mounting an ibox

[ChrisR]

Anyone developed a good technique? The I-box is the plastic housing they use for their shower mixers. Flat bottomed about 75mm deep and 150 diameter. Has to be sunk into a solid 9" wall, ending up parallel to the face of the wall, though there's a fair tolerance on the depth.

I can hold it in the right place with wood across the front, and could squirt building foam into the space, around and behind. From what I've seen of foam's holding abilities I think that would be OK, but this one's important. (MINE!)

Or maybe "glue" a bit of 3/4 ply in the back of the hole with a blob of car body filler. Then I could fix to that.

The box has 4 lugs round it which will take studding so it could be adjusted for depth with pairs of nuts.
It's at http://www.hansgrohe.com/servlet/WY...universal&db=web/global/jackpot_en01.nsf&dt=&

 

[kevplumb]

what about resin anchors

 

[kevplumb]

posh git

 

[oilman]

Drill some holes round the sides for keys, and then use carlite bonding. Takes a while to set, but what's the hurry?

 

[ChrisR]

Basically one brick thickness is out of the wall, so I'm a bit reluctant to go drilling into the outer skin of what are not particularly good bricks - ie white, rather porous looking ones,(Rendered outside). Hence the sort-of resin - car body filler thought. An issue with bonding is that you don't really want it that near to outside" because it absorbs a lot of dampness and then falls apart. I could coat the inside of the hole with waterproof pva,

At least I have options - what the heck are you supposed to do with a cavity wall? Front straps ontothe brick each side I suppose, buried plaster- depth.

I hate all this bathroom stuff because it's all such absolute craap. At least this ibox thing has fixing points. I was looking at a more expensive British mixer, ..began with S. which just gave you two small feet with screw holes - hopeless. Light fittings are rubbish which certainly won't go in the hole it says, and so on and so on. Then there's the thing you have to use where the shower hose attaches - all you can do is bury a wallplate elbow in the wall, where you need one with a fixing plate at the front not the back!

 

[brumylad]

How about using a square off-cut of cement board (the stuff that substitutes for plaster board in a shower area). attach the ibox to the cement board with cavity fixings (toggles, umbrella etc.) or even S.Steel bolts. Cut off excess length of fixings from the back of the board. Adhere cement board to brick wall using sulphate resisting portland cement.

I haven't ever tried this by the way, or fitted an ibox.

Are you going to pack insulation everywhere?

I can tell you in my own house I plastered a 15mm copper pipe into a shallow chase in the Solid brick wall. Very naughty I know and something I would not do on a job. Its the mains cold supply to the electric shower. That was 4 years ago, I have CH with a frost stat on the boiler, it hasn't frozen.