Latest Designer Bathroom Ideas and How To Guides for your Home

The easiest way to turn your bath into a shower and save money and water is by the simple addition of a mixer tap with a built in shower attachment.

Removing Old Taps

This can be the tricky part as quite often access to taps beneath a bath is cramped and limited. The next difficulty you may encounter is that over time the retaining nut on the taps many have become corroded or jammed tight. You may need a little oil or heat to loosen them before taking the old taps out.

Difficult to reach points can be made easier with a tap spanner which makes getting beneath the bath or sink simpler. If you have to cut the pipe try to make it as near to the tap as possible to avoid any additional work.

Once the retaining nut has been taken off, lift the taps clear and clean the surface.

Fitting New Taps

Most modern tap casings sit on top of a rubber washer; mount the taps and gently tighten up the retaining nut. Either extend or shorten the pipes to suit the new mixer taps, connect the pipes and tighten up all the attachments. Mixer taps depend entirely on the tap’s natural water pressure, so if you live in an area with low pressure it might be advisable to fit a pressure booster to give you a good jet of water.

When fitting new pipes occasionally it is more convenient to renew the tails and cut back the existing pipe work. Flexi-tube is also a straightforward way of replacing old copper pipes.