How to Install a Shower
Unless this is a small part of a major property development project, you’re not going to need expert skills in the building trade or advice from architects in order to install a shower. Depending on where you locate the shower, though, you may need to do a little plumbing, plastering, painting and decorating or tiling in order to make good the wall that you feed the water pipes through.
A manual shower is essentially an adapted mixer tap: water temperature and flow rates are controlled by different taps, or by a single lever control. Thermostatic showers have an integral adjuster which responds to water temperature, automatically reducing hot or cold flow depending on the temperature you set.
Begin by removing a length of plasterboard and cutting notches in the studwork where you want the hot and cold copper pipes to run (if you’re simply replacing a pre-existing shower, just connect the tap/spray to the pipes after removing the old one). Assemble and mount the tap on the wall in the position you need it and mark where the pipes will connect.
Run the hot water pipe by branching out from the vent pipe above the hot water cylinder. The cold water pipe needs to be taken from the pipe work below the outlet that feeds the hot water system. If you’re not sure about this, a plumber will install the copper for you, although his services will add to the overall costs! Connect the hot and cold pipes to the tap with the fittings supplied. Replace the strip of plaster, tile over and enjoy your new shower.