Hansgrohe iBox (and other preinstall boxes) - Leak Testing?

[Barney12]

So, I’ve started plumbing in the various pre-install bosses for bath and shower valves. The Hansgrohe iBox is a well made piece of kit. But, surely there is a flaw with these systems?

 

There is no way to pressure/leak test the connections without assembling the valves which if you follow the install instructions you do once everything is covered up (boarded and tiled). We’ve all had a compression joint that just needs that slight tighten to stop a tiny drip?

 

So am I missing something or have folks just connected up the valves to test and then demounted them again ? 

 

Edited February 26, 2018 by Barney12
Typo and my bad spelling :)

[lizzie]

My plumbers connected then tested and demounted again.

[Jeremy Harris]

22 minutes ago, lizzie said:

My plumbers connected then tested and demounted again.

 

 

Sounds sensible.  The only fitting that I couldn't get at was the one to the shower head connection, and with that I tested the hidden bit with the wall board it was fitted to hanging off the wall and a blanking cap fitted to the shower head pipe, leaving it pressurised for a day whilst I got on with other stuff.  Even then I worried about it when all was finished and the water was on, and kept checking the ceiling beneath!

[Barney12]

45 minutes ago, lizzie said:

My plumbers connected then tested and demounted again.

 

I think this has to be the answer.

Like @JSHarris says I'll just permanently worry about it otherwise!

[le-cerveau]

The ibox is designed to be tested, it has a test insert in in that sends the hot to one outlet and the cold to the other, you can pressures test with either a blanking cap on the outlets or an outlet:

 

Flush piping system
To complete the installation flush out both hot and cold
water supply. The arrows on the flush body are showing,
which inlet is connected with which outlet, for example
cold water suply with outlet 1 and hot water supply with
outlet 2. If only one outlet is in use, after frst flushing the
flush body must turned about 90º.
 

 

When you fit the valve you take the flushing body out and install the valve, that is the whole point of them.

[le-cerveau]

Here is the picture,, item 9856000 is the flushing body that you remove for valve fitting

[le-cerveau]

Forgot to mention my plumber has installed 9 iboxes in our house (4 showers, 2 baths and one shower with 3 iboxes (Temperature, 3-way selector, Shower head)), all pressure tested but no valve installs.

[Nickfromwales]

2 hours ago, le-cerveau said:

Here is the picture,, item 9856000 is the flushing body that you remove for valve fitting

Yup. Cheers for uploading that. 

That flushing body bridges hot to one outlet and cold to the other outlet so you can simply cap off the outlets at the point they become exposed, eg the outlet for the handset / spray and the outlet for the rainfall head and pressure test the lot. At that stage your first fix should be complete so no further interruption to the pipework should be necessary. 

Once happy theres no leaks, you remove the cap ends after tiling and fit some lengths of push fit pipe into the capped off outlets and then run water through each to flush the lot immediately prior to fitting the thermostatic gubbings.  

[Barney12]

Thanks guys. I removed that flushing cover yesterday and I didn't think it had any means to create a water tight seal. I obviously just didn't study it close enough. I'll look at it again later.