How to hide shower water pipe in solid wall

jimbo_the_jetset

Hello,

I've been struggling with finding a good solution to this problem but the time has now come to crack on. Basically my existing electric shower has a surface mounted cold water feed. We are re-tiling the bathroom and want to hide the water pipe in the wall. However copper pipe corrodes in contact with cement (and plaster?) and I understand it is against water regs to bury a pipe in the wall.

As I see it so far I have a few options. Baton and plasterboard wall to provide gap to run pipe and electrics in. Don't really fancy this as a) bathroom is small and not much gap from bath to sink as is without losing another 1-1.5inch and b) might need to move radiator and c) would have to move bath waste over. Preferred option is to chase out the wall and conceal somehow. Is an option to chase out and then cut a recess in the edge into which I could fit plasterboard flush to the wall covering the pipe in the open chase?

Obviously I would clip pipe in to prevent movement and test for leaks before the final 'boxing in'

ukwoody

I've worked on many properties new and old where the pipes have been buried in the walls. The last one the pipes were covered in a tinfoil type product, presumably to avoid corrosion, but a plumber would tell you more.
Woody

randomsam08

is the shower fitted to an external wall? if not can it be accessed from behind.

Forris

Replace the copper pipe with plastic and bury it!

adaze

simply put forris's answer is probably the easiest solution. I'm not sure but I think the regs only apply to drinking water for burying in walls? would be worth checking to make sure. If the shower manufacturer recommends copper in the connecting meter then you can buy plastic conduit a few mm bigger than the 15mm copper and pop the copper in that, or the foil idea.

mike_sendrove

Forris wrote: »

Replace the copper pipe with plastic and bury it!

How would you bury it? I'm planning on putting the copper pipe into plastic pipe or trunking to allow for thermal expansion/contraction, and then filling around the channel with some sort of filler/plaster. What would you use?

Thanks,
Mike

wallbash

Have buried plastic pipe for the shower with no problems.
But today :j I'm fitting a new shower...... well that's a lie , because it will be later this week But today , ripped out the plastic pipe, we are swapping it for a new exposed piped shower, the pipes disappear into ceiling .

Have you thought about chromed copper pipes .

mike_sendrove

I'd like to bury (copper or plastic) pipes up to the mixer and then run an exposed chromed copper pipe up to the shower head, so having to chase out as little as possible - however for the small amount of pipework that i am burying, what sort of filler can I use in the channel around the pipe?

Thanks,
Mike

andyhop

Plastic coated copper

Duck tape wrapped around pipe

Denso tape around pipe

Expanding foam around pipe

Concretecow

I've used self amalgamating tape when I have done it. Mind you, I had lots... :-)