Bath advice

[Martin Wilson]

My first new thread to this forum I think.

I've got a solid old steel/enamel type bath which has a poor surface and I'm looking to either replace the bath or hopefully go for the easier option (or is it) of repainting/enamelling it. Anyone got experience of this and how good are the results?

The currently bath sits in an area of the bathroom which was extended to allow for it and has very thin walls on two sides. This area only has room for a standard type bath and would prefer to go with a strong steel bath again so it does seem a bit pointless ripping out a steel bath to put in a near identical steel bath with just a better paint job.

I'd like to know how easy it is to replace the chrome overfill and outlet chrome ring while the bath is in situation. Also I'd like to add even though I've done a fair bit of diy I've not done much in the way previously of plumbing except minor things like changing washers and fitting a washing machine and dishwasher.

Lastly could I replace the existing taps with a combined type with a central shower line going up from the middle. I.e. would the bosch combi boiler provide enough or any water pressure to power the shower attachment. The height of the boiler is about 1/2ft below that of the preposed shower head position. When I say the height of the boiler I mean the height of its external casing, presumably the actual water heating mechanism is about 1-2 ft below that of the shower head.

Any advice/info or tips greatly appreciatted.

[BigWallop]

There are some good repair and resurfacing products on the market now, compared to a few years ago, that really can make the bath look as new. To take the bath right back to its original finish is a really big job that should only be done by specialists in the enamelling trade though. But for a finish that looks good for a few years, the new repair kits will do this for you.

I would agree.

Fitting a new waste outlet to an old cast iron bath can be, and usually is, a real pain to do. Most older waste systems literally glued with sealant compound, and this makes them almost impossible to remove without cutting the nut off the threaded tails. That includes the overflow pipe.

So it might be easier, if the original waste system isn't leaking, to leave it in place and learn to live with it.

Not being able to actually see the layout of the water system, then I can't be sure if you'll need to pump the water to a shower or not.

Most of the standard mixer taps will fit to older appliances without any major difficulty. But it is best to check that the measurements between the tap holes, and the taps and the edge of the bath, will take the mixer you want. Some modern mixer can be slightly smaller and thinner than the older styles, but most are pretty standard.

[John Rumm]

If it is a combi boiler then I presume you have mains pressure hot water? In which case the shower mixer you describe should be fine. You may have problems adjusting the temperature of the shower if the cold feed to the taps is not also at mains pressure. One thing to considder if this will be your "main" shower, is most taps with a built in shower do not include any form of thermostatic control, you still have the potential to get scalded / frozen when someone (or thing) decides to turn on a tap elsewhere.

(The height of the boiler is going to be pretty much irrelevant in any system - even on a gravity fed system the significant height will be that of the cold water storage cistern in the loft).