Bathroom install episode 1: The Smarter Way to Install a Complex Shower Valve - No Wall Chasing!

We are renovating and extsing a 1970 bunglaow in Dorset. We are making the home as green as we can and also fully automated. This is is the first in a series of videos covering out bathroom install. We will give an overview and then dig deeper into some of the product and specialist tools we are using including Mira Evoco valves, Nuance Bushboard panels, Press fit fittings.
In this first video I cover our desiction to remove an exisiting brick wall and build a new partition wall to make it easer to install the Mira Evoco valve and avoid chasing external and internal walls.

[@normanboyes4983]

Excellent work, bathrooms take a lot of thinking. I endorse putting plumbing in stud walls rather than chasing out. It is easier on installation but more importantly - if or rather when you need to get at the plumbing you do not have the disruption and expense of damaging expensive wall finishes.😀👍

[@JurassicJungle]

Thanks Norman. I don't think I could have used the valve I am without changing the wall, certainly the outside wall. It also means I can make the room a precise (and square) fit for the bath. I am hoping I don't have to open the walls but it would not be too difficult if I had to. I am pressure testing all the pipe work as I fit it. I will review the shower valve shortly, thankfully I tested the first ones in the early stages of the build as one had a crack in the brand new manifold, it would have been very difficult to replace that later. Another issue I have found is hammer whne the valve closes. I think partly as it slams shut when you press the off button but probably made worse with my long pipe runs. I may have to fit some hammer arrestors but they will be quite a distance from the vlaves as I don't want to bury them in a wall.

[@user-xm4mg2oy2q]

Love it! Keep up the good work!

[@JurassicJungle]

Thank you!!

[@traversrudd4976]

That's a mad idea, Aqualisa quartz digital fan here, put the valve under the bath, one pipe only to chase in to the shower outlet elbow, put the control anywhere you want add a bath filler diverter etc, ever so flexible and easy to fit. I've fitted three in my house, one under the bath and the other two under the floors (in accessible locations)

[@JurassicJungle]

I don't disagree to be honest with you. We chose these valves without really looking too deep at installing them. I bought all 3 bathrooms together and took delivery before I installed the first. I could not change them so have stayed with them. We like the way these look and function but do have issues with hammer and worry what we will do if we have issues. It is easy to swap out the main valve unit and everything else is passive pipework (just too much of it). Your Aqualisa solution sounds like it would have made my life much easier.

[@traversrudd4976]

@@JurassicJungle I understand how that happened then, I only discovered the aqualisa because there was one fitted here already (valve in loft) pipework runs were a bit long which is why its now under the floor, good to have the same system throughout though, whatever you have. BTW, I enjoyed your MVHR video, I'm still installing mine (retrofit) I did the design and install, all the pipework is in, just the unit remaining. need to get my hands on a flowmeter for commissioning

[@JurassicJungle]

Glad you found the MVHR video interesting. I have to say I am glad we did it. I see some people asking how soon the payback is on MVHR but I don't think you can look at it like that. Its about having a comfortable home, the heat recovery part just reduces the cost of doing that. I do have to pay for someone to set ours up as I need certification for building control as we have not included trickle vents in any windows. Ours is very quiet in all but one bathroom where you can just hear it but the supplier says that will probably go away after he balances the system. I hope to record the process that he does (he seems a bit camera shy). I will get that done as soon as I finish this bathroom. I am using so much copper I am begining to hate this valve we bought but thank got I am using press fit as at least that is fast.

[@traversrudd4976]

@@JurassicJungle I'd be very interested to see how he goes about balancing it, I was thinking of measuring mine with a bin bag, stop watch and calculator, not sure how successful that would be. Anyway, I shall look forward to that one, video's like that are sparse. Thanks for making them !

[@JurassicJungle]

@@traversrudd4976 Fully agree. If I had seen an install of my shower valve I probably would not have bought it!

[@robm846]

I'd recommend running some sort of multicore cable to under the bath (I used cat 6), to give you the option of adding a switch somewhere close to the bath (so the lighting moods can be changed whilst in the bath) and/or adding a 1-wire temp sensor later on. I used a stainless steel IP rated push switch fixed flush into one of the tiles, just wired into a Loxone input. I also fixed a 1-wire temp sensor to the underside of the bath, a few inches up from the bottom, which detects when the bath is being used (to switch light mood automatically). Also, running some low voltage LED lighting cable to underneath the bath is worth considering, so you have the opportunity to run an LED strip along the bottom edge of the bath panel, for example.

[@JurassicJungle]

Thanks Rob, these sound like good ideas. I have no idea what we may do later ( the build has kind of zapped our thought process). As we are a bungalow I could just drop a conduit down under the bath, my last chance to do that is this week so thank you for the prompt. I will call you out if I use it later!

[@JurassicJungle]

Adding to that, I do want to look at some 1-wire sensors, ideally on my water tank as I think the sensor is at the bottom and does not really give an indication of how much hot water is left as the shower still runs hot when the tank has dropped from 50 to 25C.