BUILDING REGS fitting isolation valves to cold and hot taps

[fez2]

Can someone please tell me if when fitting copper pipe work to bath taps if you have to fit isolation valves to each leg before the tap.

As i understand its only good practice to fit these isolation valves but someone has told me its now cumpulsory and is required under the building regs to fit?

If this is the case could some kind soul please post a link to a web site so i can down load the info.

Many thanks in advance.

[adwt2004]

I'd fit them any way, they cost very little bought in packs and make things a lot easier. Can't find anything of the regs for you. How would they know anyway?

You could just claim all pipe work was already there

[Paul Barker]

Not in the water regs, you have to have a service valve on the hot water supply (on a cylinder this is a gate valve on the cold feed to it, on a combi this is the restrictor on the input to it), You may add one on each level for instance, but not required. For cold supply, you only have to have serivice valves on anything with a float valve (wc, ch fe tank, dhw header tank, for instance).

At the merchants if you ask for a service valve they will provide you with a tap connector that has a ballofix isolation on it, but in the Water regs a service valve can be a gate valve a stop cock or a ballofix.

The rest if the water regs are about feeding toughs, bidets hoses and urinals, waste of money basically, never given it a second thought.

WRAS certificate no. 27509 so there.

[the plumbing miracle]

if you want to know, you are supposed to fit non return valves to the hot and cold pipes going to the bath,sink,shower,and a non return valve to the toilet,as if someone is having a shower and someone turns the cold tap on in the kitchen and wants a drink of water you can possibly syphon the hot water back into the drinking water and if they are cleaning a certain part of their body at the same time i dread to think what you may end up drinking . this is on a fully mains house anyway.service valves are also a requirement under bs 5174 part 2

[Paul Barker]

the plumbing miracle wrote:

if you want to know, you are supposed to fit non return valves to the hot and cold pipes going to the bath,sink,shower,and a non return valve to the toilet,as if someone is having a shower and someone turns the cold tap on in the kitchen and wants a drink of water you can possibly syphon the hot water back into the drinking water and if they are cleaning a certain part of their body at the same time i dread to think what you may end up drinking . this is on a fully mains house anyway.service valves are also a requirement under bs 5174 part 2

What a strange world it is, on some websites they major on these parts off the body, on here they avaoid them.

[holty]

its usually good practice to fit an isolation valve e.g ballofix,to any taps just for the common sense that instead of isolating the whole water supply should you need to change somthing e.g a tap washer or should a something go wrong like the float valve failing, and water overflowing.get my drift, you can simply shut off the valve to that appliance also for the sake of about a quid each, what the hell.

[BoxBasher]

the plumbing miracle wrote:

if you want to know, you are supposed to fit non return valves to the hot and cold pipes going to the bath,sink,shower,and a non return valve to the toilet,as if someone is having a shower and someone turns the cold tap on in the kitchen and wants a drink of water you can possibly syphon the hot water back into the drinking water and if they are cleaning a certain part of their body at the same time i dread to think what you may end up drinking . this is on a fully mains house anyway.service valves are also a requirement under bs 5174 part 2

PM, once again you prove that you almost know what you are talking about. However, you seem to be very confused when it comes to water regs. I suggest you do what I do (and I mean this as advice not a criticism)... ...if you don't know the answer say nothing (hence why I don't give advice about boilers or gas)

A toilet already has backflow/siphonage protection in the form of "AUK1" arrangement (interposed cistern with type AG air gap) and therefore does not require additional backflow prevention in the form of a check valve.

Basins and sinks should have type "AUK2" backflow prevention, normally referred to as "tap gaps".

You will need a double check valve to be installed on any tap or shower where the outlet is below the spillover level of the bath/basin/shower tray (submerged outlet). Shower hoses should be short enough, or secured, so as to prevent submersion.
It is also a requirement to have a single check valve on the hot and cold feed to a mixer tap to prevent mixing of hot/cold water.

holty wrote:

its usually good practice to fit an isolation valve e.g ballofix,to any taps just for the common sense that instead of isolating the whole water supply should you need to change somthing

Correct, makes things a lot easier for the future. Also saves leaving the water off to the whole house whilst you nip to your local merchants because you forgot/knackered a fitting.

[dan the man]

I hate short shower hoses.. can never rinse my ars4 properly.

My shower hose therefoe can sit in the bottom of the tray

[the plumbing miracle]

sorry box basher i am correct in what im saying if you look at the latest british standards you will see im right how about mixer taps on basins then