newhome

Cheers, will check it out at some point. If I get it off the wall there will definitely only be 2 pipes to potentially cap off?

Not UVC related but your mention of electric heating reminds me of your previous issue with your heating set up which is similar to mine. Did you manage to move supplier / tariff from ‘Heating Control’ or whatever it was called? I appear to have finally found a supplier that will take me on with the existing meter set up. They are supposed to be calling tomorrow fingers crossed. Scottish Power has increased my tariff from Heating rate 9.33 to 12.2 Other usage rate 15.66 to 16.9 The new supplier (EDF) will apparently take me on at 12.59 for the other usage and the heating rate ‘a fraction cheaper’. I’m waiting to find out what that is but overall it should be a better deal for me.

How do I go about that then? Does the cover lift off somehow?

Thanks. It can’t be like for like as it’s discontinued which is why I can’t just get a new thermostat. What I need is something that doesn’t need any ‘real’ plumbing and will be big enough to cover any existing holes in the tiles. If such a thing exists.

It’s this one https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/triton-shower-tower-unichrome-thermostatic

Lots of people do this for a variety of reasons, including Demolish and new build is zero rated for VAT; Can’t get the layout they want from a remodel without significant compromise; When a remodel is started the walls / foundations are found to be in too poor condition to add a storey; It’s always easier to get to a better level of insulation and air tightness when you start from scratch. Those are a few reasons and I can see that some of them are why @Mania is choosing a new build over a remodel.

I quite like a fierce one ?. Onto the next job. Is changing a tower shower something I could do myself? Or is that a whole different ballgame? The thermostat is screwed and there are no spare parts for it. So I need a new one (a decent one as it’s for my en-suite).

I guess the inspector got it wrong. Here’s the info from the HMRC internal manual that also backs VAT Notice 708. https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/vat-construction/vconst02740

Well there are a few more plumbing jobs that need to be done, although not urgent things leaking water, so maybe I’ll pluck up the courage to do some of them now .... ! I’ve used the shower to check it out and it all seems good although it’s fiercer than the old one. Not sure why that is.

God I doubt it! I’m bloody hopeless at anything practical. I’ll stick to reading VAT tribunal reports and the like lol.

The original would have been around 2010 I think. The replacement maybe a year or two later than that.

The new shower has a fibre washer too. A brown one.

Oh, and the fibre washer had disintegrated on that side hence the leak.

All done ? (well it’s not leaking which I guess is a good sign ....) Had more trouble fitting the end controls than the bar itself. I couldn’t fit the trim bits as there wasn’t enough pipe exposed to screw it into with those fitted but I guess I can get some flatter ones later if I want to. Managed to do it easily with the gripper and a cloth. Will try it out properly later and see if it’s working ok. Thanks for all the help! Just one more question - do I need to turn the stopcock on until it doesn’t turn anymore? I’ve turned it on a lot but not as far as it will go.

Looks like the bar has washers like the ones that @joe90 posted. Will give it a whirl tomorrow. What could possibly go wrong! .... ? Thanks all. Will report back either in panic or to report success. Think I’ll leave the water off when I go to bed.

Looks like there is a spare shower in a cupboard. Assume this would do?

Nope I don’t think I have that cover. Nearly took it out with my electricity supplier but it had so many restrictions and exclusions I decided not to bother. Found the stopcock now and water is off. Will look to sort something tomorrow as I don’t want an emergency scenario in the night!

So that’s definitely the stopcock in the services room as no water now. I can’t see any isolators to any of the showers so guess the answer is no to that question. Not the best photos but here is the mixer

Oh God I don’t know if it has an isolator! I was planning to turn the water off at the stopcock and if everything went to shit cap the thing off before turning the water back on. I don’t actually know where the stopcock is in truth ?. There is a tap on one of the pipes in the services room so am guessing that it’s that! The last person to turn it off was @PeterW I think and I didn’t see where. The mixer thing is as @ProDave suggests; a mixer bar with 2 pipes like that (the other one isn’t leaking) the on off is on the left (where it’s not leaking) and the temperature control is on the right where it is leaking. Thanks for all the replies so far. I’m not attempting anything until I know I’ve got the correct bits and have some idea what I’m doing. How do I tell if those cap things will fit?

Not the tray thankfully but water is coming out from where the thermostatic unit connects to the pipes. As getting a plumber out here is nigh on impossible I am going to attempt to either fix it myself or cap it off until I can get someone out to fix it. As a plumbing virgin I have a few questions. The water is spraying out where the arrow is. Does this indicate a washer problem or something else? if it’s a washer and it’s an easy fix what size do I need? I have the tool pictured that I used to tighten it up (didn’t work, just made it leak more, and yes I did turn it the right way ?). I thought an adjustable spanner might be best but what size do I need (need to buy one), preferably a cheap one on Amazon Prime as I can’t see me doing this often! This is what I have. This is what I want (I think). Plan B is to cap it off using a push fitting as below until I can get someone in. I don’t use this shower much anyway. All help appreciated before I flood the house ?

I didn’t know either until recently but there has been a bit of chat about it on a local forum. Apparently you can have wireless ones that interlink if they have a tamper proof battery. Other then that an electrician would need to install a mains one. People are apparently being quoted £600 to supply and fit the mains ones.

If you go for the supply and fit option then the company should zero rate the whole invoice. Strictly reading the guidance from HMRC it implies that you cannot reclaim the VAT on external blinds and there was a tribunal case that ruled on something similar relatively recently (but these were internal) although they invited the appellant to demonstrate that electric blinds were something that was ordinarily incorporated into an eco home but unfortunately the appellant didn’t come back with any evidence so the tribunal was forced to side with HMRC. If you go for supply only then put the invoice through when you do your reclaim but don’t rely on getting the VAT refunded as you might be lucky or you might not. https://www.accountancydaily.co/tribunal-pulls-claim-diy-vat-relief-electric-blinds

Materials left over from the A14 project. Might be worth a look if you are local. https://www.ppauctions.com/auction/304/a14-integrated-delivery-team?perpage=90&sort=TIME_ASC&view=LIST&page=1&fbclid=IwAR2kTkwCSyOABShmU3vgNIMMQlu72qK839m1GqKwvTel-pzQ2221dfoMJG4

You can’t reclaim VAT on any tools at all. If you were to hire a digger with a driver supplied however the invoice could be zero rated.

Unless they say that it’s based on claim date (assuming they change the ability to recover VAT from the EU). HMRC are a law unto themselves sadly.