Ever Installed One Of These ? "Thermostatic Bar Valve With Rigid Riser" !

[Monkey Wrench]

I've been asked to install a Phoenix Square Thermostatic Bar Valve With Rigid Riser as part of a new bathroom refit. A link to the valve
can be found here Phoenix Square Thermostatic Bar Valve With Rigid Riser - Nationwide Bathrooms



As can be seen, the head of the valve sits on a a rigid horizontal rail the end of which rests on the top of the shower enclosure glass via a 10mm groove (lip) which is
not clearly visible in the picture. The problem is that, whilst there is horizontal adjustment in the rail (for different width of trays), there is no vertical adjustment whatsoever !
This means that the pipe centres for the valve have to be exactly the right height so that when the valve is finally installed on the finished wall, the end lip of the horizontal
rail slides snuggly onto the top of glass of the shower enclosure. Considering the first fix of the pipework is obviously done before installing the tray, tiling, and enclosure install makes
it an absolute nightmare IMO.

The shower is a an 800 x 1700 walk in enclosure with a single glass panel and small glass panel return. The lip of the horizontal rail that fits onto the glass panel is
just 10mm deep with no vertical adjustment. Additionally, as it is a bar valve to be fixed to a stud wall, I will need to put a fixed mounting bracket in the wall so I can't even leave
a small amount of play in the pipework for final alignment.

If anyone has previously installed one of these valves, I'd welcome some advice please.

Thank you.

 

[Skelly87]

Good luck lol

 

[SimonJohns]

There is as much vertical adjustment as you want on the riser

You cut the pipe to fit

 

[Monkey Wrench]

There is as much vertical adjustment as you want on the riser

You cut the pipe to fit

You cannot cut the riser as all ends are threaded to fit into the next piece. There are no open compression ends on the riser to cut !

The valve has been delivered today and it just comes in plain brown boxes with no instructions, measurements or anything !

 

[galaxy_plumbing]

How is it connected in the mixer valve?

 

[Monkey Wrench]

How is it connected in the mixer valve?

The director valve screws directly onto the mixer valve via a round captive nut and 1/2 inch rubber washer and then the riser screws to the top of the director valve via another capative nut and washer.



Additionally, the valve is very heavy and weighs about 5kg !

The kit comes in three pieces, mixer valve, riser kit and shower head. There's not a single piece of paper with any of it !

 

[Guest123]

Nearly every one of these I've installed has height adjustment in one form or another to accommodate people of different heights. Last weeks one the riser rail could slide up and down after loosening a screw.

If there are no instructions for it, Google the manufacturers website and contact them for instructions, or ask the place where you bought it from. I assume there's a guarantee card in the box? If so (and there should be) the contact number might be on this.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Nearly every one of these I've installed has height adjustment in one form or another to accommodate people of different heights. Last weeks one the riser rail could slide up and down after loosening a screw.

If there are no instructions for it, Google the manufacturers website and contact them for instructions, or ask the place where you bought it from. I assume there's a guarantee card in the box? If so (and there should be) the contact number might be on this.

There is no paperwork in any of the boxes. the boxes are plain brown with just a printed sticker on each one with the description of what's inside ie. mixer valve, riser kit, shower head.

I should also add that I went to the suppliers showroom yesterday to have a look at the valve which was installed over a bath and fixed to a bath shower screen. I asked the manager if there was any adjustment in the riser and he said he didn't know so therefore called the supplier/manufacturer to ask the same question and was told a definitive NO ! I therefore asked him how on earth I was supposed to do the first fix let alone anything else and he hadn't a clue. The one in the showeroom wasn't even installed properly and was loose on the wall.

 

[Guest123]

Looks like you'll have to install the screen first, leave a wall open to run your pipework and then install the shower to the height of the finished screen.

Personally as I'd be giving my customer a warranty, I'd never accept a brown paper appliance with no paperwork or guarantee card. If it was me I'd take it back and change it, it looks like it might therefore be a cheap foreign import or copy but at that price you could buy a lot better.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i would take it back as not fit for purpose

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Thanks for the posts.

I totally agree, I think it was about £320 ! I've told the customer they'd be better off with a known brand (Mira, Aqualisa, Grohe etc...) but it seems to be more a case of "looks" and price !

I actually said to the guy in the showroom that different people want valves at different heights, depending on their stature, but he just said that most valves are installed at the same height ! (NOT).

Theres no way I'm part tiling a shower, then fitting a 1950 x 1000 glass screen and then finishing the pipework to the valve, Aquapanelling and tanking the remaining wall, then finising the tiling.

 

[Guest123]

As I said earlier as did Steve B, take it back, buy a decent one with similar looks and shop around for a supplier. Make sure you get a decent warranty with one, you don't want to be over £300 out of pocket if it breaks down.

Grohe, Bristan, Mira, Triton etc all make decent shower units and all come with a good warranty and full instructions.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

The customer bought it from one of the many bathroom showrooms that seem to be cropping up all over the place so I will tell them to take it back and buy a decent one !

 

[Monkey Wrench]

After some investigating I have found out that the valve comes from Phoenix Whirlpool Ltd. I called them this morning and asked why there wasn't any paperwork of any kind supplied with the shower and was told that all the information was in the brochure ! The brochure shows a diagram of the shower with measurements. I was transfered to someone in the technical department and I asked him how I was supposed to do the first fix of pipework. Basically, he said that you take the height of the tray plus the height of the screen and work back from there to get the height of the pipe centres ! I guess he's never done an install before.

Apparently, the valves are made in China and Phoenix Whirlpool have nothhing to do with the manufacturing process.

 

[Guest123]

Apparently, the valves are made in China and Phoenix Whirlpool have nothhing to do with the manufacturing process.

All that they have done is to buy them and import them in bulk, very cheaply and put their own label on them and sell them at grossly inflated prices. By the way a similar one is on sale on Ebay for about £80!! No paperwork, no installation as far as I'm concerned. Cheap imported tat and best avoided. What if you install it and a few months later, it doesn't work? Will you be willing to fork out £350 for another one? You might have to as there is no warranty registration card with it.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Thanks system3. Any chance you could PM me the link to the eBay one ?