The shower valve is fixed to a solid block wall, and will be concealed along with the pipework with a board spaced off on studs. I've just got one thing I haven't worked out how to do yet, and that's fit the hose outlet and sprinkler head after it's all been tiled.
The items in question are these
My plan is to fix the backplate elbows firmly, spacing them out to the correct depth. Then it should be "just" a matter of screwing the fittings in. The question is how to seal them, and get them to end up in the right orientation.
What I've considered :
Fibre washers - carefully selected/rubbed down in thickness
An O-ring
PTFE tape on the threads
Hemp & jointing compound on the threads
Silicone (or some other sealant) on the threads
Both fittings have smooth flat ends, and the elbows have a smooth flat seat bottom - so O-ring or fibre washer should seal OK that way. The long arm for the sprinkler head has a sliding trim piece so there is some leeway there - but not on the hose attachment. On the other hand, the threaded fitting on the hose attachment can be removed and turned a bit if needed, but the square backplate is fixed.
Since they are parallel threads, I'd be more confident of getting a good/reliable seal with the fibre washer or O-ring, but sealing the threads will make setup a lot easier as I can just screw the fittings and stop when they are the right way up rather than when they stop on the sealing washer/ring.
At best, access for checking for leaks will be by lying under the end of the bath and looking up the small gap between board and wall. So what would you do ?
The items in question are these
What I've considered :
Fibre washers - carefully selected/rubbed down in thickness
An O-ring
PTFE tape on the threads
Hemp & jointing compound on the threads
Silicone (or some other sealant) on the threads
Both fittings have smooth flat ends, and the elbows have a smooth flat seat bottom - so O-ring or fibre washer should seal OK that way. The long arm for the sprinkler head has a sliding trim piece so there is some leeway there - but not on the hose attachment. On the other hand, the threaded fitting on the hose attachment can be removed and turned a bit if needed, but the square backplate is fixed.
Since they are parallel threads, I'd be more confident of getting a good/reliable seal with the fibre washer or O-ring, but sealing the threads will make setup a lot easier as I can just screw the fittings and stop when they are the right way up rather than when they stop on the sealing washer/ring.
At best, access for checking for leaks will be by lying under the end of the bath and looking up the small gap between board and wall. So what would you do ?
