How to support heavy valves in stud cavity & more

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Hi,

I'm currently DIY'ing my bathrooms - the ensuite and main bathroom in my house sit back to back. Much of the plumbing will run 'between' the two rooms so I'm planning to a 25cm cavity stud wall between the two which will hide the waste pipes etc. See my diagram below. I've done a main bathroom and cloakroom before, but in both cases I was just replacing toilets & sinks in situe, the plumbing was easy. This time the wife has gone for stuff that is altogether much more fancy, and I've got a few questions!

Very grateful for anyone's help on any of the below that are currently keeping me up at night :)


First, the diagram (did my best with paint....)

bathroomplan_zps1a0e3a53.jpg


1) Clearly there will be a number of pipe runs inside the cavity - I'd originally planning to solder joint everything, but now i'm leaning more to quite extensive use of flexible hoses, which I guess will just make everything easier. Does anyone has any thoughts on that? Any reason why I shouldn't use long flexi hoses (screwfix do 1500mm hoses I notice...)?

2) The wife has bought a pair of these(http://www.bathstore.com/products/track-vertical-thermostatic-shower-bath-valve-1359.html) (at a greatly reduced price I might add), one double (for the shower in bathroom '2') and one triple (for the bath and shower in bathroom '1'). The face plates are very pretty and lightweight, but the valve that sits behind them its pretty bulky, I guess that I should mount these onto a stud? what's the best way for securing these snugly inside a cavity wall? The wall will be studwork with plasterboard either side with then splash panels mounted on top of that.

3) We have a gravity fed system, the main tank is directly above bathroom '1'. Where I took the old bath out, there are two 22mm gravity fed pipes that I've capped off coming out of the floor (leading to the airing cupboard I think). In bathroom '1', both shower & bathfiller will be operated by the same triple- valve unit (see the triangle I've drawn to represent the triple valve) on the wall. Given that we don't have a combi boiler, I plan to feed these from a pump in the loft, I guess that means that the pump will operate when we use the bath filler, aswell as the shower. Not ideal, but I can't think of a way around it?

4) Does anyone have recommendations for a pump that will power both showers at once, that I can place in the loft above both rooms? One is up there now that powers a single shower and its very noisy, and pretty weak?

Cheers very much again for any of your thoughts...

Tom
 
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For the shower valves, I would fit a plywood backboard inside stud wall to provide secure fixing point for shower valves.

Best to do it in copper pipe or speedfit push fit, do it property and you will not have any problem in future.

Shower pump is best sit next to hot water cylinder, as for two shower on one pump, not sure.

Might be a good idea to install access panel to stud wall void for plumbing service, a white flush panel access panel is good for above toilet.

Daniel.
 
Hi Danny,

Cheers - happy with the idea of plywood inside the void. Yep I'm going to fit an access panel in 'bathroom 2' between the toilet and shower. Fortunately the Mrs has got a 2nd hand mirror that is literally 2m high and 1m across, perfect to hide a large access panel, although i'll need to brace it to prevent anyone falling through it!.

Any thoughts on connecting the triple valve so that the pump doesn't operate the bath filler?
 
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The valves will be too restrictive to use on a gravity system so the bath filler is fine on the pump, you are asking for trouble using flexis especially inside walls, use copper or plastic for a more robust installation.
 

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