Mothball an en suite shower

JakeR · 29 Apr 2021

Hi everyone,

Just moved in to a house with a shower oddly in the master bedroom (just in the corner of the room. No separation).

We're short of storage space, so I want to put up a clothes rail in it and use as a tempory-ish wardrobe (and put a curtain across the front to hide it).

I don't want to rip it out, as we might want in the future, and I don't have time or money to do it anyway.

Would it be recommended to disconnect the pipework? I don't really like the idea that someone might accidentally turn the shower on (e.g. my young daughter) when it's being used as a cupboard.

There are no pipes in the airing cupboard (containing combi boiler) that seem to obviously go to the shower. The main bathroom shower is also just through the wall from the bedroom shower, so maybe it's fed off these? I was hoping to see the pipework somewhere, with handy stop valves that I could just close.

The shower also has an extractor activated by the light switch. We wont need the extractor if not using as a shower, but want the light. Was going to just disconnect the extractor from the mains in the loft?

Bit of a DIY noob, so please do spell out any answers.

Thanks

Jake

muggles · 29 Apr 2021

Switch your water off, undo whatever is holding the riser rail up (probably a grub screw with an Allen key head) and the two nuts at the back of the shower valve. The whole thing should lift off. Fit two blanking nuts to the supplies then turn the water back on. Store shower valve somewhere for future use.

Doesn't look like the shower installation complies with electrical regulations.

There should be a fan isolator switch somewhere, but if you can't find it you'll need to trace the cable which supplies it, turn off the power, disconnect and make safe

JakeR · 29 Apr 2021

Thanks, that sounds doable!

Are plumbing threads and diameters standardized such that those described in the link you shared will likely be the correct ones? Or is it worth taking a look before ordering?

muggles · 29 Apr 2021

Yes they'll be ¾" BSP

RayCaister · 29 Apr 2021

The drain trap will eventually dry up and allow sewer gas into the room. Be prepared.

reds42 · 29 Apr 2021

Wouldn't removing the shower and capping the pipes then leave dead legs with no water flow that could be a legionnaires disease risk?

Harry Bloomfield · 29 Apr 2021

reds42 said:
Wouldn't removing the shower and capping the pipes then leave dead legs with no water flow that could be a legionnaires disease risk?

The pipe capping will need to be done close to the source, where it T's into the shower pipework. The shower drain will need to be also capped to prevent the sewer smells rising through the pipes.

JakeR · 29 Apr 2021

Harry Bloomfield said:
The pipe capping will need to be done close to the source, where it T's into the shower pipework. The shower drain will need to be also capped to prevent the sewer smells rising through the pipes.

Ah, so just capping where the shower mixer valve comes out the wall is not advisable then... I have no idea where/if the ensuite shower comes off the family bathroom shower. Could it be under the bath? There must be accessible pipework there for the bath tub. Would this be a natural place for someone to join the ensuite to existing pipework?

Harry Bloomfield · 29 Apr 2021

JakeR said:
Ah, so just capping where the shower mixer valve comes out the wall is not advisable then... I have no idea where/if the ensuite shower comes off the family bathroom shower. Could it be under the bath? There must be accessible pipework there for the bath tub. Would this be a natural place for someone to join the ensuite to existing pipework?

No, you shouldn't just cap at the mixer, that will leave what are called 'dead legs' of pipework with no flow and the risk of Legionella multiplying in the static water, in the dead leg. The only way to find out where you need to cap the pipes, is to trace the pipes back to their sources. A possible way to speed this up, will be by feeling the pipe, to see which get hot and which become colder, as the shower is run.

muggles · 29 Apr 2021

Capping at the outlets is no worse than just leaving the shower turned off.

reds42 · 29 Apr 2021

A shower permanently turned off is also a legionnaires risk, at my work place they have regular timetable of running all taps/showers throughout the building to prevent little used outlets being a risk.

Harry Bloomfield · 29 Apr 2021

muggles said:
Capping at the outlets is no worse than just leaving the shower turned off.

Agreed, but either way would leave dead legs of pipework and are to be avoided.

Harry Bloomfield · 29 Apr 2021

reds42 said:
A shower permanently turned off is also a legionnaires risk, at my work place they have regular timetable of running all taps/showers throughout the building to prevent little used outlets being a risk.

Many companies have such a (monthly) scheme in place. The banking chain I used to work for, had some very large office buildings originally built in the pre-computer days, when they had lots of staff. Massive reductions in staff numbers, meant lots of unused spaces, toilets and wash rooms, even entire floors left unused, unvisited for years.

JakeR · 29 Apr 2021

Assuming I find the Ts where the en suite water supply comes off some other pipework, would fitting isolation valves be an option?

I would then be able to turn off the en suite supply where it comes off the other pipes, and also cap in the shower. This would allow me to easily reinstate the shower at a later date.

The water between the valve and the cap would then be separate from the rest of the system. If anything did manage to grow there, I don't think it would grow for long, and could then be flushed out if the en suite was reinstated?

What would be the best method of capping off the shower basin drain to stop drain smells coming up? Can this somehow be done while leaving the shower tray in place? Some plastic siliconed to the shower tray?

Harry Bloomfield · 29 Apr 2021

JakeR said:
Assuming I find the Ts where the en suite water supply comes off some other pipework, would fitting isolation valves be an option?

I would then be able to turn off the en suite supply where it comes off the other pipes, and also cap in the shower. This would allow me to easily reinstate the shower at a later date.

I would suggest that would be OK, but there are other people more expert than me who's opinion might differ.

JakeR said:
What would be the best method of capping off the shower basin drain to stop drain smells coming up? Can this somehow be done while leaving the shower tray in place? Some plastic siliconed to the shower tray?

That depends how permanent you want to make it, like your pipes. Permanent will involve disconnecting at the far end and sealing its entry up. Again you will need to trace the waste pipe, to see where it eventually discharges.

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Mothball an en suite shower

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