Condensation in kitchens and bathrooms

CONDENSATION causes and cures

Condensation in buildings is a bigger problem now than ever before – the result of changes in building methods and our way of life. To tackle it, you need to know what it is and why it happens.

The air around us contains water vapour, and the amount it can carry depends on the temperature – the higher the temperature, the greater the amount of water vapour. If the air becomes cooler it cannot carry as much vapour, and the excess may be released in the form of water droplets. In the atmosphere this produces clouds and rainfall; in confined spaces like the home it produces condensation. You can see this happening quite easily in a kitchen when you’re cooking.

A lot of water vapour is created by boiling pans, and this remains suspended in the air in the kitchen as long as the temperature is high. But if the air meets a cold surface – a window, for example – its temperature drops, and the excess water vapour turns back into water, or condenses. Condensation occurs particularly in bathrooms, but can be found throughout your home at some time or another. Condensation is always a menace, and can lead to corrosion and rot as can any unwanted water. If it forms only a thin film of moisture, this may quickly evaporate when the room heats up, but too often the water seeps into cracks and crevices in the house’s structure and starts to cause problems.

The problem of moisture

Dense materials, like glass and glazed tiles, are not harmed by moisture and can be easily wiped off.
But if it runs off the surface it can carry with it dirt, which can stain nearby materials. Metal surfaces do not absorb moisture, but moisture combined with oxygen in the air will cause iron to rust. If mineral salts are present, or if dissimilar metals are in contact, corrosion may take place. Some materials, likefibreboard and plasterboard, lose their strength when wet and may swell and sag. But more damaging is the risk of mould and rot. Mould spores are almost always present in the air, and on the surface of many materials. To flourish, they need moisture, and food which is supplied by general dirt.

Condensation provides the moisture. Textured surfaces collect more dirt than smooth surfaces, and are more likely to develop mould growth. Mould first appears in spots or small patches and spreads to form a furry layer – usually grey-green, black or brown in colour. Though unsightly it can easily be cleaned off in the early stages. It may do little harm, but will reappear unless a fungicide is used. Fungal attack on timber, particularly dry rot, is more serious, causing lasting damage.

Once established, dry rot can actually produce the moisture needed for further growth and it can spread extensively through other materials such as brick. Moisture has another unwanted effect. Many materials, such as sheeps’ wool and plastic foam, gain heat insulating qualities through the small pockets of air in them. If this air is replaced by water, then this insulating power is lost. If this happens within a brick wall – so-called ‘interstitial’ condensation – the wall’s resistance to heat flow is decreased and the wall gets colder, producing still more condensation.

How water vapour is created

We can’t avoid producing water vapour indoors. For example, during eight hours of sleep, every human body gives off a quarter litre of water. When we are active we make much more.

A solid concrete floor takes a long time to warm up and usually provides a cold surface.
Washing machines can discharge very hot steamy water and must be properly plumbed.
Cold water pipes provide cooled surfaces on which water vapour can condense.
Clothes driers produce large amounts of water vapour from the clothes they dry.
Kettles produce masses of water vapour if allowed to go on boiling.
Sinks being used for washing-up can be very steamy if the water is too hot.
Cooking means boiling pans which can easily pour out water vapour.
Baths being filled with hot water get very steamy unless you mix the right temperature.
Showers are a source of vapour but if properly surrounded a lot is trapped.
Tiled surfaces provide a cold surface which rapidly condenses any vapour around.
Cupboards on outside walls provide a restricted space where condensation can form.
Flat roofs can’t breathe particularly if they are covered with bitumen.
Weather, hot or cold, damp or dry, has a lot to do with condensation.

CAUSES OF DAMPNESS

Condensation is not the only cause of dampness in a dwelling. Before you jump to conclusions, check the other possibilities:

• rising damp. Usually found in older property which has no damp-proof course or an ineffective one, but it may also occur in newer property where earth, a terrace, or small extension has bridged the dampproof course
• rain penetration. More likely in older houses lacking cavity walls, in parts of the country where there is a lot of driving rain
• other penetrating damp. Can be the result of water getting in through faulty roofs, chimney stacks, ill-fitting door or window frames, or a result of faulty gutters, downpipes or plumbing
• wet building trades, like bricklaying, concrete-work and plastering. These use a lot of water which has to be dried out which again requires heat and ventilation.

CONDENSATION CHECKLIST Once you’ve eliminated the other causes of dampness, you can justifiably suspect condensation if dampness occurs
• in corners • over windows
• in unheated rooms
• when double glazing has been installed
• when a fireplace has been blocked up.

SIMPLE CURES
Take condensation seriously: it could seriously damage the fabric of your home. Simple remedies include the following:
• keep doors shut and windows open in steamy rooms
• vent clothes driers direct to the outside
• use a ventilator hood over the cooker
• use an extractor fan in the kitchen or bathroom
• fit vents if you don’t want open windows
• try to keep cupboards and bookcases away from cold outside walls, so condensation cannot form behind them.

INSULATION GUIDELINES
When insulating your home:
• include vapour barriers whenever you are installing wall or loft insulation
• where surface condensation is a major problem, line rooms with polystyrene liner
• when you install loft insulation see that it is well ventilated, the trap door is draughtproofed, and gaps around pipes and cables entering the loft are filled.

KILLING MOULD
Mould growth produced by condensation can be removed with a toxic wash, such as bleach or a proprietary fungicide.

HOW TO CURE CONDENSATION

Mechanical ventilators

Powered by an electric motor, these are the sophisticated development of operated vents and obviously much more efficient. If one is installed in a room where there is a central heating or hot water boiler there should be a vent in the inside door to ensure that noxious gases are not drawn into the room.

Cavity wall insulation

This reduces heat loss from the house and therefore your heating bills. It also cuts down the incidence of cold outside walls, reducing the likelihood of condensation.

Vented clothes driers

Clothes driers produce masses of water vapour and should always be vented direct to the outside of the house. This can be done via a flexible hose put out of a window, but ideally should be through a vent pipe placed in the wall exiting via a protective cowl.

Self-closing doors

Where there are heavy sources of water vapour, as in the kitchen, it is best to contain them rather than let the vapour spread to other rooms where quite often they are likely to condense. A self-closing door is the answer here.

Cooker hoods

These are designed to vent hot air and gases coming up from the cooker. Those which simply filter the air are really only good for getting rid of kitchen smells, but those which can be vented to the outside air, either directly through the wall or via a fan controlled duct, can cut down condensation risk.

Having a bath or shower can produce two litres of water vapour. Another offender is damp. This can penetrate an outside wall or a solid ground floor lacking damp-proofing and later evaporate because of indoor warmth, so adding more water vapour to the air. Because it is impossible to prevent the creation of water vapour, the main aim then becomes to get rid of it before it can give trouble by forming condensation.

Ventilation is the answer. This can be done by opening windows, installing extractor fans, venting exhaust air from clothes driers to the outside air and the use of balanced flue gas heaters. Water vapour moves about. It doesn’t only condense on cold surfaces in the room where it is produced; it can penetrate all parts of the home, and is likely to condense in any colder area it reaches. It also rises by convection to cooler bedrooms and the space under the roof. Warm, moist air gets into the roof space through ceiling cracks, holes used by pipes and electric wiring and gaps around the trap door.

It doesn’t matter how small the gap – it can still get through as it’s a gas. It also passes through porous plaster or plasterboard ceilings unless they incorporate a moisture barrier. Unless there is sufficient ventilation for it to escape to the outside air, it will condense on the roof covering and roof timbers. The severity of the condensation depends on the roof construction, how well the loft is insulated and ventilated, and how easily moist house air can get into it. However, it can very quickly build up in a poorly ventilated loft, saturating the insulation and making it quite useless. In the end it can soak through the ceiling too.

Apart from replacing a cracked basin, which you should do immediately, the most common time to install a new basin is when you’re improving a bathroom or decorating a separate WC. The chances are that the basin you’ll be removing will be one of the older ceramic types, wall-hung, a pedestal model or built into a vanity unit.

The main advantage of a wall-hung basin is that it doesn’t take up any floor space and because of this it is very useful in a small bathroom, WC or cloakroom.
You can also set the basin at a comfortable height, unlike a pedestal basin whose height is fixed by the height of the pedestal.

However, it’s usual to fit a wall-hung basin with the rim 800mm (32in) above the floor. Vanity units are now increasing in popularity. In fact they’re the descendents of the Edwardian wash-stand, with its marble top, bowl and large water jug. The unit is simply a storage cupboard with a ceramic, enamelled pressed steel or plastic basin set flush in the top. The advantage of vanity units is that you have a counter surface round the basin on which to stand toiletries.

There is rarely, if ever, sufficient room for these items behind or above conventional wall-hung or pedestal basins. Usually the top has some form of plastic covering or can be tiled for easy cleaning.

Fittings for basins

It’s a good idea to choose the taps and waste fittings at the same time you select the basin, so everything matches. You could perhaps re-use the taps from the old basin, but it’s doubtful if these will be in keeping with the design of the new appliance. As an alternative to shrouded head or pillar taps, you could fit a mixer, provided the holes at the back of the basin are suitably spaced to take the tap tails.

Ceramic basins normally have a built-in overflow channel which in most appliances connects into the main outlet above the trap. So if you accidentally let the basin overfill you reduce the risk of water spillage.

London bathroom refurbishment

Shower Installation

There are two basic types of shower heads:

• those attached to a mixer on a bath

• those independent of the bath, discharging over their own bases, in their own cubicles.

Bath showers may be attached to a mixer head on which you have to adjust both taps, or they may simply fit over the tap outlets. The shower head in either case is detachable and may be mounted at whatever height you require. Independent showers have fixed position heads or are adjustable. They may have a single control mixer, or a dual control which means that you can adjust the flow as well as the temperature. Thermostatic mixing valves are also available which can cope with small pressure fluctuations in the hot and cold water supply. These only reduce pressure on one side of the valve if that on the other side falls; they cannot increase the pressure unless they have already decreased it.

SHOWER FITTINGS

Before you get to grips with installing a new shower cubicle, you ought to select the type of control fitting you’re going to use. Your choice may affect the way the bathroom and shower installer organise the plumbing.

Once you’ve decided where you’re going to site your shower – over a bath or in a separate cubicle – you’ll have to determine what type of fitting you’re going to use to run it. In order for the shower to work effectively, you need to be able to control the rate of flow of water and also, more importantly, it’s temperature.

There’s nothing worse than standing under a stuttering supply of water that’s hot one minute and cold the next. So it’s the job of the shower fitting to provide this control fast and effectively. Some fittings work by having individual taps to control the hot and cold water supplies, while the more sophisticated types have a simple valve or a mixer. How they are connected up to the water supply depends primarily on their design.

For example, instantaneous showers (not recommended for DIY fitting) need only to be connected to the mains cold water supply, as they heat all the hot water required just before it comes out erf the shower rose. A hot water supply is therefore unnecessary. But for all other showers, the temperature of the water is controlled by mixing together separate supplies of hot and cold water which may also be at different pressures.

The simplest fittings

Before proper showers over a bath and separate shower cubicles became popular, it was quite common to find a rather makeshift device being used to supply a spray of water. This consisted of a length of rubber hose with a rose attached at one end and two connectors fitted at the other which slipped over the hot and cold taps on the bath. By adjusting these taps you could regulate the flow and temperature of the water. In fact the principle of this very basic mixing valve was used in early shower cubicles.

Gate valves on the hot and cold distribution pipes were used to control the flow, and the two supplies were mixed at a ‘tee’ in the pipework before being fed in a single pipe to an overhead shower rose. Mixer taps An improvement on this very simple arrangement, as far as showers over baths are concerned is the bath/shower mixer. This resembles an ordinary mixer tap on a bath, except that a flexible metal hose rises from the centre of the mixer to a spray head which can be fixed at varying heights on the wall above the bath.

Again the water is mixed by adjusting the hot and cold taps, and at this stage it will becoming out of the spout of the tap. When the required temperature has been reached you pull up a lever on the body of the tap and this diverts the water upwards to the spray head. Nowadays, showers in cubicles normally have what’s known as a manual mixing valve. This has two inlets, one for the hot and another for the cold supply; but the temperature is regulated by turning just one mixer knob.

The flow may also be adjusted by turning another knob which is set round the outside of the temperature control. In this way you can control the water more quickly and positively than you could do if you had to adjust two separate taps (which tends to be a bit of a juggling act). Shower mixers are constantly being improved so that they are more convenient and safer to use. With one modern manual mixing valve, for example, the temperature of the water is controlled by turning a knurled knob, not unlike the handle of a tap. And the flow and on/off control is worked by pushing in or pulling out this knob.

You can therefore control the flow and temperature of the water in one movement. Another advantage of this kind of control is that the shower can be stopped instantly if the pressure on the cold side falls (as a result of a toilet being flushed or cold water being drawn off elsewhere in the house, for example). If this happened the shower would suddenly run very hot, but by flicking the control knob downwards the flow ceases. It’s not so serious if the pressure falls on the hot side, because the shower would just run cold. But again, to prevent discomfort the flow can be stopped quickly by flicking the control knob.

However, prevention is better than cure and there are ways of organising the plumbing so that this problem can’t arise. To alleviate the danger it’s best to run the 15mm (1/2in) cold water supply pipe to the shower direct from the cold water storage cistern and not as a branch from the 22mm (%in) distribution pipe to the bathroom. This will supply a continuous volume of cold water provided the cistern is working properly.

Thermostatic valves

Of course it may mean too much of an upheaval to lay in a new pipe run, but instead you could install a special thermostatic mixing valve. This enables you to pre-set the temperature of the shower water and this will remain constant despite fluctuations of pressure in the hot and cold supplies. And apart from this, thermostatic mixers provide just that extra margin of safety and assurance against discomfort.

Before buying a thermostatic mixing valve, it’s important that you recognise its limitations as well as its advantages. These valves can deal with relatively minor fluctuations in pressure that can result from water being drawn off from one or other of the supply pipes. They can’t accommodate the great differences in pressure between a hot water supply under pressure from a storage cylinder and a cold supply taken direct from the main (in any case, you should never arrange your shower plumbing in this way).

Some thermostatic valves even require a greater working ‘hydraulic head’ (the vertical distance between the cold water cistern and the shower rose) than the 1 m (3ft) minimum that is usual for manual mixers. So it’s a good idea to check on these points or ask the plumber before you buy one of them.

Kitchen and bathroom lighting

The kitchen is one room in the house where emphasis must be on efficient lighting. The work surfaces must be lit to avoid shadow and glare—but this does not mean it should be twice as bright as anywhere else in the house. The point is proficiency, not brute force.

A single, central pendant is not the answer. If possible, light fittings should be directly above the work surfaces but shielded from direct view. Strip fluorescent lighting, positioned out of sight underneath wall mounted cupboards, will shine directly onto work surfaces giving a good clear light. And fluorescent ceiling fittings are ideal for general lighting in the kitchen area.

You might also consider fitting small lights inside deep storage cupboards. Carefully placed spotlights, or tracking lights fixed to an overhead rail are also very efficient and provide lighting without glare in the kitchen. These tracks enable special light fittings to be clipped into any position on the track and can be angled at stove, sink, table, and work surfaces. (Lighting tracks, in fact, can be very useful throughout the house—as supplementary lighting in a study or workroom for example.)

Generally, there is little call for flexibility of lighting in the kitchen. But if chores such as the ironing are done there, then the tracking or spot lights could be swung into the appropriate positions. Open plan kitchen/ living rooms may need a lower, more subtle, level of illumination at times, for a cosy supper or to flatter a sophisticated dinner party. If you entertain only occasionally, then a portable light fitting that gives a soft, coloured light in the dining area can be effective. Or a pendant light, which is height adjustable, will light the dining table effectively for both formal and informal occasions.

But again, without supplementary lighting— picture lights, wall lights, or even candles— there will be a considerable, glaring contrast between the background and light fitting which can be tiring. To eliminate this, and help create a cosier atmosphere you could use a dimmer to lower the wattage of your single light. The bathroom mainly needs a good, general purpose, overhead light, combined with mirror lights. A fixed bowl shade will not be affected too much by steam. And for very small bathrooms there are combined light fittings which are useful.

Always use a qualified electrician.

Refurbishing Bathrooms in a block of flats

Refurbishing or Remodelling Bathrooms in a block of flats in London, is notoriously difficult. The concrete floor and ceiling stops the bathroom fitters and installers from running pipes and wiring inside them. This is for safety reasons, you can’t chase concrete floors, ceilings, etc because they are part of the structural fabric of the building, boxing in the pipes is the best solution.

Small bathroom ideas for refurbishments

In London, most bathrooms are very small.If you can’t remove walls to make it bigger, colour and style is the key. And the quality of the materials used for refurbishing the bathroom. In the pictures below, the bathroom tilers used marble tiles on the wall and granite tiles on the floor. The plumbers then installed a Jacuzzi style bathtub and plumbing fixtures to complement the bathroom.

This is a typical small bathroom in a London home.

The bathroom basin is a wall hung type, making the floor space bigger.

This is how the old bathroom looked like before refurbishment

For small ensuite bathrooms, click here : Building an ensuite bathroom

Retro style bathrooms

Retro style bathrooms are making a comeback.Embossed tiling, old style and design bathroom fixtures, cast iron baths, old tiles, and a retro feel to it.

http://robuild.co.uk/london/old-style-bathroom-design

Back to the past, old style bathrooms, vintage style.

Layout of Kitchens

The work in a kitchen, though of course differing in detail from home to home, is basically the same, following a fairly constant basic pattern. Space must be allotted for storage of food (perishables in the refrigerator deep freeze, vegetables fruit in a ventilated cupboard or larder, and dry canned goods in a cupboard), and for preparation which usually involves sorting, washing, and cutting.

For maximum efficiency a well-lit flat work surface near to the sink is ideal, possibly with a wooden cutting board close to hand. Space and facilities for cooking will also have to be provided. The cooker should have a hard working surface next to it—preferably on either side for greater manoeuvrability. You can cook on a conventional combined cooker, or the oven—as is increasingly popular —can be separated from the hob-unit, and mounted conveniently at eye-level. Once cooked, the food is then served, usually on one of the work surfaces adjoining the cooker. Serving hatches are best positioned above or next to this dishing-up worktop.

For cold meals and sweets the food is prepared and dished up on a convenient work surface and passed direct to the servery. After the meal comes the most unpleasant part of what is usually a pleasant occasion— the washing-up. So it will be convenient if the sink is near the servery. If you happen to have a dishwasher, this could be well sited near to the sink whether it is a floor or work-top model. The final stage is the stacking of the clean dishes and cutlery. Most people consider the best place is close to the sink—unless of course it is priceless china to be put on display. But often crockery and cutlery are just as handy housed near the dining table, ready for table-laying. If some meals are eaten in the dining room, and some eaten in the kitchen, perhaps at a breakfast bar. then you will have to choose between the two. If you have one ‘best’ set and one ‘only-for-the family’ then you can keep your formal things together, or, if your dining room is some distance away from the kitchen you might find it best to duplicate your sets anyway.

Fitments, kitchen units and cabinets

There is a wide range of storage cabinets available today, from the inexpensive whitewood types without backs and with unsurfaced tops, to the more highly finished types with hardwood carcasses and laminated working surfaces. Similar cabinets are also available in stove-enamelled steel sheet. (Handymen should have no difficulty in constructing their own kitchen fitments, which can be especially useful if your kitchen is a peculiar shape and difficult to fit with standard sized units.)

Colour will always be perhaps the most personal aspect of design, but it is worth remembering that combinations of white and blue tend to give a chilly effect to the room, whereas yellows, oranges and reds have a decidedly warmer effect. If your kitchen enjoys long hours of sunshine or if you do a substantial amount of cooking it probably will feel over-heated towards the end of a day. This is where choosing the ‘cooler’ colours is particularly helpful. Conversely, a pokey kitchen that rarely gets the benefit of sunshine will look more welcoming if it has the warmer tones on at least some of its surfaces.

But over-strong, or over-emphasised colours can ruin the ‘homeliness’ of a kitchen, just as much as a chilly look. White fitments usually look very smart against some strong primary colour in the wall or floor covering. Or the main surfaces of the room can be painted white or neutral, and the fitments can carry the stronger colour. It is always difficult to visualise your kitchen from colours in a catalogue, so, if possible, visit a large showroom which will give you a good idea of what your dream kitchen will look like in ‘real life’. Kitchen fitments are produced in standard ranges, which usually incorporate a limited choice of widths and varying arrangements of drawers and cupboards. Most of the better quality ranges also include special corner cabinets. Shelves often come unfixed so that you can arrange them to suit your height, and most manufacturers produce special cabinets to house refrigerators, oven units and their hobs in the most popular sizes.

If you find – possibly because your kitchen is a peculiar shape – that the standard units will not fit neatly together, then this is a good opportunity to add an extra work surface by running one between two fitments or over the tops of several. Widths of units may vary, but their heights do not. Floor units are around 915mm (3ft) high which is a height that most people find useful—that is, as long as you are of average height.However, the Kitchen Fitters and Installers, can adjust the height.

The standardisation of height helps both the appearance of the kitchen, and its overall efficiency. Frequently the worktop itself, which continues across the top of several units (such as floor cabinets), is especially made from a single piece of laminate-faced blockboard, thereby avoiding joints in the surface. And the sink-bowl can be let flush into it , instead of having the sink-top interrupting the surface and looking ugly. As well as looking neater, this continuous surface is easier to clean, and therefore more hygienic.

Wall units are also made to standard heights, although because they come separate f r om the floor units you can fix them at various heights to suit yourself. This is particularly useful as the space above a singleheight unit is usually wasted and ends up as a mere dust-trap. You could try fixing wall units between the ceiling and the lower units to make optimum use of your wall space. But do remember that there should be a gap of not less than 460mm between the work surface and the underside of the first wall unit.

In deciding on the layout of your kitchen, you should allow adequate space for circulation, preferably for more than one person to move around in so that a toddler or chatty neighbour is not continually under your feet. Analyses of movements in average sized kitchens have shown that many miles are travelled in any given day. Often a large percentage of this distance could be avoided by simply re-arranging the fitments – it would obviously be a help if they were not several yards apart or hidden away in nooks and crannies. If you bear in mind the typical work-sequence as given above, then providing an efficient layout should be no problem.

It is a good idea to walk through the various stages of preparing a meal to discover the fastest route round your kitchen. Remember, all that is needed is enough space for two people to pass between one unit and another. More space than this will only cause tired feet.

Eating area

Many families find it convenient to eat snacks and quick meals in the kitchen itself. On one hand it is practical to reduce the distance involved in carrying food dishes to and from the table. On the other, it does not contribute to the enjoyment of a meal if the debris involved in its preparation is always arrangement where the distance from the kitchen is kept to a minimum, and the kitchen itself does not obtrude. There are a number of ways in which this can be achieved. First, you can manage this compromise—if the shape and size of the room lends itself readily to it.

As you are starting from scratch by refurbishing the kitchen it should be easy to plan this sort of shape. The remaining small rectangle can be used as a service lobby or for storage. In other cases, the extension could be the main kitchen, and an existing small room be converted into the eating area. Second, in a long, rectangular kitchen, especially if there is a door about a third of the way along one wall, the smaller end can conveniently be used for eating. Third, if you want to cut off the kitchen even more from view, you can use a projecting cabinet as a divider. And instead of the upper cabinets being fixed to the wall, they can be held in place by steel corner or angle brackets, leaving an open space above the work-top for serving.

If the wall and floor coverings change where this fitment projects, then so much the better, because this in itself will indicate subtly where one area ends and another begins. A fourth and more drastic way of separating the two areas is to alter the floor level. This is easily done when in the process of adding an extension, but as a general rule, changes in floor level are not a good idea, especially in functional rooms like kitchens where it might be difficult to see the drop of level when carrying a tray. If, however, you do decide to change your floor level, an eating area with its floor about 305mm (1ft) below that of the main kitchen can look attractive, and separate the two areas most efficiently.

It is better to have the eating-area floor lower rather than higher to reduce the view straight into the kitchen. And there should be at least two steps—as one step can be easily overlooked. There is a danger that the ceiling may become too high in the eating area, due to lowering the floor levels. Tn this case you could install a false ceiling which would give an added feeling of individuality to the eating area and improve its proportions. If this solution appeals to you, but you find that the steps present a problem, then you could achieve the same effect by using a short ramp.

The gradient should not exceed 1 : 8 so, for example, a 305mm (1ft) change of level would need an 244cm (8ft) long ramp. If space permits this could be very effective, especially if a run of floor cabinets is positioned so that it masks the rough edge of the ramp farthest from the wall. Blinds can be used to emphasise the difference between kitchen and eating areas. Venetian blinds, for example, could be fitted to a divider or a free-standing panel and form a false ‘window’ separating the two spaces as effectively but less permanently than a wall. Spring-loaded roller blinds are available in fabric or specially treated paper—both in a range of bright colours and patterns.

Alternatively you could use horizontally sliding doors hung on a head track. A lightweight door runs easily and silently on this type of overhead track. Stale food smells can be especially off putting if the kitchen doubles as an occasional dining area. You can eliminate them by using a small extractor fan in some convenient position between the cooker— the main offender—and the eating area. These fans are usually fixed to an external wall, collecting the air directly from the room and discharging it into the outside air. Some models can be fitted to a fixed glass pane in a window instead of on to a solid wall.

You could also fit the fan in a concealed position, with a duct connecting it to the room or to the outside air. More elaborate but more positive in action, are the fans fitted in or connected to a hood over the cooker. But they may not be quite so effective with cookers having high-level grills. Some types of hood incorporate a renewable filter to collect the greasy fume.

Showers or Baths

Showers have many advantages over baths:
• they are hygienic as you don’t sit in dirty, soapy water and you get continually rinsed
• they are pleasant to use. Standing under jets of water can be immensely stimulating, especially first thing in the morning
• they use a lot less water per ‘wash’ than a bath, which saves energy and is also an advantage where water softeners are in use
• economy of hot water usage means that at peak traffic times there is more water to go round
• showers take less time, they don’t have to be ‘run’, and users can’t lay back and bask, monopolizing the bathroom
• easy temperature adjustment of a shower gives greater comfort for the user and lessens the risk of catching cold in a cold bathroom.

Shower Location

You don’t have to install a shower over a bath or even in the bathroom. An en suite shower in the bedroom is one alternative site, but landings and utility rooms are another possibility. Provided a supply of water is available, the pressure head satisfactory, and the disposal of waste water possible, a shower can provide a compact and very useful house improvement in many parts of the home.

According to the study, the average eight-minute shower used 62 litres of hot water, and some power showers can use up to 136 litres, compared with an average bath’s 80 litres. These findings have been widely reported – in the Daily Mail, The Independent and the BBC, among others.
Regardless of whether you choose to shower or bath, there are simple ways to save yourself time, water and money. For example:

Fill up baths with just the amount of water you need – no need to fill right to the top
Install a water efficient showerhead – many are available for less than £30 – and the savings on your water and energy bill mean you’ll get that money back in less than a year
Take a shorter shower – by cutting two minutes off the time you spend under the water you can save about 40 quid off your combined energy and water bills annually if you’re on a water meter. (And imagine what you could do with the extra 12 hours of time this would save you every year!) waterwise.org.uk

INSTALLING A SHOWER

Showers are part of the modern bathroom, and can be fitted over the bath to save space, or in a separate cubicle.

Water Pressure for Showers

The most important requirement is that the hot and cold supply pipes to the shower must be under equal water pressure. With a cylinder storage hot water system, whether direct or indirect, hot water pressure comes from the main cold water storage cistern supplying the cylinder with water. The cold water supply to the shower must therefore also come from this cistern (or perhaps from a separate cistern at the same level);

it must not be taken direct from the cold water main. It is not safe to mix, in any plumbing appliance, water which comes direct from the main and water coming from a storage cistern. However, quite apart from the important question of legality, it is impossible to mix streams of water satisfactorily under such differing pressures. The shower will inevitably run either very hot or very cold, depending on which stream is the high pressure one. The cold water storage cistern must also be high enough above the shower sprinkler to provide a satisfactory operating pressure.

Best results will be obtained if the base of the cold water storage cistern is 1.5m (5ft) or more above the sprinkler. However, provided that pipe runs are short and have only slight changes of direction, a . reasonable shower can be obtained when the vertical distance between the base of the cistern and the shower sprinkler is as little as 1 m (39in). The level of the hot water storage tank in relation to the shower doesn’t matter in the least. It can be above, below or at the same level as the shower. It is the level of the cold water storage cistern that matters.

There is yet another design requirement for conventional shower installation which sometimes applies. This is that the cold water supply to the shower should be a separate 15mm branch direct from the cold water storage cistern, not as a branch from the main bathroom distribution pipe. This is a safety precaution. If the cold supply were taken as a branch from a main distribution pipe, then flushing a lavatory cistern would reduce the pressure on the cold side of the shower causing it to run dangerously hot. For the same reason it is best for the hot supply to be taken direct from the vent pipe immediately above the hot water storage cylinder and not as a branch from another distribution pipe, though this is rather less important. A reduction in the hot water pressure would result in the shower running cold. This would be highly unpleasant, although not dangerous.

Shower Mixers

Showers must have some kind of mixing valve to mix the streams of hot and cold water and thus to produce a shower at the required temperature.

The two handles of the bath taps provide the very simplest mixing valve. Opening the bath taps then mixes the two streams of water and diverts them upwards to a wallhung shower head or rose.

These very simple attachments work quite satisfactorily – provided that the design requirements already referred to are met. However, it isn’t always easy to adjust the tap handles to provide water at exactly the temperature required. A bath/shower mixer provides a slightly more sophisticated alternative operating on the same principle. With one of these, the tap handles are adjusted until water is flowing through the mixer spout into the bath at the required temperature.

The water is then diverted up to the head by turning a valve. Then there are manual shower mixers. These are standard equipment in independent shower cubicles and may also be used over a bath. With a manual mixer the hot and cold streams of water are mixed in a single valve. Temperature, and sometimes flow control, is obtained by turning large knurled control knobs. Finally, there are thermostatic shower mixing valves. These may resemble manual mixers in appearance but are designed to accommodate small pressure fluctuations in either the hot or cold water supplies to the shower. They are thus very useful safety devices.

But thermostatic valves cannot, compensate for the very great difference of pressure between mains supply and a supply from a cold water storage cistern. Nor can they add pressure to either the hot or cold supply. If pressure falls on one side of the valve the thermostatic device will reduce flow on the other side to match it. Thermostatic valves are more expensive but they eliminate the need to take an independent cold water supply pipe from the storage cistern to the shower and can possibly reduce the total cost of installation. Bathroom fitters and installers will find the best plumbing solution. Where a shower is provided over an existing bath, steps must be taken to protect the bathroom floor from splashed water. A plastic shower curtain provides the cheapest means of doing this but a folding, glass shower screen has a much more attractive appearance and is more effective.

Electric showers

You can run your shower independently of the existing domestic hot water system by fitting an instantaneously heated electric one.

There are a number of these on the market nowadays. They need only to be connected to the rising main and to a suitable source of electricity to provide an ‘instant shower’. You are recommended to have these installed professionally by a professional plumber or bathroom fitter.