This product (and those like it) allow you to fix all the necessary pipework for any standard bar mixer shower valve (with150mm centres) at 1st fix stage.
After tiling, all you need to do is screw on the shower valve to the exposed threads.
There are a couple of variations but all have the same basic features of:
Unlike 2nd fix shower fitting kits such as this, this and this this bracket is installed at 1st fix (before tiling).
The main body of the bracket and the supply (hot & cold) pipes that feed it are positioned behind the finished wall surface as can be seen above.
This particular model is made of metal so is very sturdy (some are plastic like this one).
The male ¾” threads which the shower valve attaches onto are also metal, so there is no chance of the threads stripping – as can occur when the metal thread of the shower valve is overtightened onto the plastic thread of some of these brackets.
The hot and cold connections are made with a compression fitting with this particular bracket and these connections must be thoroughly checked for leaks before the pipework is entombed behind the shower wall. This is done by putting the valve under pressure by turning the water on and capping the shower end of the bracket (done by stop caps as above or with the shower valve itself.
PS Please see here for a pushfit version of the same valve.
It is vital to ensure that the bracket is positioned square to the finished wall surface, level & set back from the tiled surface by an appropriate amount (see the box below for why).
In the picture above you can see that I have attached a piece of wood to the wall behind the bracket in order to set it at the correct depth.
The bathroom wall is then boarded and tanked prior to tiling.
Once the wall is tiled and grouted, the 2 x ¾” male threads of the bracket will protrude through the tiles as shown above. PS See here for how to cut the holes in the tiles for this.
Initially this bracket was set too far back in the wall i.e. the 2 x ¾” male threads didn’t protrude beyond the tiles far enough.
This is the biggest threat when fixing this kind of bracket as you have to estimate the thickness of the wall boards, tiles & adhesive all in advance.
Therefore there was not enough space for the shower valve and the chrome collars initially.
This was remedied by adding an extra washer into the shower valve (so that it didn’t screw onto the 2 x ¾” male threads as much) which allowed room for the chrome collars to fit between the valve nuts and the tiles behind.
Of course there’s nothing (other than aesthetics) to stop you from leaving the chrome collars off completely and merely silicon sealing around the 2 x ¾” male threads.
Back to the case study…..
If the bracket position is OK then the holes around the male threads are filled with silicon sealant to form a waterproof barrier to the wall behind the tiles.
The chrome collars are then screwed onto the exposed threads until they hit the tiles – their only purpose is to hide the unsightly point at which the male threads penetrate the wall.
In other words, they do not stop water from penetrating in behind them so don’t skip the silicon step above to mitigate against the risks of water penetration behind the tiles.
The water supply is turned off, and the shower valve is screwed onto the exposed threads with a spanner, and a rubber washer forms a watertight seal. Be careful with the spanner on the chrome so as not to scratch it.
Once the shower valve is attached to the bracket, screw the shower head onto the hose and then the other end of the hose onto the underside of the shower valve (one end of the hose is usually tapered to fit in the hose holder that attaches to the riser rail.)
Attach the (now connected) shower head to the riser rail and then mark the position on the wall where you want the riser rail to go, taking the height of the intended users into account.
Doing the work this way round will ensure that you don’t accidentally attach the riser rail too high on the wall for the shower hose to reach.
Drill and attach the riser rail, turn the water on and check for leaks at all junctions and nip up with a spanner if required.
Thanks for reading, leave me a comment if you have any questions.
Chris