Bath Surround / Boxing In, and concealed pipework

[Construction Channel]

that was back when you used a glass

 

[Onoff]

2 minutes ago, Construction Channel said:

that was back when you used a glass

 

 

There was a glass out of shot for the Cobras! Tbh I'd think swigging from 600ml bottle a bit uncouth!

[Onoff]

On 12/04/2018 at 22:39, ProDave said:

Just glue and screw a wooden back board to the wall.

 

I was/am going to pack this North facing cavity wall where the shower valve is going with PIR. As in to the gills, minimum 50mm up to 130mm - I tapered the studding in relation to the original wall to bring the room square. Might have to be some EPS in there too, tbh whatever'll fit!

 

However I'm very tight for depth where the valve is going. If I either screw it direct to the white painted render or fit a bit of 18mm ply first but insulate all around it am I likely to have any interstertional (?) condensation around it? There'll be a vcl across the face of the studs before the Aqua Panel goes on:

 

 

@ProDave, did you use brass screws to affix yours?

Edited April 15, 2018 by Onoff

[CC45]

You will need to use some chunky ones or you will find that the body flexes Q a bit.  The valve could do with some screw holes at the bottom as well as the top.  I mounted ours onto timber which itself is fixed using some slotted brackets - so I could adjust it slightly to make sure its bang on plumb.  Can you use some of this modern reflective membranes for insulation?  I know many are not sure they are as good as claimed but will  be better than nothing.  They are pretty thin.

[Nickfromwales]

On 14/04/2018 at 20:28, Onoff said:

 

Boring old rectangular ones mine are. Nick dissuaded me from doing them arched! 

I would have knee-capped you if you put curves on them. 

[ProDave]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

I was/am going to pack this North facing cavity wall where the shower valve is going with PIR. As in to the gills, minimum 50mm up to 130mm - I tapered the studding in relation to the original wall to bring the room square. Might have to be some EPS in there too, tbh whatever'll fit!

 

However I'm very tight for depth where the valve is going. If I either screw it direct to the white painted render or fit a bit of 18mm ply first but insulate all around it am I likely to have any interstertional (?) condensation around it? There'll be a vcl across the face of the studs before the Aqua Panel goes on:

 

 

@ProDave, did you use brass screws to affix yours?

Just standard plated steel wood screws.

 

Mine is screwed to a wooden back board. The advantage being if I had drilled my wet wall and got the measurements wrong then after the trial fit I could have moved the valve. As it was, it was spot on.

[Nickfromwales]

17 minutes ago, CC45 said:

You will need to use some chunky ones or you will find that the body flexes Q a bit.  The valve could do with some screw holes at the bottom as well as the top.  I mounted ours onto timber which itself is fixed using some slotted brackets - so I could adjust it slightly to make sure its bang on plumb.  Can you use some of this modern reflective membranes for insulation?  I know many are not sure they are as good as claimed but will  be better than nothing.  They are pretty thin.

All you need is a small gap behind it and then you go for a full foam jacket. Foam the lot, with the chrome parts masked with the supplied covers / shrouds and its job done. 

[Nickfromwales]

Or....

 

[Onoff]

1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said:

Or....

 

 

 

Believe it or not I was considering exactly that!

 

Possibly with packers between the back of the stud and ply to set the valve further back depending on how much it leaves for "foam".

[Nickfromwales]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

 

 

Believe it or not I was considering exactly that!

 

Possibly with packers between the back of the stud and ply to set the valve further back depending on how much it leaves for "foam".

What are you waiting for then? . 

[Onoff]

Just now, Nickfromwales said:

What are you waiting for then? . 

 

I've run out of 2"x2".....

[Nickfromwales]

Go make some. 

[Onoff]

So this Aqua Panel...

 

The info leaflet says to "stagger" the joints. Hadn't planned to, will have to see how that pans out.

 

Says snap and score the joints...and clean up with a rasp after. Seems a bit of a rough method if you want them tight to each other. maybe I'm being pedantic?

 

http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/Literature/Aquapanel Leaflet.pdf

 

It says nothing that you have to join the edges with anything. Just to use specific Knauf joint tape and use flexible tile adhesive. Can't help but think a bead of Sikaflex where the boards butt up would help.

 

What it does say is:

 

"Permanently flexible sealant should be used at corners, at wall to floor connections, around penetrations, and at interfaces with baths and shower trays, in combination with sealing tape in wet areas".

 

I was hoping they would have recommended a Knauf sealant!

 

Page 2 is interesting... 

 

[Onoff]

Eager to try the Bluetooth speakers I thought the just tidied kitchen seemed the place to try them out.....got a disapproving look.....

 

 

 

"It's testing time!" Said I.

 

"Probably some crappy trance!" I overheard SWMBO mutter to No.2 child.

 

Bon Jovi's Runaway got the speakers her seal of approval!

 

I think I'm a bit of a wooden back box between the joists they should sound quite bassy.

 

I haven't got a 132mm Starrett though.....127 or 152 are the nearest

 

 

Edited April 16, 2018 by Onoff

[Onoff]

Something like this then! Found some hardwood ply offcuts. Just held in by wedges at the mo. Resigned to foaming behind the board but there'll be sweet FA there!

 

 

 

Not much going behind here! I suppose I could have used 12mm instead of 18mm ply.

 

 

It'll project about an inch to the controls:

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

Tres bien. 

[Onoff]

After a beer, some sitting staring and reference to the CAD I realised the shower controls need to sit further to the left or the finished aesthetics ref the tiles won't be right. Makes the HOT in bloody awkward!

 

 

 

 

[Onoff]

Some tweaking with the multitool continuing the make it up as I go along theme...

 

The ticked timber has to stay as they're the pocket frame. The X can go / be modded:

 

 

The HOT in I reckon will have to run horizontal, in from the left, under the pocket. Pity as I was hoping to keep HOT & COLD in close together.

 

 

The gap in the ply where HOT in will come:

 

 

[Onoff]

Electrolysis fun / wife's car stopped play tonight but in trying to think ahead when it comes to tightening the compression fittings, I realised plumbers must have funny shaped, possibly smaller than average tools than normal!

 

I presume you wind these fittings in with copious amounts of PTFE tape then use a smaller spanner to hold whilst you do up/compress the olive with the 24mm one. The big no no is not to turn the fitting once in! Would the smaller spanner be thinner than normal?

 

A bit more trimming required to even be able to turn the 24mm spanner:

 

 

[bassanclan]

Or put your street elbow into the compression fitting, tighten it up on the bench, then solder the straight copper pipe onto the street elbow once the valve is fixed in position 

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, bassanclan said:

Or put your street elbow into the compression fitting, tighten it up on the bench, then solder the straight copper pipe onto the street elbow once the valve is fixed in position 

 

What's a "street" elbow? Never heard that one. No solder fittings here, been told not to as it'll melt the PTFE.

 

I think it's a case of wind the fittings in tight with tape to whatever angle then mount the valve. Thereafter bring the copper to the valve as required and do up the compression fittings with two spanners do as not to disturb the wound in fitting. Good tool access is the thing in case I need to tweak when pressure testing it.

[bassanclan]

A normal end elbow has two female sockets to fit regular pipe in egeneral in this case 15mm copper. A street elbow has one end male and one end female, so the male end can go into the compression fitting and the female end left for soldering.

 

It saves having to cut a pi$$y 10-15mm bit of copper pipe to put into the compression joint and saves one solder

Edited April 19, 2018 by bassanclan

[Nickfromwales]

4 hours ago, bassanclan said:

Or put your street elbow into the compression fitting, tighten it up on the bench, then solder the straight copper pipe onto the street elbow once the valve is fixed in position 

That still puts too much heat too close IMO. 

You're supposed to fit all the irons BEFORE mounting the valve as per my previous. . 

[Nickfromwales]

Street elbow aka "m&f bend".

Buy the long ones for going into compression as the short ones can and often do cause issue when going into a compression fitting. 

Number one rule is to keep tapping it into the fitting as your tightening up the nut ( if a short one ) as the nut holds the bend away from being in fully. When the olive pinches you'll find it grabs onto the very end of the m&f stem.

Strip it back down after tightening up to make sure the olive has got visible copper after it. Re-gunk, making sure zero gets inside the pipe, and re-assemble. 

[Onoff]

21 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Street elbow aka "m&f bend".

Buy the long ones for going into compression as the short ones can and often do cause issue when going into a compression fitting. 

Number one rule is to keep tapping it into the fitting as your tightening up the nut ( if a short one ) as the nut holds the bend away from being in fully. When the olive pinches you'll find it grabs onto the very end of the m&f stem.

Strip it back down after tightening up to make sure the olive has got visible copper after it. Re-gunk, making sure zero gets inside the pipe, and re-assemble. 

 

Gotcha! One of these:

 

 

I won't be using any hopefully. The only pipework joints in that wall will be the 4 compression into the valve and one soldered joint at the backplate for the hose. Everything else will be bent copper.