BATS Bathroom Shop

This page has advice on a wide range of bathroom problems and soloutions

A Rough Guide to Water Pressure (how much do you have)

The tap or shower you choose to buy will partly depend On the amount of water pressure you have in your Property.

Below is a rough guide to how much water pressure You might have?

And this depends on your water (central heating) system. You can see the different types below

We would always recommend that your plumber complete a water pressure test, this would usually be completed early morning as you are likely to use your shower/tap’s at the same time as you neighbours. A water pressure test will give you a definitive reading of the pressure in your property. Pressure is usually measured in bar , you will often see either LP, HP, 1/2 or 3 besides the description of a tap.

These can be translated like this:

LP (0 – 1 bar of pressure) – Low pressure ( Conventional system with a water storage tanks).

You can only use very low pressure taps and shower valves with this system.

HP1 (1-2 bar of pressure) – Moderate pressure (Combination boiler).

You probably have ok pressure but still best to use low pressure taps and shower valves to get the most out of the pressure you have.

HP2 (2-3 bar of pressure) – High pressure (Pumped system/high flow combination boilers/Unvented/sealed systems).

You can nearly have anything you want as you should have enough pressure (but check the products details just to be sure).

HP3 (3+ bar of pressure) – High pressure (Pumped system/unvented or sealed system).

Just buy what you want as everything will work on this system (although you probably live in a hotel to have that sort of system)

What you need to plan your bathroom?

Well you can do it online with a 3D Bathroom Design package

If you are coming into a bathroom showroom, these are the things they need to know to help you get the perfect bathroom for your space.

• The measurements of the room and where the door/windows are.
• The position of any sloping ceilings
• How you heat your house, combi boiler?
• Have you got a fitter booked to start, as they are often booked up months in advance (this is what will delay your bathroom start time the most)
• An idea of the style you would like

What are the British standard shower hose sizes?

Well, the standard size is 150cm and this comes in most bath shower mixers and shower sets that you buy as a complete set.

If you want to go bigger, then you can get a 1.75 or a 2m and even a 3m and 3.2m hose (and search for them like 1.75 shower hose etc)

If you want to go smaller the you can go 1.25 1m (although this seems permantley out of stock) 0.8m, 0.75 and our own 0.5m hose

A really small hose like the 500mm we do is mainly to look good with no big hanging down hose that people dislike so much.

Being so small it would be difficult to use unless it`s fixed position as 500mm is tiny, but it does look really neat :

What is Clearshield or Glass guard for a shower door etc

Well all these are compounds that are put on your shower door to make the water run off

and leave you with no water marks on your door (see picture for potential damage).

Whenever i am talking to a customer about this in the shop, they think i am doing the equivilent of selling a insurance policy with a toaster from Currys.

As it is another add on to the cost of their bathroom.

But i know from expirience (my kids bathroom has not got it in) how badly a door or

shower screen looks after a couple of years without it.

Save money elsewhere on your budget (normally the toilet).

A Lot of Shower doors like the Crosswater now include it as standard.

What is a wall outlet in a bathroom? and what does it do?

A wall outlet is what you need to take the water from your shower valve to your slide rail kit.

The mixed water from your shower valve goes inside your wall and out of this outlet.

Your shower hose is then connected to your wall outlet to take the water to your handset.

These days wall outlets are sometimes combined with handset holders,

which are sometimes thought to look neater than having a slide rail kit?

The most expensive wall outlet in the UK could be the Zucchetti Pan wall outlet and handset holder

Which retails at a whopping £261.

I suppose if you own a Maclaren sports car then that is a mere trifle

Slotted or Unslotted basin waste for your bathroom?

Slotted and unslotted are both different types of the same basin waste,

because they are for different types of basins.

Put the wrong one in your basin and you will have a flood eventually!!

Slotted (shown in the picture) is for basins with an overflow hole.

(normally you can tell as there is a hole on the inside wall of the basin and near the top of the waste)

Unslotted is for basins with no overflow no hole in basin or waste

I hope this helps?

How do i buy a replacement toilet seat?

We must get asked this at least 10 times a week.

To get the right seat we need the make and model number as a modern toilet tends to need a specific seat to fit it.

DO NOT buy a toilet seat for a modern toilet on just measurements alone!!!

Most modern toilet pans have a specific toilet seat to use with them and a

seat with the same measurements but from a different manufacturer WILL NOT WORK.

If you have a traditional toilet you are more fortunate as there are quite a few adjustable generic toilet seats available at all the DIY sheds that will probably fit your toilet pan.

If in doubt use the link below to find the right seat for your toilet

https://www.choicereplacementtoiletseatshop.co.uk/toilet-seat-finder/

Tips for a tall persons bathroom

DO NOT buy basins that sit on pedestals because these are a standard height and cannot be adjusted.

DO NOT buy floor mounted basin furniture.

BUY Wall hung basins and toilets which can be fitted at any height to suit you.

BUY Wall mounted furniture because these too can be adjusted in height if you tell your installer?

Plumbers/ bathroom installers will always fit to a standard size.

ALWAYS tell them exactly how high you want something to go.

Especially on shower heads (get them as high as pos).

It is your house so make the basin high enough so you do not have to stoop down too much.

If it is too high for some smaller people,

then get them a box to stand on (they do not think of you when they are installing their bathroom).

Draw a line on the wall where the plumber is to put the top edge of the basin.

Does it matter how many handles/ Knobs my shower valve have?

If you have high pressure then have as many handles on your shower valve that you like the look of.

If it is for a guest bathroom then a 3 handle valve tends to be simpler for guests to use, as it tends to be more obvious what handles should be used for.

If you have a combi boiler or low pressure then it does matter how many handles your valve has. So it is better to have 3 handles rather than 2.

This is basically because the insides of a 2 handle of valve are more condensed than a 3 handle valve.

The result of this, is that it takes more effort for the water to get round a 2 handle shower valve.

Thus reducing the pressure that reaches your shower head.

How to get rid of Grey marks on your basin bath or toilet?

These are called metal marks and are normally caused by toilet brushes or other metal objects being used inside the bowl.

Normal cleaners will not seem to touch these marks but don`t despair as there is another way to remove these marks.

These can be removed with a bath rubber like the one in the link below.

http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/bath-scuff-removing-rubber-1845-372

Do brushed brass taps last the test of time?

When brushed brass colour taps started appearing in 2018/2019,

We were very suspicious as we are all old hands and remember the grief, we had with gold taps oxidising. Back the 80`s. The manufacturers were not too sure either as they put only short warranty's on the actual finish.

However, 4 years later and we sell loads of them to our local customers and we are in a very hard water area,

and so far, they have kept their look for certainly longer than we or the manufacturers thought.

This is mostly down the the much-improved processes used to plate taps in much more modern factories than we used in the 80`s.

So will these taps last, well so far so good as long as you stick to these two conditions.

1. Always buy your taps from a main brand as you can trust the manufacturing process.

2. Don`t use really acidic cleaners like CIF, try to use non bleach cleaners like Ecover on your taps.

Macerators, what are they good for, absolutely nothing (you have to imagine being sung like the song war)

We don`t sell these things and we have lost customers because of it.

We know the advantages.....you can have a toilet anywhere in your house.

But we are a local company and when things go wrong customers come to our shop.

We don`t want people who have been woken up at 2am with gurgling noises,

or have had to dig up their bathroom to unblock a pipe venting their frustrations at us.

Personally, i have told friends not to put these in as they will regret it and they are always pissed off at me.

But years later they always say they should have listened to me.

They are a great idea and if used well and responsibly and regularly serviced they can work well.

But you only need one tampon or too much toilet paper and you have got a potential flood.

What is the difference between bath shrouds and standpipes?

Well, they both look the same but standpipes take the water up to the bath shower mixer tap

Whereas shrouds just cover your pipes.

The other difference is the price with standpipes being much more expensive.

Which one is better for getting the best pressure to your taps?

Well, you will have to ask your plumber before purchasing them,

as there is a chance that saving money will mean less pressure to your bath taps.

this all depends on the water pressure that you have and also the flow rate of your water.

What are panel valves in a bathroom?

Panel Valves are controls that often control the hot and cold-water feeds to an exofil bath filler or a bath spout.

These are are normally 3/4" as that allows a quicker flow of water to get to your filler/spout.

As they are quite simple devices, they tend not to need high pressure to operate them and so therefore,

can get a good flow of water to your bath compared to a shower valve.

the other advantage is that you can place them where you want.

So, you may want them at different positions on the bath or a tiled shelf nearby.

The give you flexibility with the function of your bath and done well can add to to the general design.

What is a Swirlflush toilet?

A Swirlflush Rimless toilet like the GSI one shown in the picture below works differently from your old rimmed toilet.

Basically this is partly because toilets without a rim look better and are easier to clean and partly because there is less water to flush with these (because of environmental regulations). So instead of the water being directed by a rim around the top of the toilet it now comes out in a much wider arc. Will this always clear everything away first time? then the answer to that is no. As in common with nearly all modern toilets that use 4.5l or 6l they do not work as well as the old 9l ones.

However, the water saved over a day by these types of toilets is massive, so it is worth doing.

Personally i like these modern rimless loos and although a bit more expensive they are well worth the money!

Integrated Wall Outlets

Oh, the bathroom industry loves a new name, now these integrated wall outlets are sometimes call shower kits.

These kits will use one outlet from your shower valve with the mixed water from the valve coming out of the handset.

Basically, they are a much neater way of having a showering option for a shower valve rather than a bulky slide rail kit.

The advantage is that they look really neat and suit many a modern design.

The disadvantage is that they have to sited well, as the height of the shower handset cannot be changed.

So not ideal if used by people of vastly different heights.

Are Acrylic baths any good?

Well shower baths that are made from acrylic sure look pretty, but are they any good? Personally, i like a good thick super steel bath to shower in but acrylic ones like the one below can work.

There are two really important things to make sure it works well.

Firstly don`t buy the cheapest you can get as these are normal wafer thin and rubbish with no guarantee.

Secondly get a really good fitter who will baton it to the wall and make a reinforcing cradle for it.

If you do both of these thigs you will end up with a bath that is warm to get into, stable to stand in, and most importantly has that room that you need to shower in.

What do you need for your bathroom basin

Well, if you have a basin in your bathroom, you will need two things.

One is a basin waste to suit the basin you have purchased.

The other is a bottle trap to take the water from the bottom of the waste to the wall.

The big difference is what type of bottle trap you should buy.

If you have a basin unit where it is hidden, then you should buy a £5 from Wickes as it won`t be seen.

Personally, i would use a low profile one, so you have more room for whatever you want to put in there.

If you have a basin where the bottle trap shows, then you have to spend more money on one like you can see in the picture.

All these bottle traps come with a pipe that goes to the wall that can be cut to size.

How to get a scratch off your bath

Well to get the mark or scratch off a steel bath we use a Bette bath rubber

This is softer than some bath rubbers and we prefer it. Depending on the bath, we sometimes use it with a bit of moisture when rubbing it on. This is so that after you have rubbed the scratch out then there is not a slightly matt looking part to the baths finish. Often if you have a long grey mark (we call them metal marks) and they look awful but they will come off easily with a bath rubber.

To get the mark or scratch of an acylic bath we use normal T Cut (the same as you use on a car). The basic idea behind both the rubber and T Cut is the same. You just wear the area around the scratch or mark to the same level as the scratch (marks come off more easily).

Please Note: if your bath is expensive the manufacturers may have a special cleaning kit or advice and we recommend you contact them first before repairing your bath.

Shower Head Nozzles

Well, they are called nipples or nozzles, it depends on who you talk to in the bathroom industry. I used to do the customer service in our shop and you have to be careful when you say " you should brush your nipples regularly"

Why did i need to say that?

It is because the rubber nipples on a bathroom shower head are a relatively new means to help combat scale.

Scale catches on these rubber nipples and if you brush your hand across them, it will dislodge any scale collected there.

This is a big improvement on the old meatal nozzle's which had to be cleaned by taking the whole head of and descaling it. You can often tell if the nipples need rubbing when a few of the jets start spraying water at different angles than normal.

The First Toilet and how it came to be

My toilet seat hinges have discoloured why?

Well the horrible truth is that is it will mostly be uric acid,

Or to put it another way wee splatter (normally a male problem

even if they hit the target).

If you don`t think this happens in your house just put

Some blank pieces of paper around the toilet and see how many

Splatters it accumulates over a day.

If only females use the toilet then the probable reason is bleach in

your cleaning chemicals.

Do you need to have a seperate bidet in your bathroom?

Well the answer is no, most bathrooms in this country are not big enough to have a seperate bidet, and why would you need to?

In the old days a bidet had a tap on it and you used this, but since thermostatic douche valves have come in there is no need to have that combination.

So just like the picture shows you can have a normal toilet and on the wall you can have a neat thermostatic douche valve set with the a trigger handset on a flexible hose.

The one shown in the picture is a gunmetal grey one from the JTP VOS range but there are many similar looking sets in different colours.

You can vary the flow and tempretuture by the lever handle and being thermostatic it will stay at that tempretaure no matter who turns a tap on elsewhere in the house or flat.

Shower Curtains, are they any good?

Well we refuse to sell them and always say they were a not good long term option unless you live in a caravan or very small home.

This is not snobbery, it is because they only have two positions.

One is sticking to you and the other is hanging over the side of the bath getting the floor soaking wet.

What i will say is that the designs of shower curtains in general have vastly improved so at least they are not an off white and streaked in grime like they used to be. Also because they are cheap you can change them when they get tatty. I know this is not very eco friendly but is 4 or 5 shower curtains less eco friendly than a glass screen?

The one thing i will say for shower curtains is that they make excellent picnic mats!

The importance of natural light in a bathroom

I always prefer natural light in a bathroom compared to frosted or another type of modesty glass.

Of course it helps if the view is as good as this bathroom i went into in Iceland (you have to be very careful when taking pictures in a public toilet for obvious reasons, but this view seemed worth the risk).

I would say that if your bathroom is not the prettiest then the natural light and views will distract the visitor on entering the room. The bathroom shown in the picture is very average but who is looking at that?

I just think natural light is a winner and if you don't have a window or it it is frosted then fit the bathroom light with a natural daylight bulb if you can.

Access covers, do you need them?

Well if you have a macerator like my neighbour does(see picture) then yes you do.

However if you have a hidden cistern purchased on this site then you do not. That is because all our frames and cisterns for wall hung toilets have all the access you need through the flush plate at the front. So you can happily tile around the rest of the boxing in. Knowing that if anything does go wrong, then all you need to do is to take off the flush plate to access the internals of the cistern.

If you do need to put an access panel for something else (like a Saniflo) then please make it accessible and easy to remove. Unlike my neighbours where you have to cut out piece of MDF with the tiles attached to get to where you want to get to.

Heated Towel Rail or Radiator

What do you need for your bathroom part 1

The picture shows a typical traditional British bathroom radiator.

There are modern versions of a bathroom radiator available.

Radiators or rads as they are sometimes called put out a lot more heat (measured in BTU`s) than a heated towel rail. This is because they tend to have much thicker main bodies than heated towel rails. They sometimes have a rail (like the one shown) to dry wet towel on, but normally these towels do not sit over a bathroom rad. This means that the heat produced is consistently greater than a heated towel rail which often has wet towels hanging over it.

To measure how much heat (BTU`S) you need then please use a BTU calculator like the one in this link https://www.diy.com/ideas-advice/calculators/btu-radiator-calculator

Once you have that you can tell what you need in total for your room.

This is only a rough guide as you will know yourself if the bathroom or shower room you have is a generally warm or cold room.

You can put a rad or heated towel rail with a larger BTU than you need as you can always turn down the temperature by the valves (which control the flow of hot water entering the rad).

Basically bathroom radiators normally give out more heat than most heated towel rails.

Heated Towel Rail or Radiator

What do you need for your bathroom part 2

The picture shows a typical UK bathroom heated towel rail

You can see that there is space between the sets of bars where you can hang towels to dry after bathing or showering. When there are wet towels on the Heated Towel Rail (HTR), this will mean that the heat is being absorbed by the wet towel and not going out into the room.

So no matter what BTU`s your HTR has, it will be a lot less when there are towels on it. So please bear this in mind when choosing what you want.

To measure how much heat (BTU`S) you need then please use a BTU calculator like the one in this link https://www.diy.com/ideas-advice/calculators/btu-radiator-calculator

I always like stepping out of a shower into a warm towel.

If you are like me then i would say but a HTR but please get one that generates more heat than you need (you can always turn the temperature down by the rad valves at the bottom of the rail) this way you can have the heat you need even if there is a wet towel over some of the bars.

Bathroom Mirror for Metro Tiles

This Black Metro mirror (also available in polished chrome) from Origins Living is the perfect accompaniment to your small Metro tiles.

When you have Metro style tiles in your bathroom or shower room the ideal mirror to go with it tends to be of a minimalist style.

A big bold mirror or cabinet works really well in a big bathroom with fixtures that are quite plain. As it will be a feature that draws the eye. However with the small brick style tiles don`t need the mirror to stand out, they need it to emphasise the looks of the tiling (hopefully loving tiled in by a quality tiler).

This mirror comes without the light shown but you can add it on from the matching bathroom products shown beneath this listing.

You can see this mirror in our online shop at:

https://www.batsbathrooms.co.uk/p/metro-mirror-in-black-by-origins-living

Angled bathroom mirror in black for wheelchair user, smaller person or child

At last a mirror for a disabled bathroom that has not been beaten with the ugly stick. So many products for these bathrooms are functional (which they need to be) but terrible to look at (which they don`t need to be).

This Inclusive mirror from Origins Living could improve any disabled bathroom.

They also do a version in brushed stainless steel, but this is the coolest look in my opinion and it goes well with the standard brushed steel look you see in these pictures. It can transform a very plain toilet as you can see in the picture.

It also a very useful mirror to have in a children's bathroom or one that kids use, as you don`t want them standing on something every time they brush their teeth.

Also i think it would be very useful for couples where there is a big height difference as a standard mirror means that the taller person can only see their chest normally.

Origins Living make this mirror so we know the quality of it will be very good, and as it is in UK stock it can be delivered in a few days.

How not to install a wet room floor

Well if a picture said a thousand words then it is this one.

The whole point of a wet room is that the water runs to the lowest point.

Which is always where the shower waste/drain should be.

In the bathroom shown in the picture the lowest point would be under the door, which i suggest is not ideal!!

The most important thing about these floors is that they do not leak.

These days these type of showering floors are sold in kit form with a solid membrane which will not allow water to seep through even if there are gaps between the tiles when the grouting comes off.

But that does not quite take out the human error so we would really making sure that your wet room fitter has done it before and even better that he is a specialist in the fitting of them. Pictures of previous work with customer references would be even better.

These type of rooms are the future of bathrooms in the UK and around the world has saving water and the cost of heating water make people switch from baths to showers .

Is a Foot rest in your shower a good thing?

The picture showers a Quick shower foot rest from Sonia in Spain.

In Europe these are becoming more common, but we are not so sure about them.

We can see the use of them but there are several issues to get right before you install one.

The first issue is to make sure that you install it away from where people walk into the shower, particularly if there are people who do not normally use the shower regularly are going to be entering the cubicle.

The second is that it is crucial that it is installed at the correct height that you need it to be. Mark it on the tiles with a piece of tape if you are not going to be there when the plumber is going to put it in. This is crucial as what is the point in having one if it is not in the right place.

Personally if i had a big enough shower cubicle or walk in/wet room showering area i would put one in as it will make washing your feat so much easier and safer than standing like a flamingo in a wet slippery area.

Albany Aged Brass accessories by Origins Living

We don`t normally use this advice column to say how much we like a product range, but there is something about the Albany aged brass range.

All we have is the basic product (no lifestyle photos yet) pictures. However it just stands out for the simplicity of the design. You can imagine them being in a manor house or a castles bathroom hundreds of years ago.

When Origins Living were called bathroom Origins they were mostly a distributor for the European brands Gedy, Sonia and Ramon Soler. They have used their knowledge of the UK bathroom market to design and source several ranges of accessories that are more in tune with the British market.

I also have to say that the photographer they used has done a superb job as normally when it is just a bare accessory and not in a lifestyle setting then it is hard to show the quality of the design. But the photos are really superb and you can see them at https://www.batsbathrooms.co.uk/c/brands/origins-living-sonia-and-gedy/albany-aged-brass

Are Metal or Plastic ABS shower heads better?

Well when you get to feel them then the metal one does feel better. They are normally made of brass or brass mixed with other metals and then coated/plated in the finish colour that you choose.

Having said that when they are up on your bathroom/shower wall or ceiling you just cannot tell the difference, and the plastic one will not rust as the metal one will do (although it will take a long time if they are from a good brand).

Of course the manufacturers who make the plastic ones would never use the P word so they tend to call the material they are made from ABS.

As with anything in the bathroom industry it depends a lot on the brand and the price as to the quality and longevity of the product you buy.

In conclusion, if a reputable brand was selling an ABS plastic shower head at a decent price then i would not think twice about installing one in my own bathroom/shower room.

Do bathroom grab and safety bars have to be ugly?

Well as you can see from the picture then no they don`t have to be.

This is a Sonia Lux grab bar turned vertically in one of our customers bathrooms.

In the past bathroom grab and safety bars were very functional and basically did not look very good aesthetically. This led to some people not wanting them put in their showering areas leading to many avoidable accidents.

Grab bars should always (in our opinion) but put into the walls of shower cubicles and above baths for anyone who is even slightly unsteady on their feet.

Both Gedy (Italy) and Sonia (Spain) make a very good selection of these better looking bars in a variety of colours including white and black. They test these bars by hanging huge weights off them for long periods of time contentiously. So you know they will not fail when someone falls and grabs one of them to steady themselves.

Of course the most important thing about these type of safety devices is that they are placed correctly. To do this you need to get the person who will be using the bath or shower to climb into the are they are going to be showering in, and wherever their hand naturally goes, then that is where the bar should go. They might also need one when standing showering. Again the same principle applies. As you want the whole experience to be as natural as possible.

Basically these days you can have both style and safety in your bathroom.

Electric Toothbrush Holder for the Bathroom

At last a decent bathroom brand (Sonia in Spain) has made a stylish wall mounted electric toothbrush holder in both black and white colours. Part of the Quick range of bathroom accessories that we sell on this site.

There are lots of cheap electric toothbrush holders in the market but hardly any good quality ones from a manufacturer that we trust.

The problem with the charging holders that usually sit on the site is that they not only look horrible. They just seem to show the gunk that accumulates at the bottom of them. Also they take up space at the side of our basins and make them look cluttered and rarely does the style match anything else we have in the bathroom.

So when we saw these come out as a new range in 2022, we were delighted as we can consign those ugly charger/holders to the back of the storage cupboards (until we need them for charging again).

A Stick on Shower Basket that Works

At last there is a branded stick on bathroom shower basket, not like the cheap rubbish ones with silly suckers that end up falling off all the time.

This is idea if you have very expensive tiles or it is impractical to drill holes in your wall. Or like you me you are just useless like me. Well the picture just shows the backplate but if you go to our listing at

https://www.batsbathrooms.co.uk/p/stick-on-shower-baskets-made-by-3m-uk

You will find all the baskets that can go with this backplate.

This 3M adhesive backplate for shower baskets will only work with the Sonia shower baskets shown below this listing. this backplate is meant for smooth (less than 0.5mm roughness) flat tiles, glass, concrete and walls. As it is made by 3M, you know it will be of good quality and last a long time (as long as you follow the fitting instructions).

The holding weight for this backplate is 5KG (so don`t fall on it).

A light above your bath has some disadvantages

I recently used a shower above a bath at a friends house. To them i am sure there was no issue in the light above the bath, but they are not 6`4.

For me it was a case of limbo showering, which at my advanced age is not a long term solution.

Having a light like this above a bath is a great idea if you spend your time reading in the bath, but it really should be planned out to ensure that different body sizes can use it. You may this does not matter, but if you are selling the property and a taller person is interested. They will either be put off by that or will try and knock some money off the asking price.

Illumination in the bathroom is crucial, but please think about it first.