Concealed batteries are
gaining more and more popularity in our country. A lot of fears arise from
their assembly. Completely unnecessary. See what to follow when buying and
installing a concealed shower mixer.
Bathroom
Concealed batteries
consist of two parts: surface and concealed, which only after the installation
become the whole. These elements are most often purchased separately, although
sometimes it happens that they constitute a set. The surface-mounted part means
visible elements of the battery: a handle for regulating the temperature and
power of the water stream (possibly 2 separately levers) and a spout. The other
elements are invisible, placed in the wall, covered with glaze. This is a very
practical solution, because it takes up little space, thanks to which the
bathing surface is not limited. Concealed batteries can be single or
double-handed - with a shower switch (allows to connect two elements of the
installation, eg bathtub spout and shower handle) or without it (only one element can be connected, eg
a shower handset). The installation of a concealed battery requires a greater
amount of work than installing a surface-mounted battery, but this can not be
counted as a disadvantage.
Benefits of installing a
concealed installation
· Functionality - a large selection of
components that can be used while building the installation allows for the
original interior design of the bathroom. Individual elements, eg a shower
head, shower set, nozzles or spout can be mounted according to our individual
preferences.
· Space saving - the use of
flush-mounted taps is an ideal solution in small-sized bathrooms. The whole
battery is placed in the wall, saving space outside, where only the rosette
masking together with the regulator lever of hot and cold water is visible. All
pipes are placed in the walls and ceilings, and individual elements of the
installation where they will be the most efficient, available and functional.
· Fashion - flush-mounted installations
are particularly well-placed in today's fashionable minimalist projects, where
simplicity of form, design and function is put on.
The quality of concealed
installation
The installations
themselves do not have negative features. However, their certain drawback is
that it is, after all, a more expensive solution than the standard one and more
labor-intensive. The use of a concealed installation in the bathroom requires
the purchase of high quality components, with high durability and reliability. They
must be perfectly matched and tight, so it's a good idea to choose items from
one manufacturer when shopping. Placing the battery or other parts in the wall
under the glaze or gypsum board should give a guarantee of reliable operation
for many years, because each repair will be quite expensive.
Installation of
concealed battery
The first thing to do
before installing the concealed mixer is to check the thickness of the wall on
which it will be found - the depth on which the flush-mounted modules are
installed is 6-12 cm . It may happen that the wall will be
too thin. In such a situation, a plasterboard wall should be built or a few blocks
made of cellular concrete should be added to the existing wall.
The place where the
battery should be installed should be water pipes - on the left side from heat
and on the right side from the cold side. The supply of water for showering
should be done rigidly (without the use of hoses in the braid) and equipped
with shut-off valves that will enable the water to be shut off to the shower
mixer without closing its flow in the entire building. The valves should be
placed in an accessible place or behind the inspection door.
The nominal flow rate
should be 15-20 l
/ min (unless the user is given a different value), the nominal working
pressure of 0. 2-0. 4 MPa, and the temperature of hot water of about 40 ° C . The most common is the diameter of
the DN15 water supply approach, and DN20 for the nozzle spray.
When installing a
concealed installation, it is also necessary to forge a cavity of such size
that a concealed element fits in it and to create furrows in which water supply
pipes will be laid to the place where the spout, sprinkler or nozzles are
installed. After the installation of the furrow, align and finish the wall
surface.
The final stage of the
installation of a concealed wall-mounted mixer in the bathroom is the fixing of
its surface element and the screed, showerhead, shower handle or surface
elements of the nozzles.
