Shower Panel Connections

[Sparks]

"Only Me!"

I have bought a shower panel (It has an overhead shower, 6 body jets, and a hand shower)

The connections on the back of it are 1/2" male.

I have also bought a 3 bar shower pump, this has 22mm connections (Well it has 3/4" male threads, but they have provided some short flexible 3/4" female to 22mm tails)

This pump will serve the whole bathroom and cloakroom (Excluding the toilets as I am running a separate 15mm feed from the loft for these, because I may connect them to my rainwater store at a later date)

I was going to run 22mm from the pump to the bath, T'ing off this in 15mm to the basin.

I was also going to T off this 22mm pipe in the loft and run another 22mm pipe down into the cloakroom (Next door to the bathroom), t'ing off through the wall to the back of the shower (Just the other side) in 22mm and carrying on down the wall in the cloakroom, in 15mm to the basin there.

I am now wondering if I actually need to use 22mm pipe to the shower, as the shower's connections are 1/2", and it comes supplied with 1/2" faxable tails, which have a bore of about 10mm.

The pipe work connecting the taps on the shower panel to the various outlets on it, looks like it is about 15mm ish, maybe slightly smaller.

Should I still run 22mm from the pump to the shower, or do I do it in 15mm? The pipe run from the pump to the shower will be around 10m

Ta as always!

Sparks...

[Andy Hall]

For this length it would be very advisable to run 22mm as far as you can to the panel. Certainly there should be 22mm to the bath taps although the basin is probably less important....

[Sparks]

Okay, ta.

Now, the next problem is how to terminate my 22mm (speedfit) pipe so I get a

1/2" male connector on the end

Can you tell me if I can attach one of these

the stem of one of these directly? would then attach a short piece of 22mm pipe, followed by one of these I should be able to screw my 1/2" tail to the compression side of this, yes?

Ta :-)

[Andy Hall]

I would try to find room for full bore isolating valves (lever ball valves for example) rather than the little screwdriver jobs which will restrict the flow quite a bit.

I think that I would transition from plastic to copper tube using a plastic coupler (e.g. Screwfix 13867).

Then use isolating valves as described and go from there, transitioning down to 15mm near the shower panel.

It's probably better to avoid compression fittings in concealed places if you can, apart from the last fitting to the 1/2" tail. Don't you want to solder?

[Sparks]

Soldering is not a problem, I have a box full of stuff, it's just the price of copper pipe is taking the piss at the moment!

Speedfit 22mm 25m - £39.99 (£1.60 per meter) Copper 22mm 30m - £116.57 (£3.89 per meter)

I have had another look at screwfix's offerings, and I think this would be the way to go?

22mm from loft buried in cloakroom wall. ______ Into a 22__ __15 || 15 Speedfit connection, buried in the wall (Wrapped in PVC tape to keep ant sh*t out of it)

The 15mm continues down the wall off to the basin in the cloakroom (Just below)

The other 15mm (that comes out the side) goes through the wall to the back of the shower into one of these (Speedfit) 15 | | ____| |

15______|

Then a short piece of 15mm copper into a full bore 15mm service valve

Then the 1/2" tail from the shower screwed onto this (after removing the nut and olive of course!)

The length of 15mm will only be about 200mm

How's that sound?

Sparks...

[Andy Hall]

I don't think that I would bury Speedfit in the wall, but transition earlier to copper. How will you have access to the isolating valves if they are so close to and behind the shower panel?

[Sparks]

Would this mean I need to wrap the copper in denso tape (It will be chased into bricks, then plasterd over)

The shower panel sort of hooks to the wall, so it can be un-hooked and the valves turned off (There are 300mm flexible between the pipe work and the shower) I would use these valves that can be turned off without tools

will also be installing new full bore 22mm lever valves in the loft while it is all drained down! (We currently have a gate valve between the cold water tank and the hot water cylinder, I was planning on laving this there, but also installing a 22mm full bore lever valve on the hot outlet from the cylinder (after where the vent pipe T's off)

How does that sound?

[Andy Hall]

Something like that or plastic sleeved tube.

The only thing then is that you have to drain the roof tank and cylinder to drain the cylinder. Personally I would get shot of the gate valve.

[Sparks]

Ok.

Yea, they are proper crap aren't they!

Okay, if I do as I said before, but also replace the gate valve with a lever valve, then the hot can be isolated and the cold to the cylinder can also be isolated. (Is it worth me installing an electric immersion too (I have a power feed ready anyway), while I am at it? Or will it just sit there and corrode in we don't use it, then trip the RCD as soon as we try!?)

I am sure there are more gate valves up there on the feed from the CH to the cylinder - I think I will replace them too while I am at it (I expect I will drain the CH as I need to reroute some CH pipe work - I am sure it could do with a clean out anyway, it hasn't been touched for at least 15 years!)

Sparks...

[Geoff Beale]

Having done similar, I recommend 22mm for all the pipe runs especially for the shower & bath. I would also recommend using sweep bends rather than 90 degs wherever possible as I found I get cavitation, and increased noise, at the bends with a 4 bar pump.

15mm feed to the shower combined with the micro bore fittings will not give you much more than a dribble from the body jets.