Plastering/tiling over shower feed pipe and eleccie supply..

[GRC]

New shower going in; 7.5kW, so electrician will be running new power line back to CU. He's obligingly left enough room in the wall channel that he chiselled out for me to run the water supply pipe there as well (he's already laid out the cable, loosely held in the wall channel.

The wall is solid breeze block covered with plaster, and I'll be assigned the business of covering the pipe and cable up, and tiling on top prior to installing the shower plumbing; he'll then come back to connect electrics.

What's recommended or required method?

a) Install pipe and cable, throw plaster in to cover them totally, with no breathing space or movement permitted once the plaster dries

b) Put pipe and cable in separate conduits or trunking, then plaster over, leaving no breathing space around the conduit, but allowing for pipe / cable small movement within each conduit

c) Fit some kind of flat surface over the pipe and cable (but below the current level of surrounding plaster), upon which I can plaster up to current level, and then tile all over

d) Any other recommendations / pointers?

Regards, Graham

 

[kevplumb]

b

 

[brumylad]

yep I would go for b too. avoid covering fittings if possible, use copper and if you must cover a fitting pressure test the pipe for leaks before you cover.

 

[doitall]

Em

is we talking cold mains water or tank cold water and is it potable because the regs say neither.

 

[GRC]

We is talking cold mains water, and the shower will be the only thing fed from this pipe - taking a tee branch from the mains feed that goes up to the cold water tank; branch off before the feed to the CH expansion tank, which in turn is before the red-top service valve that should control/shut off the pressure to the cistern ball valve (but doesn't). I take it that's what you meant by potable/drinkable?

As an aside, the pipe run will go across the attic, to feed down through the wall channel to the shower. The insulation is a vintage 1970s brown glass wool type of stuff that seems to stir up dust whenever touched.
I'm fighting shy of soldering anything on the pipe up there (fire risk?), and feel like using all compression fittings on it. Any thoughts from anyone? Or am I being too nervous?

Regards, Graham

 

[kevplumb]

run it in plastic if your nervous

 

[doitall]

The insulation is a vintage 1970s brown glass wool type

does burn but not as well as the hair felt lagging and bitumin roof felt.

 

[doitall]

water regs say it got to be in a ducted with a removable lid.

could use plastic pipe in a flexible conduit do a search for "Radipex" from the "wirsbo" range

 

[CH4]

From the Water Supply (Water fittings) Regulations 1999 Guidance Document, acceptable arrangements for water fittings in walls:

 

[GRC]

From the Water Supply (Water fittings) Regulations 1999 Guidance Document, acceptable arrangements for water fittings in walls:

GRC - None of which correspond exactly to my situation; which is pipe in chase in totally internal wall, construction of which is plaster on top of breezeblock; do (a) or (e) still apply in this case?

Regards, Graham

 

[kevplumb]

stick the bu**er in as long as you have no joints in the wall

 

[GRC]

stick the bu**er in as long as you have no joints in the wall

GRC - Succinct and to the point; thanks! It'll be a clean run of pipe up the wall; one joint where it meets the shower, one in the attic.

Regards, Graham

 

[kevplumb]

one trys m8

 

[GRC]

Looking at CH4's diagrams again - has anyone actually seen a real-world implementation of 3.2a where a shower is fitted in the clsoe vicinity ???

i.e. the removable duct cover is part of the surface finish....? Must be a right b***er to get watertight..........

Regards, Graham

 

[kevplumb]

no its prob one of bl**by prescotts wind ups