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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Plumbing Questions >> Shower trays https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1107889616 Message started by CWatters on Feb 8^th, 2005, 7:06pm

Title: Shower trays
Post by CWatters on Feb 8^th, 2005, 7:06pm

I got a question about fitting a low profile shower tray so that it's practically flush with the top of the tiled floor.

The first floor is beam and block with insulation on top and UFH in the screed. Assume no UFH pipes under shower area.

Will it be ok to cut through the screed using a disc cutter and dig out the insulation foam so that the tray can rest on the beam and block floor (or perhaps with some small packing)?

I would also need to remove a block or part of a block for the trap and run the waste pipe in the cavity between the underside of the blocks and plaster board ceiling below. I'd use a top entry trap.

How does that sound?

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN on Feb 8^th, 2005, 7:56pm

Risky to me.

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by CWatters on Feb 9^th, 2005, 5:09pm

Why risky?

The blocks are stong enough without the screed no problem.

There are no UFH pipes that might be cut (they haven't been laid yet).

I was more concerned about building regs. Fire penetration?

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by HM on Feb 10^th, 2005, 12:49pm

How confident can you be that this arrangement can be sealed tightly? Normally with a shower tray you have a wooden board beneath, and you can access the area beneath the tray if need be.

From your description it doesn't sound all that clever.

HM

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by billythekid on Feb 11^th, 2005, 7:05pm

Why not fit a floor trap and have a walk in shower?

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by CWatters on Feb 11^th, 2005, 9:17pm

wrote on Feb 10^th, 2005, 12:49pm:

How confident can you be that this arrangement can be sealed tightly?

Oh I see. I guess I didn't explain very well.

Think of a conventional shower tray, enclosure and door. The tray normally ends up about 100mm off the floor on blocks. Now imagine lowering it until it's recessed into the floor. It wouldn't be any harder to seal. There main problem is access to the trap etc and that's probably no harder really than if you are building a wet room.

I finally found a photo but this one doesn't have a door.

http://www.bagno.it/slab_exp_1.JPG

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN on Feb 11^th, 2005, 10:09pm

Shame the amount of people who cant lift their foot 4" , makes you wonder how they manage to go up stairs.

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by JerryD on Feb 11^th, 2005, 10:25pm

I once did a similar thing for my wife's granny! She was arthritic and a 4" step would have been impossible. We built the granny flat (at my father-in-laws)with this in mind and shuttered the screed for the tray area leaving a recess of about 70mm below screed for the tray to sit in.

The trap and a length of waste pipe were assembled onto the tray and passed through the outside wall as the tray was lowered into position. Tray bedded onto sand/cement.

The tray was a special 'flat' type with a minimal lip at the front edge for access but the tray had a high, thin upstand on the other three edges. These upstands were let into the plaster so that the tiling came over them and weathered it all perfectly.

The end job was a flat shower tray flush with the floor of the bathroom (except for the minimal lip) and it looked good. Of course with the trap and waste bedded into sand/cement it could not be allowed to leak, nor was there any way of getting at the underside but in my experience most trays cannot be 'got at' underneath once flooring etc is laid.

The trap had the removeable grating from above and the waste had an access cap immediately outside the wall.

All in all a good job! ::)

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by bstyle on Feb 11^th, 2005, 10:36pm

I too have done a wheelchair access shower tray.

It was a ground floor home and it had a block and beam construction floor , I remember it well because after we took a couple of blocks out my mate scrambled under the floor to the other end of the house to poke the cable up to the consumer unit!

The screed was taken up first of course and then the tray was bedded onto sharp sand/cement with a 1"1/2 flexible pipe coming from the trap.

I think it was finished with a piece of trim which was screwed onto the edge of the tray where it meets the floor and then a low level shower door made up the enclosure.

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by CWatters on Feb 12^th, 2005, 10:57am

Thanks bstyle and jerryd. I was reasonably sure it's possible but it's good to know it's been done before. I've seen them on the stands at building shows here in Belgium but salesmen always tell you it's easy. They do look very good - and better than the wet room approach in my view.

I found another photo of a shallow tray...

http://www.firedearth.com/SiteImages/Site_1/image/Shower%20Tray.jpg

...bit expensive though!

Title: Re: Shower trays
Post by bstyle on Feb 12^th, 2005, 4:50pm

Have a look at the Wedi Fundo system