New Ensuite Plumbing

[josephinekelly]

Have asked several opinions as to whether we should aim to bury as much pipework as possible in the walls and then tile over (in which case one plumber said lag the pipes) or surface mount them as unobtrusively as possible for accessibility as advised by another. We are at the stage of fitting dry lining and the room will have electric shower, washbasin unit with mirror and lights and of course WC.

We don't know what is the norm for a modern bathroom these days as regards plumbing. As we are a bungalow, it has been suggested we will need a pump to get pressure into the ensuite.

Realised that in the glossy mags, you hardly ever see any pipework anywhere!

 

[Richard C]

You don’t need to have pipes on show & they don’t need to be accessible apart from terminations. The trick is to plan the pipe runs, have as few joints as possible & use quality materials; in my case, I only ever use copper with soldered fittings, I would never use plastic, push fit or even compression fittings unless it was unavoidable. If fitting a recessed shower mixer, the depth required is usually around 90mm but a surface mounted electric shower will not require as much. The easiest method is to batten out & fit a false wall which will also allow the pipes to be concealed behind which also allows the pipes to expand & contract unhindered; you can compromise on the depth required by chasing to a maximum of, say, 30mm or so but 90mm is way too much & could put you into the cavity in some cases. If you’re burying pipes in plaster/render they should be wrapped in something like Denso tape to protect them from corrosive plaster or cement render but you can have problems with cracking due to expansion. The best way is to cover pipes with a steel or plastic capping & plaster/render over that which still allows them to expand & contract freely behind. You may need a pump but if going electric it's not usual, depends what youve currently got & the route.

When boarding out as opposed to conventional plastering, you should use always Moisture Resistant plaster board in bath/shower rooms, not ordinary wall board & this should be tanked in wet areas or, preferably, use a waterproof tile backer board. Electrical work on the shower, lights etc. must be carried out, tested & certified by a Part P electrician.