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Showers offer a convenient and hygienic method of washing. They are instantaneous, convenient, time
saving, economical and space saving. They can work from either a stored water supply or via a combination
boiler (mains pressure).
This How-To guide explains the installation of a basic mixer shower working off either an indirect hot and
cold water supply or direct hot and mains cold water supply. Providing water and waste pipes are handy,
then installing a shower cubicle is quite a straightforward project.
MATERIALS
• Shower tray • Exterior-grade plywood, 18mm for shower tray
• Shower cabinet door support and 9mm for partitioning
• Shower controls • PVA waterproof adhesive
• Shower head • Silicone sealant
• Copper pipe and fittings • Mastic
• Plastic waste pipe and fittings
• Wood-screws, countersunk and plated No. 8
• Sawn soft wood for studding, impregnated with
11/4 in and No.10 31/2 in
preservative, 50mm x 75mm
• Sawn soft wood for supports, impregnated with • Wire nails, 100mm
preservative, 25mm x 150mm • Plasterboard screws, 32mm
TOOLS
HOW - TO 2
F4
F3
HINT
If you need both bath and shower facilities in a small space, consider installing a shorter bath containing a built-in
seat with a shower over it.
VENTILATION
Building Regulations require that all shower areas have fan-assisted extraction. Opening the windows is not sufficient.
Excessive condensation will cause mould growth, timber decay and deterioration of decorations. All work carried
out should be in accordance with Building Regulations and IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers) Wiring Regulations.
Extractor fans should always be located as high as possible in the wall, ceiling or window nearest the steam.
They should be as far away as possible from the main source of air replacement. See How-To: Install an
extractor fan.
ELECTRICAL WIRING
Regulations stipulate that, apart from a purpose made shaver socket, mains socket outlets cannot be fitted in a
bathroom and that any switches for lights, showers and extractor fans must be ceiling mounted and operated by
pull cords. Similar regulations are applied to a shower cubicle in a bedroom (F3).
F6 F7
Alternatively, provided the shower has constant regular use, a shallow seal shower trap with a top access removable
waste grid may be fitted (F6A) or a shallow bath trap (F6B). These traps, however, only have a 19mm seal and
do not comply with 25mm minimum seal rule. This problem can be overcome in the following ways:
1 A trailing waste pipe, no longer than 2.5m, into a hopper or gully may be installed. This is only permissible in a
building with a two-pipe waste system built before 1965 (F6).
2 A ‘running trap’ with a 75mm seal can be installed into the waste pipe adjacent to the shower, in addition to the
shallow shower trap (F7). This will give a good seal, while the shower trap is used to trap the usual detritus from
washing.
3 An air admittance valve may be fitted to a 25mm vent pipe and situated above the flood level of the highest appli-
ance in the system (F7). To reduce evaporation, ensure that no hot appliances or pipes run close to the trap.
MIXER SHOWERS
Mixer showers are wall-mounted valves that take hot and cold water at mains or low pressure and supply a wall-
mounted showerhead via flexible or fixed piping. They can be supplied by surface mounted piping. The pipes may
be hidden inside any adjacent cupboard or concealed within the cubicle construction. The valve unit may be
recessed or surface mounted.
Mixer showers are available with thermostatic control at extra cost (F1B and F2). This is well worth having,
unless you are prepared to run a dedicated cold water supply (F1A) to the unit to prevent the risk of scalding
when cold water is drawn off elsewhere in the house.
HINT
If you have direct (mains pressure) water supplies, check that any mixer tap you buy is suitable for high pressure
operation.
Making the tray water-tight is vital. The tray should be chopped into the wall. The tiles must overlap the rim and
any gaps sealed with silicone sealant (mastic) against leakage (F4).
The tray should be set on a bed of fine sand and cement on top of firmly fixed 18mm exterior-grade shuttering
plywood (F4). Ensure that the top edges are level (F4) and that the inside of the base has a fall (slope) towards
the drain hole.
DO NOT confuse base size with rim size. Chopping in and tiling reduces the effective rim size of the tray. This
reduces the size of the shower cabinet, which will sit on the tray rim. Shower enclosure doors are adjustable within
a range of sizes, BUT the side screens must be the correct size.
Shower cubicles
A false stud partition wall can create a shower space in a bathroom, bedroom or cloakroom. Only a shower door
and frame are required to complete the enclosure.
A stud partition is constructed from 50mm x 75mm sawn timber impregnated with preservative. Plywood (9mm
exterior grade) is fixed to both sides if they are to be tiled. If the outside is to have other decoration, then plaster-
board may be applied. Use 32mm plasterboard screws to fix the panels.
All services can be contained within the stud partition (F9). Note that the showerhead unit can be offset to keep
the flexible hose clear of the mixer valve. Note how boards are provided for fixing the shower unit and abutting
the shower tray. This enables a good mastic seal round the tray (F9).
HINT
Do not fit the outside skin (the covering of the stud partition) until the plumbing has been completed and checked
HOW - TO 6
for leaks.
It may be necessary to incorporate a maintenance hatch in the outside skin for some types of mixer showers.
Once the plumbing and tiling are completed, the doorframe and door can be fitted and sealed with silicone.
Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions exactly.
A corner unit (F8) with side-screen and door may be fitted. Entry may be from either side. Alternatively, a corner
entry may be selected.
The tray is chopped into the wall and the cabinet interior tiled on two sides only. The shower cabinet must sit
completely on the flat top of the rim, which must be level. All the frames must be vertical and the outside
edges bedded down onto silicone sealant – follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly. In a bedroom,
tiling would be inside the cabinet only. In a tiled bathroom, the cabinet could be fixed over the tiling.
Use silicone sealant to ensure that gaps round the frame are watertight. The frame must not be sealed around
the inside bottom edges where it sits on the tray rim.
HOW - TO 7