15mm single check valve working?

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I am plumbing in a basin for an en-suite and will be fitting a 15mm single check valve on the hot inlet pipe prior to securing to the hot tap. I was told a check valve does the same job as a non-return valve? I thought I could test the check valve is working before installation by simply blowing into it on the inlet end of the valve marked by the arrow. However no air can pass. Does this mean the valve is faulty or that when connected the water pressure will open the valve? Just nervous to fit as once installed access will not really be possible.

Thanks in advance.
 
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That ain't good you need to be able to get to it to replace it sooner or later always think about maintenance. Bob
 
Poke it with a screw driver to get it to move, then you should be able to blow through it. Also fit a full bore isolation valve before the check valve.

Andy
 
Poor bathroom design if there's no access....

From the water regs ie. BS6700

"All backflow prevention devices shall be installed so
that they are accessible for examination, repair or
replacement."
 
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Thanks for the comments. I have plumbed in bathroom basins before in previous houses and fitted isolation valves behind the taps for maintenance etc, but in this particular installation the taps are coming out of the wall over a wall hung basin all fitted flush to the wall. The wall has been battened out and will be plaster boarded and tiled making access to isolation valve and check valve very difficult.Placing them in the floor has its issues as well as the floor will also be tiled.The only way I see to resolve this is making an access hatch in the wall under the basin but I think this could compromise the look of the installation and ruin the clean lines of the wall etc.Any ideas guys? Is fitting check valve for mixer tap together with isolation valve mandatory?I appreciate it makes maintenance easier but not fitting them does not make it impossible to maintain if required i.e. switch off the mains and drain the hot water?

Thanks in advance
 
Not quite sure why you're putting a check valve in the hot, thought the whole idea was to keep potential contamination out of drinking water (cold)?

Re your other issue, is it an internal wall? What's on the other side of it (could you put an access hatch there)? Otherwise, do you know what size tiles they are fitting? Obvs on a large job you won't be doing everything (sometimes DIY is better)- if I had the same scenario I'd be putting the check valve in the wall , making a catflap in the backing board (use batten behind so the bit of board doesn't fall into the wall), when tiling stick the (large) tile to the catflap ONLY and grout it with silicon. Not convenient but would be OK for emergencies. Isolation valves are usually a Good Thing but in a typical house the inconvenience and water waste caused by shutting off the main & draining the DHW are fairly small, you could probably sell a lack of isolation to building control but I suspect they'd insist on the backcheck (& thought they had to be double check for mixers)
 
making access to isolation valve and check valve very difficult

Absolutely no point in using isolation valves then if there's no access. Also are you using a check valve due to the supplies being unbalanced? TBH, that's also a bad design approach.
If it was me then I'd be discussing it with the customer and stress that designing in access somewhere is really important, otherwise you are creating a nightmare for the customer when something goes wrong and the next plumber needs to burst into their nice bathroom.

Many a time I've had to destroy a tiled bath panel or basin section as the previous fitter didn't plan in any access.
 
Given the fact that repairing modern taps and fittings is so problematic it's more important than ever to be able to isolate the outlets whilst you source spares...but lets not concern ourselves with regulations for the sake of a nice bathroom appearance.
 
Re @Gasguru fair point well made. OP, is there anywhere on the runs to that basin you could put isolators where they're accessible so that (in the mending scenario above) the basin could be isolated? Think the backcheck has to be near the outlet (300mm rings bells but may be made up)
 

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