Shower Riser Conundrum
Connecting Shower Riser meant for a Bath Mixer Tap to Two Individual Bath Taps
WARNING:
The information on this page must not be uncritically relied upon for the purpose of carrying out plumbing work. Always engage a qualified plumber if required to do so by regulations, or, otherwise, be sure you are confident in your knowledge and skills to carry out such work.
I have now solved this. Read on.
During a recent visit to a local Lidl store, I noticed some shower riser kits for sale. I don't have a shower installed in my bathroom anymore as the one I had failed and had to be discarded. The riser kit comprised of a pipe with a fixed shower head on the end (overhead shower), a shower head on a length of hose, a diverter valve to switch the water between the two, a soap/shampoo shelf, and a length of hose to connect the thing up to a bath mixer tap.
I don't have a bath mixer tap; I have two individual taps. However, I decided to buy the kit anyway on the assumption I could figure out a way to make a connection.
So, below is a hastily-drawn diagram (using Dia software) of a (preliminary) solution. Not many people would consider it elegant; let's call it 'industrial chic'—I like industrial chic! It would be a faff to assemble, though, especially as it uses compression fittings.
As the diagram shows, the assembly is connected to the cold and hot taps' spout ends by way of their internally-threaded sockets, replacing any existing aerator/diffuser fittings.
Note that water regulations require backflow prevention to be effected in plumbing installations; this is so that if, for example, a shower head is dropped into a bath, any drop in incoming water pressure does not result in bathwater being sucked back into the water supply thus contaminating it. I have not shown any backflow prevention in the diagram but I would install two double check valves: one at the cold tap spout end; the other at the hot tap spout end as much of the plumbing assembly is below the spill-over level of the bathtub and thus risks being submerged in bathwater—note that, for the actual installation, the four-way splitter should be orientated horizontally, in which case the short section of pipe connecting it to the valve supplying the kit would be substituted with a ninety-degree elbow, secured so as to prevent rotation, which could compromise impermeability; doing this would somewhat minimise the parts of the assembly that could be submerged.
