Can I swap hot and cold supply in a mixer shower

[Dan Vittori]

Hi All

The previous owner of my house has converted the garage to a guestroom with en-suite shower room about 7 years ago. The builder who is now refitting the main family bathroom has found out that the cistern in the guestroom bathroom is has been connected to hot water supply.

The simplest way to remedy this problem is to swap the cold and hot water feed going from main bathroom to the guestroom. However the builder is not sure if the shower is thermostatic and if it's functioning will be affected. The shower is a single lever mixer type built inside the wall. The other option would be to remove the plasterboard from wall to connect cistern to cold water feed instead.

The question is if the shower hot and cold water supply can be swapped. Please advise.

Thanks in advance.

 

[leakydave]

You COULD but it would mess the shower up. Some Mira mixer showers allow you to swap the hot and cold (reverse inlet) but you have to make an adjustment within the shower itself.

No wonder the previous owner kept going to the doctor about hot flushes.

I connected hot to a WC once! The customer ASKED me to because they had a lot of condensation on the cistern... I just did as I was asked.

 

[footprints]

I connected hot to a WC once! The customer ASKED me to because they had a lot of condensation on the cistern... I just did as I was asked.

So the result was a steaming pile of P** everyday

 

[gigz]

I connected hot to a WC once! The customer ASKED me to because they had a lot of condensation on the cistern... I just did as I was asked.

So the result was a steaming pile of P** everyday

Yeah, but a nice clean pan

 

[longdogs]

I have come across a couple of cisterns fed by hot water but it didn't seem to cause any problems. I would be inclined to leave it as it is and save a lot of hassle.

 

[xr4x4]

By the time the water got to the toilet and sat there, it would be cold anyways..

 

[Dan Vittori]

Hi

There is no problem as such with cistern connected to hot water supply other than waste of energy every time it is flushed. This one gets used occasionally so not a major issue. The builder is currently working on the pipe work so any opportunity to make it correct is now.

There is no brand marking on the mixer shower. Looks like a basic model with an oval shape chrome back plate.

Can I get the hot and cold supplies swapped temporarily to check if there is any performance issue or this is likely to damage the shower for good.

Regards

 

[hlolli]

Hi Dan,

Usually thermostatic showers have a separate setting for the temperature. Post a photo of the mixer and I'm sure you'll get a definitive answer.

good luck

hlolli

 

[xr4x4]

Showers will use more hot than cold, so I'm sure they are made this way.

 

[oldbuffer]

I think there is an issue with WCs connected to the hot supply, in that the internals, and sometimes the cistern itself, are made of plastic, and not rated for 60 degree temperatures.

 

[Dan Vittori]

Hi All

The toilet is coupled type with ceramic tank and plastic workings inside. It is 7 years old and is being used occasionally by us for last one year at least.

I have tried to attach a photo of the shower.

Thanks

Untitled

• Dan Vittori
• 1 Jul 2014
• 1

 

[stardanny]

AFAIK, if the red and blue marking on lever is fixed and cannot be moved, it mean a thermostatic shower valve. Your seem to have fixed one so no, it can't be change over.

Is there any marking, name or something on it?

For the cistern, you will have to reroute it to cold feed and cap hot feed.

Daniel.

 

[Dan Vittori]

There are no markings on the shower. Looks basic but works fine.

The cold and hot water copper pipes are hidden behind the plasterboard wall. So it will need some break out of the wall/plasterboard and reinstatement afterwards. I was hoping to avoid all this hassle. May be I will leave the current configuration as it is.

Regards,

 

[hlolli]

I am not convinced that your mixer is a thermostatic one. this looks like a lever mixer that manually mixes the water. A thermostatic mixer will have a sensor inside to determine how much hot water should be let through, which this one does not.
I would go ahead and swap the pipes over before they enter the bathroom.

hlolli

 

[xr4x4]

Why can't you just run a new cold feed to the toilet? If everything works fine.