Isolator valves for concealed bathroom items
Isolator valves for concealed bathroom items
Author
Discussion

Bowks

Original Poster:

1,467 posts

224 months

Wednesday
quotequote all
Morning,

Early next year I'll be ripping out the old bathroom and starting again. The shower and bath controls will be embedded in a tiles wall. How do I go about providing isolator valves? Is it ok for these to sit elsewhere in the room?

Callerton

105 posts

67 months

Wednesday
quotequote all
Wherever the isolators are located, I'd suggest you get ones with a chunky handle. The isolators up here (Newcastle) that use a screwdriver to turn off the water tend to gunge up after a few years & need replacing when the tap, etc gets replaced! Which sort of make them pointless. The downside being they take up more space.

As far as location is concerned, think about what's on the other side of the wall behind the tiles. In a few years, if the "behind tiles" fixings need attention, it might be quicker / cheaper to cut a hole in a plasterboard wall to get access & then let a plasterer renovate, especially if the tiles are no longer available (ask me how I know). Clearly only applies to internal walls!

dhutch

17,299 posts

216 months

Wednesday
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Also, consider full-flow valves rather than restrictive ones.

But yeah, put them wherever suits, including near the hot water tank and or boiler.
Do you even need dedicated isolators for the bath/shower controls?

JimM169

740 posts

141 months

Wednesday
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dhutch said:
Do you even need dedicated isolators for the bath/shower controls?
Guarantee that you'll only need them if you haven't got them fitted!


Rob.

309 posts

54 months

OutInTheShed

12,653 posts

45 months

Wednesday
quotequote all
I wouldn't bother.

I've had isolator valves leak from the spindle so I wouldn't want one hidden away.

The bigger question is what happens when your bath or shower tap/valve plays up after 5 or 10 years?

Sheepshanks

38,310 posts

138 months

Wednesday
quotequote all
I was dismayed to find the plumber fitting our en-suite didn’t even fit the toilet cistern with an isolator. I thought they were mandatory.