mixer shower help for ~5cm centres (old trevi boost)

[mastabog]

Hi,

I just moved in a house that has a broken Trevi Boost -- see end of message for more in case you think you know how to fix it (*).

Since the trevi boost has pretty expensive parts, I'd like to replace it with something more affordable that fits cold/hot pipes that are approx. 5 cm apart (5 cm centres).

It would also be ideal for it to also work with unequal pressures for cold/hot water. Alternatively, I can fit pressure reducing valves, although they would make the mixer more exposed. I'm trying not to modify the existing plumbing too much, the pipes are inside the wall and only their 1/2" ends stick out upwards (!!!) with elbows that I can't unscrew unless I break the wall (which I don't want to).

I should probably be able to drag the pipes to about 6 cm apart so, I think, any mixer with 4-6 cm inlet centres should work.

Any recommendations and/or advice will be highly appreciated. I already wasted time trying to fix it and looking for appropriate mixers.

(Note that I'm not a plumber)

Many thanks in advance!



(*) The Trevi Boost used to work I'm told. However, the booster cartridge now has failed as it no longer stops the cold water. I tried this by removing the caps and operating the cold/hot vales independently and cold water always goes through, regardless of the booster cartridge position. It's impossible to get only hot water and unfortunately, the cold water quantity that the booster lets through is too much to lower the temperature below an acceptable level for showering.

 

[stem]

I hope you manage to find something. I had a similar problem Details & photos here but after almost a year of looking, I couldn't find anything suitable, so in the end I had to change the pipework. Probably not want you want to hear, but in hindsight, I wouldn't waste so much time looking for something that I don't think exists.

The Trevi also boosts hot water flow by using the pressure of the cold water, so you may find that if you swap it for a normal shower mixer you may not get a very good flow of hot water, then you may have to fit a shower pump. Most shower pumps need a balanced flow, so the cold water supply would need to come from a stored supply. (ie not the cold main) all of that would probably cost far more, and involve much more work than getting the Trevi fixed.

 

[mastabog]

Thanks for the reply. Changing the pipework is out of the question unfortunately.

The pipes in your pictures look very similar to the ones I have. The only difference is that mine turn upwards (instead of downwards as in your pictures) from the wall surface. The pipes come up from the floor and are buried in the wall in my case as well.

I did find a Trevi Boost booster cartridge at 150 gbp. However, I was just told today that the trevi boost mixer will always allow some cold water to get through. Can anyone confirm?

Because the cold water has a considerably higher pressure than the hot one, I fear that even with a new booster cartridge, I will still have the same problem ... any insights?

Cheers,

p.s. I'm starting to think that an electric shower may be an easier adn cheaper solution as it requires only one inlet (cold). It may still fit wrongly due to how