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…

At 0.3 bar pressure the basin mixer will still produce 5.9 liters per minute when needed but use the Eco click control and you will get a flow rate of 1.9 liters per minute, even at 1.0bar pressure the eco click cartridge will at full flow produce 10.5 liters per minute and just 3.9 with the eco click control. Tapstore.com’s green policy means that you can get a flow restrictor for higher pressure systems that will make the maximum flow just 9 liters per minute free of charge.

Who said you cannot look good saving the planet.

Products within the Bristan Quadrato range will be a monobloc basin mixer with pop-up waste £109.00, a monobloc basin mixer with no waste £84.00, a bidet mixer with pop-up waste £93.00, a pair of basin £98.00 and bath taps £117.00, a bath filler £192.00, and a bath shower mixer £236.00.

For special promotional deals Tapstore.com currently running a water saving special on eco taps where you get a massive 30% off RRP and if you mention The Bathroom Designer and buy more than one item from the range you can get an extra 5% till June ’09′.

There are two different types of shower pump centrifugal and regenerative, centrifugal are quieter and more efficient, regenerative are cheaper and easier to install.

You should choose the pump based on the size of the plumbing pipes where it is going to be fitted, i.e if you have 15mm pipes where the pump is to be fitted then use a 15mm pump and if your pipes are 22mm then use a 22mm pump. The pressure of a pump should be matched to the equipment it is pumping too, If the product states that it requires 2.0 bar pressure then purchase 2.0bar and above shower pump.

Try to plan the pump installation so that the pump will be sited as close to the hot water cylinder as possible, if you are fitting the pump in the loft or above the hot water cylinder regenerative pumps are a better solution as they tend to be less effected by the air that can accumilate above the hot water cylinders.

Top right Image is a regenerative Salamander CT50 contract shower pump and bottom right is the Salamander centrifugal RSP50 centrifugal Shower pump.

In this small range they have a Monobloc basin mixer, a bidet mixer both basin and bath taps, a bath shower mixer and a bath filler.

RRP Blade Basin Mixer £114.00 inc VAT

The Crosswater Totti thermostatic shower valve (left) is a nice example of a crosshead shower valve with a ten year guarantee and will function well right down to 0.2bar pressure. available from tapstore for £252.00.

I also like there Bristan Artisan shower at only £99.00 it is a bargain it comes with a 5 year guarantee and is thermostatic as well the handles and front plate are not as good a quality as with the crosswater valve but for less than half the price who would worry.

Both available from Tapstore.com

Multifunction shower head choice

If you are looking for an exhilarating shower the a multifunction shower head is for you there are so many out there that you really need to consider what is the right one for you. The spray patterns that are available are massage, mist, pulse, rain, drench, and water saving mode.

Most consumers that purchase a multi function shower head do so leaving the shower head in the rain pattern all of the time ask your self this question first as a multi function shower head simply does not perform as well in a rain pattern as a single function shower head.

Single function shower head choice

The single function shower heads are rain or drench pattern only, they are the best at giving a good volume of water which for a practical shower is really what most people desire, they generally operate at lower pressures and can work as low as 0.1 bar pressure and still give you the function required.

There are now many water saving Eco shower heads on the market that will split or atomise the water flow to give a good spray pattern but higher pressures would be required to obtain the correct function.

Large fixed shower head choice

Previously these were called traditional shower roses available in 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and even 12″ diameters you can still get the traditional shower roses and they are great but they have limitations, the water jets are a series of drilled holes that can get lime scaled up easily, and they do tend to use a vast amount of water and can either drain all your hot water or if you are on a mains fed system it cannot supply enough water.

The new generation of fixed shower head is both stylish and practical there are some many designs to choose from a round fixed head to square fixed heads, flat chunky you name it its available to you. The added benefit of choosing a modern designed fixed shower head is that you get a large showering drench head without using a huge volume of water. The way the jets are designed they will always hold back some flow even under pressure, the other main benefit is that you will get rub clean jets and that stop lime scale build up and gives the product durability.

With the large shower Heads you will need to choose either a wall arm of at least 300mm or a ceiling arm to connect to the shower head. By having a large fixed shower head you will need to consider the one down side as is with all fixed heads you will not be able to rinse out or clean the shower enclosure or bath that easily so the addition of a handset is always a good idea so it is worthwhile buying a thermostatic shower valve with a built in diverter so that one you have finished invigorating yourself a quick jet from the handset and your done!!!

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.

A design innovation in brassware from Crosswater and the One monobloc basin mixer certainly is that.

You will need a high pressure water system 1 bar minimum to get the best performance from the One bathroom taps, in the range is a tall basin mixer, a 3 hole basin set, 2 wall mount basin mixers one with a shelf, bidet mixer, a wall mounted bath shower mixer, there are also manual valves for showering and bath filling operations.

The One Monobloc Basin Mixer RRP £349.00 tapstore.com £279.00.

If you mention The Bathroom Designer you can get another 5%.

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

The hot and cold water supplies can be connected above the ceiling in the loft space and the shower is simply mounted on top of the tiling, This Bristan Prism Twinline thermostatic shower is suitable for use with both high and low pressure water systems with a minimum pressure of 0.1 bar.

With its accurate temperature control, and a separate flow control the performance is outstanding, the cold water flow travels around the outside with the hot water running through the center of the pole making sure that safety to the touch giving a family friendly product.

RRP £446.00 best buy Tapstore.com £312.00