Do I need a check valve on an electric shower?

[baggy99]

Hi all.
As I understand the "rules" you need to fit a double check valve to an electric shower if the shower head could potentially dangle in the bath. Correct?
Now, on the shower I've just fitted Triton kindly provide a soap dish thingy that clips onto the bar, and, provided you thread the shower hose through the hole in the dish it prevents the head dropping far enough to dangle.
Is that sufficient to remove the need for a check valve. I'm hoping the answer is 'yes' cos it will be a pain in the **** to retrofit a check valve now! Thanks.

 

[Agile]

I think that I can say yes!

The Water Regs imagine that the shower head is left dangling in a bath full of dirty water when the mains water pressure fails and suction from houses further down the hill suck all the dirty water back into the mains and you and your neighbours make your tea with that water later that day!

That may not bother you but its common for some people not to use toilet paper but instead to use a small shower spray for the same purpose. After use that might get left dropped in the toilet which has not been flushed!

Its highly illegal but most of those sprays are just left directly connected to the mains without even a double check valve ( which is still not sufficient and thus still highly illegal! )

Installations like that should be reported to the water supplier!

Tony

 

[baggy99]

Yuck.........
My concern was that a future user could simply remove the shower head, unthread the hose from the soap dish and, with very little effort, contravene the regs. I'm surprised, therefore that I can "get away" without the check valve.
That said, the shower is already installed and I don't want to have to rip it off the wall again! If it will pass muster as it is, that's fine by me. The building has to have a final inspection by the BCO, so I just wanted to be sure I was OK.
Many thanks.