Shower questions

[stevewilliams]

Hi Team

Just a quick couple of questions regarding new shower fitting:

plastic pipes are to be chased into wall behind dot and dab - to get the 90 degree exit from wall I need to use elbows, I never like using joints I can't get to in the future but in this scenario it is unavoidable. Are there superior quality pushfit elbows or compression fittings that you would recommend in this situation?

Also are the unbranded shower units from Soak any good? They seem cheap but is the quality any good?

Many thanks

Steve

 

[Hot&Cold]

Also are the unbranded shower units from Soak any good? They seem cheap but is the quality any good?

The quality of shower mixer valves do vary,remember they have to be suitable for your existing water flow/pressure and installed correctly .

What is the source of your hot & cold to your shower, ie mains water, uk gravity,pumped,balanced equal pressure.

 

[stevewilliams]

It's going to be a pressurized system - it's plastic tails at the moment but I will probably elbow to copper for the mixer valve connection. Soak seem to be getting mixed reviews so a bit concerned about quality.

 

[Madrab]

HEP2O or JG pushfit are the better variants of plastic pushfit.

Any time I bury pipework, it's soldered copper and that's what I would always recommend but there's loads of buried plastic that hasn't leaked in countless bathrooms I'm sure, so the choice is yours.

Shower mixers, as with anything, are only as good as what you pay for. Ceramic cartridges are mostly guaranteed for 2 years on cheaper fittings so you could get a weeping valve after that time without much hope of getting a replacement. That balanced with replacing the whole mixer for less money.

Spending more on a reputable mixer then they are usually guaranteed longer with a good chance of having spares when needed.

 

[stevewilliams]

Many thanks for that Rob, I also prefer copper but these pipes have all been fitted in plastic runs from an air source heat pump installation. Out here in the sticks we sometimes get vermin in cavities and lofts so I'm always worried about plastic pipes being eaten through. Last week a mouse got into my airing cupboard and chewed through a thick plastic bottle of cleaner until it leaked!