installing a shower - how much ??

[NC]

I have just moved into a new build property. There is a show head connected directly to the taps in the bathroom, but this looks awful and is nasty to use. I have arranged for a plumber to come in and provide a quote for installing a 'proper' shower. Water is fed through a pressurised system, meaning both hot and cold are at full mains pressure. Could screwfix 25224 be used at this pressure ?? He will need to route pipes up through the wall behind the tiling (I assume he would use flexible (plastic?) piping for this), make appropriate holes in the tiles and fit the bits. Anyone care to estimate what a reasonble charge for this would be ??

[John Rumm]

It could possibly, however two things spring to mind. The first is that this is a manual valve and not a thermostatic one, so dending on the stability of your water temperature and pressure (and how it is heated) you may not find it gives a very satisfactory shower.

Secondly its maximum working pressure is listed as 3 bar. You may find you have more than that available and hence may need pressure reducing valves in addition.

[John Stumbles]

Unlikely to be a problem. You don't say what sort of pressurised system you have but if it's an unvented cylinder (which you can tell because it'll have a pressure relief valve, possibly with a tundish arangement) then this will have a pressure limiting valve feeding it (though your cold feed in the bathroom will be un-limited).

The main labour in the job is likely to be getting the valve mounted and pipework to it, especially if you want the pipework hidden in the wall. To fit an exposed shower mixer valve with pipework run inside a hollow wall with access from the other side with basic making good (filling holes but not redecorating) and not fitting a shower screen or curtain rail it might be as little as half a day's work. If it involves chasing out a solid wall, filling and retiling, and fitting a bar-type valve that's easily a day's work. If you want a shower screen fitted add another several hours. Prices will obviously depend on what your installer charges: anything from £35-55/hour is probably ballpark. If they're giving you a more-or-less fixed-price quote you can add a percentage for their contingency factor (i.e. if the job turns out more awkward than they expected they don't want to be seriously out of pocket).

[NC]

Yes, its an unvented cylinder. Prob have to get the plumber to fit the piping, and then get the tiler back who did the original job to patch it up around the fittings. Thanks for the ballpark... he's visiting on Thursday so it'll give me a fair idea of what he htinks of the job.

[Ed Sirett]

Well, the pressure reduced feed to the unvented cylinder should be used to feed the bathroom ideally. There is usually a take off point on the valve for this very purpose.

BTW saw yet another crap unvented installation today.

15mm rising main to roof, 15mm back down to airing cupboard. D1 discharge pipe > 500mm. D2 discharge pipe 15mm and very long.