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Best way to channel pipes into bathroom wall for a shower?

View the thread, titled "Best way to channel pipes into bathroom wall for a shower?" which is posted in Showers and Wetrooms Advice on UK Plumbers Forums.

M

malcky

Hi folks, would like to know what is the best way you would gouge/channel the wall to put pipes into for a shower mixer unit?

Looking for tools and methods you would do this, Im still at college and not covered this yet in detail but i did ask the tutor and he said would a grinder to slice up the wall at 1 inch spacing and then use hammer & chisel to knock the channel for each pipe.

Is this the way folks on here would use?

Thanks
 
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Well I know that the wall is concrete so SDS would work...unfortunately I dont have an SDS drill at this moment in time so will need alternative methods if possible.

Are you saying that the grinder lines up the wall is correct though?
 
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malcky said:
Well I know that the wall is concrete so SDS would work...unfortunately I dont have an SDS drill at this moment in time so will need alternative methods if possible.

Are you saying that the grinder lines up the wall is correct though?
Click to expand...

It can be, but it will make A LOT of dust. Like, dust everywhere, you'll send more time cleaning than plumbing. You can get a corded SDS with rotostop for under £100 and tbh, it should be one of your first purchases.
 
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I use a small grinder with a diamond tipped blade. Cut down 2 lines either side of the pipe and then the centre bit practically falls out with a chisel. Lots of dust and cover over any smoke detectors and open a window, but chase is cut in seconds.
 
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The best method is a diamond wall chaser with dust extraction but most of us don't chase often enough to have one. I've got a channel chiselling tool for my SDS.
 
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I have a Draper heavy duty drill that came with some sort of attachment that looks like it is meant for chasing walls, that is what it gets used for and it works brilliantly, it is the right size for 15mm and creates and nice neat groove in solid walls.

I used to use the grinder method, but as mentioned, it creates A LOT of dust!
 
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when you say concrete do you mean a block wall and not actual concrete?

the best method depends on the type of material the wall is, soft block can be chisel'd with a 20mm gouge chisel

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like this.

harder material i may be better to grind 2 lines first but its very dusty.
 
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Grinder method is neat, but you won't see that for a week after doing it !!!!!!
Couple of points - try not to dig too deep. or you could end up with large holes to be filled - some of the blocks are not solid. Then remember to either use plastic pipes, or wrap the copper tube with tape to protect from the effects of plaster.
 
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Think im going to get the Titan SDS: Titan TTB279SDS 5kg SDS+ Drill 240V | NoLinkingToThis as it looks like a beast of a machine that gets good reviews, comes with a 2 year warranty which is good for a £60 machine.....the extra's its coming with is a bargain too. This should cover all the heavy duty stuff I reckon....possibly overkill for chasing the wall as my initial post, but will be used for lots of other stuff in time.....hopefully.

Still need to get a grinder though....anyone use cordless ones or just best getting a corded one?
 
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Tell your tutor to boiler there head and get real. There are a dozen ways to chase a wall depending on how much money you have to spend on tools. No way is right or wrong. They all get the same result with differing degrees of effort, mess or hazard and using a grinder is the messiest and most hazardous to your health.
Best and easiest with least mess is a diamond wall chaser. A grinder with 2 blades and a hoover attachment. A quick clean job. You can buy a cheap one for just over 100 or a good one for 500.
A basic grinder will cut the channels but you will still need to use an sds or a hammer and chisel to remove the section of brick work. Basically you will shut the bathroom door and fire in with the grinder while wearing a dust mask. When you turn around you won't be able to see the bathroom window for dust. This is major messy and very bad for the lungs which you won't realise until you are older. I've done just about every stupid thing there is to do just to make a pound. This is something you will live to regret, believe me.
An sds drill with rotor stop will chisel it out pretty quick with not a lot of effort if you have the right chisel in it but you have more to fill in after which isn't a big deal.
As above a hammer and chisel will do the same job as will a scutch hammer.
There are more ways to skin a rabbit than pull its jacket over its head.

Personally i use an apprentice :smile:

Btw that drill is too heavy for everyday use and is not very good. Think about something better if you can afford it but if not that one will do a turn.
Also, cordless grinders are too expensive for what you may use it for and lack power for this type of thing. You can buy a cheap grinder for a tenner.
 
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malcky said:
Think im going to get the Titan SDS: Titan TTB279SDS 5kg SDS+ Drill 240V | NoLinkingToThis as it looks like a beast of a machine that gets good reviews, comes with a 2 year warranty which is good for a £60 machine.....the extra's its coming with is a bargain too. This should cover all the heavy duty stuff I reckon....possibly overkill for chasing the wall as my initial post, but will be used for lots of other stuff in time.....hopefully.

Still need to get a grinder though....anyone use cordless ones or just best getting a corded one?
Click to expand...


The drill also has a clutch for core drill.. its a bit on the heavy side but wont let u down. Just think after you've done a few job with it you'll be able to afford a lighter one
 
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Erbauer ERB125Y 125mm Wall Chaser 230V | NoLinkingToThis may cost a bit but for ease of use, convenience and stick a vacuum on it to give dust free work the dogs bits, then charge the customer how long it would take to hand chisel it out to recoup the costs after all, they have to pay one or other to get the job done.
 
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