5 Tips you need to know before plumbing a shower.Plumbing a shower is a costly exercise and getting it right the first time can save you money and heart ache.
Shower mixer height.If you have children, you need to think about the height of your shower mixer.Do you want your toddler to be able to control the water temperature and pressure? The setting of this height is critical. Too high, and older children loose their independence. Too low and you risk the young ones burning themselves. When plumbing a shower. A standard height is between 1.1 metres/43 inches and 1.3metres/51inches off the floor. As a test, hold the mixer somewhere between this range and determine what's right for your family. Shower slide or rose.A shower slide is as the name implies, a shower rose on a slide rail.
This allows the user to raise or lower the shower head to suit any particular hieght. You can also detach the head from the slider. This allows the user to wash in hard to reach areas. (say no more) The original use for the shower slide was for washing the elderly, normally in hospitals and rest homes. This is still a large part of it's appeal.
The cherry on top of the cream! Modern pulsating heads now massage all over, giving the user the ultimate showering experience. Three minor draw backs for plumbing a shower with a slide. Kids love to play tarzan with the hose and.... Elvis impersonators come out of the wood work, giving that hose a solid work over. Either way, the hose has short life span. One last important point. Shower slides do not operate well on very low pressure systems. Be wary, you may end up with a shower that just dribbles out. (Low pressure hoses can help) Right, time for the real McCoy. Introducing the standard Shower Rose.
Not overly fancey but strong, durable and kid friendly (hard to tell which one I perfer?) Points to consider. Do not install at belly button height. It annoys the heck out of family members having to stoop at shower time and it has terrible resale value:) If your shower out let is too low try this extendable shower arm to solve your shower blues.
The standard hieght is 1.8m/71" but feel free to add liberally to this hieght if your family are taller than average. My thoughts on the rose hieght, is better too high than too low. If in doubt, go for the ceiling side. Finally, even the humble rose has taken great steps forward in the last couple of years. There's now massage jets that pulse you into relaxation. You can chose from fine sprays to course with the flick of a button. After saying all this, my wife has just had me install a shower slide:( The fact is, women love them! So guess what system you'll be getting. If you really cant decide and want the best of both word try this combination set.
When plumbing a shower. Easyclean trap or standard waste?
Whats this and what does it do? Both the easyclean and standard trap create an area for your water to run down and perform one main function.... This is, createing a water seal that stops smells coming up your waste pipe from your gully. The benefit of the easyclean, is, that it is easy to clean.You simply unscrew the lid to get access to the hair and gunge that builds up over time. Screw the lid anti clockwise (Plastic ones pop off) and scoop out the crud.
So, a no brainer, if your plumbing a shower the easy clean wins hand down.The stainless steel version may be a bit more expensive but there are plastic ones that compare very close to a standard set up. Recessed soap holder?When I think of recessed soap holders, I think of small squidgy pieces of soap filled with hair. (Yuck!)The alternatives are: 1.The shower slide soap holder. This at least sees the light of day and has excellent drainage for stoping the soap from turn into hairy jelly. 2.The shower tower: If you like to use 101 cosmetics, soaps and whatever, your've hit the jackpot. The shower tower has an array of shelves and simply clips into one of your shower corners (usually the same side as the rose, as this keeps your bits and pieces a bit dryer.)
3. Liquid soap This is my favourite. No waste, No gunge and best of all, No hairy bits and pieces. Tile underfloor heatingOn the surface, it looks a straight forward choice between warm/cold feet and high/low power bill.I thought like this, until recently. You see, I had my tiler (salesman) share the following info. His story goes something like this. "You spend all that money plumbing a shower and you want it to stay looking good." "Now this underfloor heating, is as cheap as chips. It won't just keep ya feet warm. It'll stop that gungy stuff growing in ya shower." He smiles at this point (he knows he's got me.) "That green stuff needs water to grow and with underfloor heatin, it drys out straight after ya shower. No water, No gungy stuff." Well he sold me just like that. ( I hate that gungy stuff) Hope this helps with a few basic, but important decisons
Filter shower headRecently along with tiles in my shower I installed a shower dome. This keeps all the steam contained within your shower cubicle and ensures your bathroom remains steam and condensation free. The only draw back, is now I started to notice a strong chlorine smell while showering. (ya just can't win) This is when I stumbled accross a shower rose adaptation I never knew existed. The shower head filter. Apparently the chlorine gas is released in the water vapour causing one of those million or so health hazards. Anyhow! The difference is now softer and pure smelling water (oh and my skin feels lovely)Yeah right. If you're into better quality water, then this is a must and simple to install. They start from the basic.
And if you really want the best (price is over the top but water quality is amazing) try the aquasana range.
Groove from plumbing a shower to plumbing-troubleshooter.com
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