London builders: How to choose a shower cabin.

If you don't like to luxuriate in a warm bath and become accustomed to take a refreshing shower in the morning and to take a relaxing shower before going to bed, then a shower cabin is an optimal solution for you. Being alternative to baths, shower cabins become more and more popular nowadays. There are several reasons for such popularity. Firstly, in comparison with bath, the shower saves water approximately fivefold. Secondly, shower takes much less time, than having a bath. Thirdly, a shower cabin saves space - i.e. the bath utilizes much less space than a bath. And, besides the shower cabin is considered more hygienic in operation as bath because dirt is washed off by flowing water. Thus, advantages of this equipment are quite obvious. It is time to go to shop and to buy a shower cabin.
 

Prior to purchase of the shower cabin, it is necessary to determine its design. There are open and closed shower cabins. Open shower cabins border the shower zone partially - there is a shower partition or a door between existing walls. Closed shower cabins are bordered completely along the perimeter of shower zone and have a roof which prevents steam outflow and hampers condensation. Certainly, the closed cabin is more comfortable, but it is much more expensive.

The doors of shower cabins are usually made of glass which may be transparent, matte or rough. Single or double swing doors usually require the greater area of bathroom. Sliding doors utilize much less space. The more leaves, the less space is inside of a cabin, but the frame, at the same time, becomes steadier.

When choosing the shower cabin it is necessary to consider that its size must not be less than 80 x 80 cm, otherwise you will be essentially limited in space.

Shower cabins pallets may be made of pig-iron, steel, ceramics, artificial marble (pallet is made of pressed marble chips and polymeric pitches), as well as of synthetic materials: acrylic and its more modern derivative - quaryl. All these materials have their own peculiarities of maintenance. For example, pig-iron enameled pallets are steady, but get warm too long, steel pallets rattle under a jet of water, and pallets made of ceramics (faience) may crack up. Marble pallets are quite expensive, but they worth it: durable, convenient and having perfect appearance. Each of such pallets is unique, as each piece of marble is unique on its color, shades and structure. Acrylic pallet is nice too but it's not durable and needs a special frame, and its surface is not jam-proof. However, scratches on acrylic are easily removed and special skills for that purpose are not required. Quaryl is one of acrylic's derivatives (for its manufacturing marble chips are used) and its surface is much more jam-proof.

In general, the following requirements are specified to pallets: durability, immunity of surface to mechanical damages (scratches, chipping), rapid warming up, external decorative effect and not least, the presence of fluting on a pallet's surface which hampers sliding.

Functionality of shower cabins goes beyond the ability of shower. Modern shower cabin not just replaces a bath, but may combine functions of Turkish bath, massage and therapeutic salons.

For example, vertical massage is provided by jets of water supplied from injectors. Number of apertures in injectors may vary from 3 and more. Some shower cabins are equipped with feet massage function. The pressure necessary for normal functioning of vertical massage system is 3-5 atms. You'll have to make a point of these peculiarities as in many houses not having the special equipment all these amenities will be unclaimed. The reason is common - absence of needed water pressure in water pipe. If the pressure is low you'll have to choose only those shower cabins which work at water pressure of 1.5 atms.

The transition douche effect is achieved by alternate action of contrast temperatures water alternating within short time-periods. Cold water is supplied from water supply system and hot water temperature may be chosen by you. This function may be applied both when using a hand spray and with vertical massage system. Hydro massage is the function of vertical massage system. It is represented by alternate bottom-up injection of horizontal groups of injectors. Chromotherapy in shower cabin is represented by special source of illumination placed in cabin which periodically lights up with various colors.

Turkish bath function is generation of steam by steam generator. That steam goes to a cabin from a steam blower. The temperature of steam makes 45-60C. Almost all shower cabins have function of steam aromatization with phytocosmetic substances.

Possible connection of radio and audio belongs to group of audio functions. As a rule, they are built in shower cabin. Cabins having such functions are equipped with switchboard which enables adjustment of functioning parameters; such cabins also have built in speaker system.

Combined multifunction shower cabins have all advantages of hydro massage baths and shower cabins. Their size is usually quite impressive, but, nevertheless, they save a lot of space.

Shower cabin installation does not require of any structural works such as tile and stone works or field painting. You'll have to connect the shower cabin with water supply pipe and with discharge stack. These operations are to be performed by experts.

The prices on different shower cabins may vary, but generally the price determines both quality and volume of "services" "provided" by a cabin.

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London builders: how a small bathroom becomes a large bathroom. Part2.

Illusion of texture.
After setting the illumination and selecting optimum colours for the bathroom, we will pass on to finishing materials.

The basic rules of designers are as follows:

1. Any line in the interior divides the area in two halves.

2. Large elements in the small room visually diminish it.

3. Horizontal lines increase the premise width, but diminish its height. Vertical lines have the opposite effect.

Now we will be more specific.
 

Up to now, the most popular finishing material for the bathroom is tiles. They are beautiful, comfortable and practical. But tiles have one peculiarity - the joints between separate tiles. According to the paving technology, it is impossible to do without them. In such cases the colour of the grout for these joints is to be maximally close to the basic colour of the tile. It allows to avoid a great number of horizontal and vertical lines.

The second rule is relevant not only to furniture and sanitary equipment, but also to the size of tiles, paved on the floor and walls. For little premises it is better to use the mosaic or tiles of the smallest possible size.

The third rule is the universal rule of stylists and designers. It is the same for clothes and design of the room. If you want to make the room wider - use horizontal stripes, if you want to make it higher - use vertical stripes. But do not forget rule number one.

Through the Looking Glass.
A mirror is an indispensable thing in a bathroom. In fact, it occupies almost no space, but extends the walls. It is the optimal decision for increasing the area of small rooms. So it not only widens the room, but also reflects the light.

Designers use a fascinating method for further optical increase in the area. They hang mirrors opposite each other. And if the mirror wall increases room only by two times, two mirrors extend the bathroom infinitely.

Furniture and sanitary equipment.
The more the number and size of the furniture, the smaller the premise. This principle is very plain and easy to understand. But if we can't do without furniture, perhaps, it is possible to solve the problem. Try to use furniture from glass.

Do you want to have the chair in the bathroom? No problem, just choose the chair with thin legs and a transparent back. But it will be better to replace the chair by a light stool or ottoman. There are models that are screwed to the wall and occupy even less space.

You want to place household chemical goods somewhere, but the closet occupies a lot of place. Hang up open shelves on walls. The vertical shelf will raise the ceiling, the horizontal one will extend walls. Do not make wide shelves, the depth 15-20 cm will be quite enough for you.

Think, maybe you will remove the stand from under the sink and replace it by something less bulky. Now a great number of variants are available. For example, a small bathroom sink occupy the minimum space. Such a sink has the same advantage and disadvantage - its size. And when the water is flowing from the tap at high pressure, your floor can be wet as if in the swimming pool. The next optimum variant with regard to size is the hanged sinks. Its pipes can be built into the wall and do not occupy space. The next variants are sinks on a pedestal and semi-pedestals.

What occupies the greatest amount of space in our bathroom? Certainly, it is the bath. So we have one more standard method of increasing the bathroom - to replace the bath with a shower cabin. For greater visual increase of the room, try to select a cabin with maximally transparent walls or keep cabin doors open.

What shall we do with the lavatory pan? We know well the standard models of w.c. pans, as well as the amount of space they occupy. But there are more compact models. These are lavatory pans with a hidden side, i.e. floor or suspended pans. A new model is corner lavatory pan, someone may find it optimal.
 
Little cunnings for extension the area.
Specialists say that a bathroom is the room, where one can stay on their own. Since his attention is not occupied by anything else, he starts scrutinising the interior. Nothing can irritate the individual more and even more diminish the area as disorder in this interior. It makes the little premise smaller.

The followings small pieces of advice will help to extend the area:

1. Build in all pipes into walls yet on the stage of repair in the bathroom.

2. Try not to hang towels all over the bathroom as sails, after drying it will be better to roll them and store somewhere on the shelf.

3. If you like to decorate your bathroom, instead a multitude of small things use one, but of larger size.

4. Keep balance, do not encumber shelves by cosmetics (it is recommended not to keep it in the bathroom) and other nice trifles.

5. Remove everything what is possible to remove from the field of vision. Take some time for bringing the linen closet in order. Remove things, which you no longer need, from the shelves. Vacate the space for things that are permanently needed and used.

6. If you have a bath and use curtain for douche, use the curtain of the light colour, maximally light and transparent. After taking the douche, do not close the bath by the curtain, but move it to the wall.

7. If you have a window in the bathroom, try to extend it, beautify it by the light tulle and let the sunlight into the premise. This improvement will allow you to place the flower in the bathroom, but it must be moisture-resistant.

8. If your bathroom has no window, hang the picture on the wall with the view on mountains, the sea or the garden. This enables to extend your bathroom visually.

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Installing a New Shower Unit

A successful shower installation requires careful planning and a lot of work. In most cases, you will need to do three types of tasks: framing walls, installing the plumbing, and finishing walls.

Preparation

Firstly, you must decide on the type of shower that you wish to install. It is important to ascertain whether the chosen shower is capable of coping with certain systems and can regulate a safe level of water through the boiler. Most shower units nowadays are designed to be flexible to different water pressures (such as stored hot water and cold mains).

It is also important to take into account the water pressure and the planning of the piping and drainage for the shower

Different Types of Shower Units

Push-on Mixer: The hose and spray parts of the push-on mixer shower unit can be connected to the bath tap as per your requirement, and the water temperature can be adjusted via the taps. Push-on mixers are cheap and extremely simple to install. However, although the hose connection is simple, it is easily dislodged. Additionally, it is inconvenient to adjust the temperature.

Bath/Shower Mixer: The hose and spray of this type of shower are combined with a bath mixer tap, and the temperature can be adjusted through the bath taps. It is a very cheap option and no extra plumbing is involved. However, the bath/shower mixers also suffer from inconvenient temperature control options.

Manual Mixer: The hose and spray of a manual mixer shower unit are a part of the wall unit and the hot and cold water supplies are connected to a single valve The temperature and pressure of the water are controlled through either one or a variety of knobs (in more expensive showers). Although temperature control is much easier in manual mixer types, they are more expensive than the previously mentioned mixers. They also require additional plumbing of hot and cold water supply pipes.

Thermostatic Mixer: The hose and spray of this shower type are a part of the wall unit and the hot and cold water supplies are connected to a single valve here too. It is complete with a built-in stabiliser to self-adjust the water temperature and to prevent it from becoming too hot. One of the biggest advantages of a thermostatic mixer shower type includes convenient temperature control. However, it is the most expensive of the different mixer options.

Power Shower: A power shower is a single unit containing a powerful electric pump that is capable of altering both the water pressure and temperature. This type of shower can be fitted if there is water supply from a cold water cistern and a hot water cylinder. A power shower makes the adjustment of both pressure and temperature easy. On the other hand, it is unsuitable for water heated directly by the shower or where the water is supplied by a combination boiler under mains pressure.

Electric Shower: An electric shower is plumbed into a mains cold water supply and it heats the water electrically. It is important to note that for this shower type to be installed, the mains pressure needs to be at least 0.7kg/sq cm (10lb/sq in). The unit allows the temperature and pressure to be adjusted via a knob. Models with temperature stabilisers are better as they remain unaffected by other taps elsewhere in use within the household. A major drawback of electric showers is that the control knob only allows for the option of high temperatures at less pressure, or lower temperatures at a greater pressure. This is problematic in the winter season when the spray is often weak and the mains water is colder. However, this problem is tackled in some models which are available with a winter/summer setting.

Method
Depending on the type of shower you wish to install, the shower head must either be fitted in order to avoid its contact with the water in the bath below or the base tray, or it must have a check valve.

Before starting, it is advisable to mark the positions of the shower head and control, and to plan the pipe-work involved. Additionally, the drainage system to remove the waste water will need to be planned. Both positions of the cable route and the shower switch will also need to be considered if an instantaneous or electric shower unit is being installed.


Use the instruction guide provided with the shower unit to fit the shower control.

 
Before fitting the pipes that will supply the water to the shower system, it is important to cut off the water supply. In order to protect the pipes, they should be given a waterproof covering and also fitted with isolating valves. The pipes can then be buried into the wall and plastered over to neaten the overall look.

 
Fit the base tray, shower head, and fittings.

 
Connect the main shower control to the pipes that will be supplying the water (This may require a female screw thread adapter).
 

Reconnect the water supply and test the pipes for any leaks, as some may need tightening.
 

If you are installing an electrical shower, remember to switch off the electricity supply before making any electrical connections. Once these connections have been made (there should be guidance within the instruction manual), the power supply can be switched back on.
 
Adjusting Water Pressure to Suit Your Shower

The cold water reservoir can be lifted to a greater height (sometimes as little as 150mm (6inches)) by fitting a strong wooden support beneath it - possibly composed of struts and blockboards. If you choose this option, the main and distribution pipes will also have to be raised to meet the new height of the reservoir.


Alternatively, a booster pump (a single pump or a dual/twin pump) can be fitted. Whichever type is chosen, it must be connected into the power supply in order to operate.

Piping and Drainage

It is best to use 15mm diameter supply pipes, and make the runs to the shower as short and straight as possible so as to maintain maximum pressure and minimise heat loss. Additionally, by minimising the use of elbows for pipe corners, you can decrease the resistance in the flow of the water supply. You can achieve this by bending the pipes instead.



Most Common Mistakes

# Violating or ignoring local code restrictions.

# Using pipes that are too small.

# Attaching copper to galvanized without using a brass or dielectric fitting between the two.

# Not using tape or pipe compound at threaded joints.

# Not leveling your fixtures when installing them.

# Not installing an air gap filling for fixtures.

# Cutting supply stub outs too short to install the shutoff valves onto after the finished wall is in place.

# Not properly aligning tubing into fittings or stop valves. (Forcing the nut onto the compression ring at an angle when the tubing is at an angle will cause a leak.)

# When turning the water back on in your home, always run the outside hose valve or flush your toilets to bleed dirt and air from the lines. This debris can cause problems in your sink faucets and other plumbing trim.

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