Thermostatic mixer shower installation in Macclesfield
In short
A mixer shower blends your existing hot and cold water rather than heating its own, so the flow is as good as your system allows. The thermostatic cartridge is the important part: it holds the temperature steady when a tap runs elsewhere, and it shuts the shower down if the cold supply fails.
Also called: thermostatic shower · mixer shower fitted · concealed shower valve · shower valve replacement
Mixer showers come in two forms. Exposed valves sit on the wall surface and are straightforward to fit and to service. Concealed valves are buried in the wall with only the control plate showing, which looks better and is a considerably bigger job — the wall has to be chased or a false wall built, and future servicing depends entirely on the valve being accessible from the front through the plate.
Thermostatic operation is what you are really paying for. Inside is a wax or bi-metallic element that expands and contracts to adjust the blend as supply temperatures change. It means the shower does not scald you when someone flushes a toilet, and — the safety function that matters most — it shuts off almost instantly if the cold supply is lost. That is the difference between a thermostatic valve and a cheap manual mixer, and it is why they are the standard for family bathrooms.
The system you have decides which valve will work. A high-pressure system — a combi boiler or an unvented cylinder — supplies both hot and cold at mains pressure, and takes a high-pressure valve. A gravity system with a loft tank and a vented cylinder delivers low pressure and needs a valve specified for it, or a pump. Fitting a high-pressure valve to a gravity system is the single most common reason a new shower disappoints.
Balanced supplies matter too. If the cold comes off the mains and the hot from a tank, the pressures are wildly different and the valve cannot blend them properly. On a gravity system the shower's cold should be taken from the storage tank, not the mains, so both sides sit at the same head. Getting that right is unglamorous and it is the difference between a shower that works and one that surges.
Where flow is poor even with everything correct, a shower pump is the answer on a gravity system, or an unvented cylinder upgrade if the whole house would benefit. Both are covered elsewhere in this section.
What the job covers
- Assessing whether your system is high pressure or gravity fed
- Fitting exposed or concealed thermostatic valves
- Balancing hot and cold supplies so the blend is stable
- Chasing walls or forming ducts for concealed valves
- Fitting risers, heads, hoses and shower arms
- Commissioning, temperature setting and flow testing
What it costs
We don't publish a price for this yet, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number at all — your plumber has to honour it. You'll get a firm price for your actual job when they ring you back, before any work starts. The quote itself is free and there's no obligation either way.
Common questions
Why does my shower go cold when a tap is used?
Either the valve is not thermostatic, or the cartridge inside has failed. A working thermostatic valve should hold temperature within a degree or two when another outlet runs.
Is a concealed valve worth it?
It looks far better, and good ones are fully serviceable from the front. The extra cost is in the building work behind it, so it is much cheaper as part of a full refit than as a standalone change.
Need this doing in Macclesfield?
Tell us the job and it goes straight to our local plumber — one call back, usually the same day. Free quote, no obligation.