Pressure testing a concealed shower valve before tiling

[crispy_wafer]

I've installed a concealed shower valve and want to pressure test the outlet 1/2" connections before tiling over.  The inlets, no problem, I can remove the temp cover turn on water then refit the cover and leave the water on for a few days and monitor, or I can use my little air testing kit on the hot and cold runs and monitor.  

 

The outlets I've tested the pipework into the wall plate elbows and they are good, but that was before I made the final connection to the shower valve.  How can I test the 1/2" connection out of the shower valve?  Should I temp connect the control plate, put a stop after the wall outlet, or is there a way I'm not thinking of?

 

Thanks.

Marek

[Nickfromwales]

1/2” blank plugs in both outlets, then leave on for a morning on one, the afternoon on the other. 

[crispy_wafer]

Sorry Nick, I don't follow

 

its one of these, v-box type affairs

 

   

 

The inlets are connected and tested,

 

The outlet to the hand held and overhead are connected into the valve.

 

But there's a blanking plate currently stopping the inlets, passing to the outlet, which when finished I attach the hand controls to.  The pipework from the outlet to the hand control and pipework to the overhead needs to be tested.

 

---

 

Aah, could I test it in reverse?  Air test it, From the overhead, or handheld outlet back to the v-box?

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, crispy_wafer said:

Sorry Nick, I don't follow

 

its one of these, v-box type affairs

 

   

 

The inlets are connected and tested,

 

The outlet to the hand held and overhead are connected into the valve.

 

But there's a blanking plate currently stopping the inlets, passing to the outlet, which when finished I attach the hand controls to.  The pipework from the outlet to the hand control and pipework to the overhead needs to be tested.

 

---

 

Aah, could I test it in reverse?  Air test it, From the overhead, or handheld outlet back to the v-box?

If these are like the Grohe iBox, then hot is linked to top outlet, and cold is linked to the lower outlet, by the temporary blank facia. This gets removed and disposed of when you fit the actual face plate, after tiling.

 

They set it up this way so you can purge the hot and cold pipework at that stage, to clear debris.

 

If the hot and cold are pressurised atm, have you checked the outlets aren’t now also pressurised? 

[crispy_wafer]

Bit of investigation under the hood, the temp cover plate has stoppers in place, fired out like bullets when I removed the cover.  Looks like i have to remove the stoppers and with there arrangement of the rubber edge gasket I can push water through to purge the pipes of any debris.  Then I can fit a tap or something on the outlet and test each side with water.

[Nickfromwales]

3 hours ago, crispy_wafer said:

Bit of investigation under the hood, the temp cover plate has stoppers in place, fired out like bullets when I removed the cover.  Looks like i have to remove the stoppers and with there arrangement of the rubber edge gasket I can push water through to purge the pipes of any debris.  Then I can fit a tap or something on the outlet and test each side with water.

Yup. Same as the iBox. 👍👍. Happy days.