Bathroom taps

[DIYamateur]

I have stalked all the bathroom threads and @PigletJohn threads and although I now have a good idea of the main considerations, I still feel at a loss when it comes to finalising my choice of bath taps and basin taps.

I know it has to be Bristan . My ideal would be wall hanging taps with a single lever to turn the water on and regulate the temperature. I think PigletJohn calls these joystick taps and advises against them Having separate taps isn't an option, therefore what kind of mixer taps are ok? @PigletJohn, any thoughts? If lever taps are a bad idea, do you recommend separate non-quarter turn taps with a single spout instead?

We have a gravity fed system with water tank in the loft. I can stop the water flow at the basin with my thumb (hot and cold). The flow on the bath taps is 16-17 litres a min.

In terms of the bath taps, I would ideally also like these to be wall hanging but it's not a must. I've been thinking, given that PJ always advises getting exposed showers to avoid having to break tiles to fix problems, presumably the same applies to bath taps on the wall. I've never seen a wall hanging tap that has exposed elements, so perhaps this also indicates that going for the usual bathroom tap is the way forward.

I'm not going to even touch on baths as I'm totally lost there and it's the one area I'm hoping to save a bit of money on as so far this bathroom is costing us a fortune

For background I have a tiny bathroom and so am designing everything with the aim of maximising space, i.e. wall hanging toilet and basin, shower over bath, wall hanging heated towel rail.

Also, the current flow on my shower is an abysmal 2.3 litres/min whereas at the bath taps it's 16-17 litres/min. Any idea why this might be and will a Bristan shower suitable for 0.1 bar fix thus for me? Say it will!

All advice gratefully received and appreciated!!

Personally if you love the wall mounted look then I would take the risk. I’ve had wall mounted taps and shower controls for ages and none have ever gone wrong (touch wood!). Depending on your layout you might also have the possibility to access any faults from the other side of the wall to avoid messing with tiles. Get decent quality like Crosswater or Bristan to reduce chance of faults. These are also UK brands designed for low pressure UK systems.

Regarding shower pressure/flow I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much if you are sticking with a gravity fed system. It’s just possible your shower flow is being reduced by a flow limiter on the current shower head (esp if it’s a european brand) but more likely it’s due to gravity ie the pipework goes up the wall to the shower. Don’t get a big rain showerhead whatever you do. Avoid German/other euro brands. The Bristan one sounds sensible but how big is it?

Regarding baths, acrylic will be cheaper, this is one area I would choose to save money and go acrylic. Spend the budget on the taps and cistern/flush (esp if hidden in a wall) and save it on the bath/sink/loo/mirror. Try not to fall in love with expensive tiles

Bath taps, especially old ones designed for UK markets, are big and have large internal waterways so that water can flow through them easily, hence they can give a good flow even with low pressure.

flashy stylish Italian and other imports, not.

Shower mixers are usually smaller, though I find the round-bodied Aqualisa mixers pretty good.

If your shower was added after the bathroom was built, it might have smaller pipes and long, complex pipe runs and tiny valves which will obstruct flow. To get a good shower off low pressure supplies, you need a shower pump (though my house has over ten metres of head to the guest room, and the shower flow is acceptable).

P.s. Bristan taps are better than Bristan showers. I think they buy the showers from another maker.

Aqualisa shower mixers with the round body are my favourite.

Thanks both! For the shower I was intending to go for an exposed Aqualisa mixer. I would like to avoid as pump due to the extra noise and extra cost for installation and equipment. It sounds like changing some of the pipework could improve things?

If the only way to get better flow will be with a pump then I think we'll have to consider it. At the moment I dread using our shower and am desperate for something better so I can stop having to take most of my showers at work/at the gym!

@minipie, thanks for your recommendation on where to save money, really helpful! I think I may well have fallen in love with expensive tiles but our floor area is v minimal so I can live with that. I may have to re-evaluate my wall time choice as the area to be covered is much larger than I initially realised! Must start measuring up...

Sorry just realised I specifically mentioned Bristan shower in my first post! That should have been Aqualisa, of course. Had Bristan in the head due to the post being about my taps