Bath Tap solution required.

[pete900]

I have just moved house and we only have a cast iron bath tub and no shower. We tried using a rubber strap-to-tap temporary fitting shower as a short term solution until we refit the bathroom (which we hope to do within a month or so), but this is dreadful, as the taps are the wrong shape, it leaks, it's pressure-less and it's basically unusable.

So in my stress and haste bought a shower mixer, which is fine, but has standard distance of 180mm between centers. The old tap holes are 250mm apart, or for the inside measurement of the holes it is 220mm. On top of that the water pipes coming up to the bath are rigid - though I am happy to fit flexible pipes if it fits the best solution.

I have no idea of the best way to tackle this - as it will be temporary I don't need the solution to look good, it just needs to function. If I drill new tap holes I believe they will overlap the the old ones. I was thinking I could bring up flexible pipes through the existing holes and seal around the flexi pipes, but I don't know if that's possible because I haven't done a shred of plumbing before.

Help!!

p.s. this is the mixer I have

Untitled

• pete900
• 10 Oct 2013
• 1

 

[JohnD]

it's pressure-less

if you have inadequate pressure, probably because your water comes from a tank in the loft or on top of the hot water cylinder, changing the tap will not improve it.

 

[pete900]

it's pressure-less

if you have inadequate pressure, probably because your water comes from a tank in the loft or on top of the hot water cylinder, changing the tap will not improve it.

Thank you for our reply JohnD.
There is a relatively recent combi boiler which provides perfectly good pressure, but it's just with the rubber fittings on the square taps, if you turn it up higher than a dribble then water sprays out the sides of the rubber connection, thus reducing actual pressure to the showerhead (amongst a multitude of other issues)

 

[JohnD]

there is a special adaptor available to fit bath mixers to holes of different spacers. It is usually supplied with fake or replica edwardian designs. I don't know the correct name for it. You might find a pair of ebay or at an old-fashioned plumbers merchant.

It is a thick but short cranked chrome tube with a screw fitting on each end

 

[ivixor]

If it's temporary, just overlap the holes in the bath!

Slap down a piece of plastic and silicone around it if you are worried about water going down the hole.

 

[pete900]

If it's temporary, just overlap the holes in the bath!

Slap down a piece of plastic and silicone around it if you are worried about water going down the hole.

Having thought about it if I re-use one of the holes I won't need the other one to overlap. I think this might be the best solution - just need to know now what tools I need to cut a hole in a cast iron bath!

 

[ivixor]

Oh cast iron.. You can stitch drill it with a normal HSS bit, i should think.

 

[Nige F]

- just need to know now what tools I need to cut a hole in a cast iron bath!

A starrett holesaw ! it`s not the cast that`s hard it`s the vitreous enamel on it