1, Make sure that you buy branded bathroom taps from a reputable retailer through your local showroom or online shop, lots of people are being teased by very cheap prices into buying poor quality import brass ware through shops and the Internet, What I have noticed is that retailers are calling taps by a brand name but when you search for the manufacturer there are no details of them online. So make sure that the manufacturer has a base in the UK.

The reason retailers are now doing this is that it protects them against you finding the same product cheaper elsewhere.

2, It is critical that you select the brand you buy and check that it is suitible for your water system, you need to look for the minimum pressure that a tap or shower will work on e.g 0.2 bar which means you will need 2 meters of distance between the bottom of your cold water storage tank and where the water flows from the taps or shower.

So for each 1 meter in distance you will need 0.1 bar.

*Note If you do not have a cold water storage tank this does not apply unless the stated pressure is above 2.0 bar then call a plumber and get you pressure tested to make sure you have enough.

3, A cheap tap or shower is not good value for money as you will be paying out for a replacement and a plumbers bill which is a lot more costly than paying just a bit more for a recognized brand.

More to follow…

The range for basins consists of the Stream monobloc basin mixer, a mini basin mixer, a tall basin mixer, a two hole wall mounted basin mixer where the control handle sits above the spout on a rectangular backplate.

For the bath you have a 3 hole bath filler, a 5 hole bath set or you could use a set of hot and cold deck mounted panel valves and the separate bath spout, you also have the option of using a manual shower valve or a manual shower valve with diverter which could be used with a bath filler overflow and shower handset.

For showering there are choices of a Crosswater Stream thermostatic shower valves for a shower head or riser rail and handset or you have the same thermostatic shower valve with a built-in diverter which can operate two separate items independently, a portrait and landscape shower valves with two stop cocks for operating two items simultaneously, and finally within the showering range will be a 3 way thermostatic shower valve again both portrait and landscape orientation.

RRP £319.00 Best Buy Save 30% Taptore.com £223.00

A great little feature of this product is that there is a flow switch sensitivity adjustment on the outlet of the pump which gives you a small amount of movement in how much flow activates the product.

There has been no compromise in the construction of the impeller casing using a thicker casting of brass making a quieter pump. I have used the 1.0 bar single impeller fitted in a cupboard in my office and I can hear it, when I previously had a Stuart Turner pump fitted and I could not say the same.

These are suitable for shower installations whole house pumping and if you select the negative head pumps version loft conversions alike and in my mind I would not fit anything else.

The Techflow Turbo range consists of a 1, 2, 3, and 4.0bar options in both single ended and twin ended with the choice of both positive and negative head.

If you are interested in further information and prices then look at the full selection on the link here.

No compromise has been made in bringing this range of taps and showers to the market the angular lines cut by the range are sharp and concise.

The RS2 basin mixer with pop up waste as seen in the image on the left is going to be on sale for £139.00 which is amazing value for the quality of this product.

In the range will also be a tall monobloc basin mixer a basin mixer with a side lever, three hole wall and deck mounted basin mixers, separate basin and bath taps, there is also a monobloc bidet mixer.

For the bathing area there are lots of great choices starting with deck mounted bath filler and bath shower mixer, 3 and 5 hole bath sets, even a freestanding bath shower mixer ( as in image ) or you can make up your own configuration with the separate diverters and side bodies.

With showering always in tapstore’s mind they have made sure that the RS2 comes with all you would need to complete the design in full, there is a recessed thermostatic shower valve options from 1, 2, or 3 way or a surface mounted thermostatic bar shower valve, or the stunning RS2 deluxe multifunction shower with its rectangular shower head and showering handset (as shown).

To see the complete range visit Tapstore.com if you decide this is the range for you mention the bathroom designer and grab an extra 5% discount.

The Qube has simple clean lines that have square connotations to all the pieces in the range, all made from good quality chrome plating on a brass finish the have been manufactured to last.

With a WC roll holder at just £18.00 they are price to reach the most frugal customers of today’s market and are a huge hit with the designers on a tight budget.

Bristan Qube bathroom accessories in the range.

The chroming quality is very good something to look out for in cheaper ranges, the flow rate on the low pressure items is better than most other low pressure models of single lever mixer taps, for a mass produced Chinese import product the consistency of brass casting is very good, and the valve technology is exceptional the ceramic disc cartridge mixing valve for the mono-bloc basin mixer has a flow limiter built in restricting the volume of water that can be used (especially required for higher pressure systems) the temperature on the hot side can also be restricted making hotter stored water safer to use.

Products in the Storm bathroom tap range: *Note the basin mixers come both with and without pop up wastes.

Storm mini basin mixers.

RRP £876.00 best buy Tapstore.com £613.00

Crosswater’s

The shower head is made from Chrome plated solid brass and is an ultra thin design and manufactured from the highest specification. It requires 3.0 bar pressure as a minimum pressure.

The Crosswater Rio Led shower head comes with a 15 year Guarantee.

RRP £2499.00

At 300 x 430mm it will wow the shower user and at only 4mm thick its slimline design you will be the envy of all who grace the bathroom or wetroom of your dreams.

You will need at least 2.0bar pressure to get the best function out of this shower head.

Guaranteed for 10 years. RRP £599.00

To compliment the shower valve they have put this together with their QL2 shower head (200mm x 145mm) also made from solid brass with chrome plating and rub clean jet nozzles to aide the cleaning of lime scale build up, the head measures 200mm x 145mm and is only 10mm think.

The square shower arm is 400mm long.

This QL2 shower valve and QL2 Head pack is suitable for both high and low pressure water systems and requires a minimum operating pressure of 0.2 bar.

Guaranteed for 10 Years, RRP £670.00, Tapstore’s current autumn sale price £489.00.

*There is a special extra 5% discount on the whole QL2 range if you mention The Bathroom Designer website on any orders before Christmas.