. Then it’s just a case of screwing the panels together. Mirror screws will give it a professional looking finish - just the touch to complete the perfect look for your bathroom.

Don't Fancy DIY?

If you’re worried about handling this DIY job yourself, call in a good bathroom fitter or other local tradesman who will ensure that your finished bathroom looks exactly the way you want it to.

How To Bleed Radiators - Plumbing Tips By Top Tradespeople

How To Save Money On Your Plumbing Bills

In tough financial times it is important to try to save money on unnecessary home improvement bills for jobs which with a little bit of ‘insider’ knowledge you can do yourself to a very satisfactory standard. Minor jobs like bleeding radiators can save you substantial amounts of money on unncessary plumbing bills.

Bleeding A Radiator

Occasionally, you will notice a radiator heating unevenly. Specifically, the bottom of the radiator is warm while the top is cool. Before you call a heating engineer or plumber, try the simple and inexpensive remedy of bleeding the radiator to see if this will fix the problem. A radiator needs bleeding when air has infiltrated the system and is blocking the warm water from reaching the top of the radiator. In addition to the uneven heating of a warm bottom and cool top, a radiator may feel as if it is not working at all. If the radiator feels cool both on the bottom and top, there may be so much air that the water is not circulating at all. Air is introduced to the heating system when water is added as well as the action of the impeller pump. While bleeding may not fix all plumbing problems, it is the first remedy a heating engineer or plumber will attempt and if it is the problem, it will save you time and money on unncecessary plumbing bills.


Tools Needed To Bleed A Radiator

The only tools necessary to bleed a radiator are a bleed key and a rag or towel. The first step is to turn off the heat pump at the central source and open both valves at the bottom of the radiator. If the main heat pump is not turned off, it can draw more air into the system. Then, locate the bleed screw at the top of the radiator. Usually, the bleed screw is located at the ends of the radiator and occasionally on the back. Using the bleed key, turn the bleed screw anti clockwise; while bleeding, you will hear a hissing noise. Be prepared to tighten the bleed screw as soon as water starts dripping out of the bleed screw at the top of the radiator. Tighten the bleed screw by turning clockwise; do not over tighten the bleed screw. Occasionally the bleed screw has been damaged and the bleed key no longer works on the screw. In that case, carefully use a spanner to bleed the radiator.
Repeat the bleeding process on all radiators. Once the radiators are bled, if the heating system is a closed system, you will need to adjust the pressure by topping off the boiler. Once the system is turned on again, check each radiator for even heating, if the heat from the radiators is still uneven or insufficient, contact a heating engineer or plumber.

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