The Bathroom Designer

I do not know how they do it a Bristan Artisan thermostatic bar shower valve for just £76.00, well it is the latest version Bristan has redesigned for 2008 with its up to date eco friendly water saving mode which can be over-ridden for that extra showering boost.

I do think this shower is a massive improvement on the last model which was one of there best selling shower valves, I feel there are going to be onto a winner with the latest version too.

This shower will function on water pressures as low as 0.1bar and work right upto 5bar so what ever your water system you will get a great showering experience.

Best Buy Tapstore.com £76.00

Recessed shower valves are harder to install but look certainly neater in design and are better in performance. Why I hear you ask?

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

A fixed shower head is now one of the most important features you will choose for your shower or bathroom so lets look at whats available to get the best showering experience for you.

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 G - Type Bathroom taps from Bristan are engineered to perfection with a slide control operation on the range for hot and cold flow and temperatures. This is an original way of operating the mixers and it works a treat as the temperature controls are exacting to say the least.

In the Bristan G-Type range is a monobloc basin mixer as shown on the left, a three hole basin mixer for the larger basin, the most stunning wall mounted bath filler, a conventional wall mounted bath shower mixer, and a thermostatic bath shower mixer with the style and functionality as well of being able to have a fully thermostatic shower over your bathing area, and just to top off the range if thats not enough for you there is the stand out in a crowd freestanding bath shower mixer to satisfy the larger bathrooms.

RRP £293.00 G-Type Monobloc Basin Mixer

Best Buy Tapstore.com £205.00

When it comes to shower pumps the Salamander RSP 50 is a good choice as it is quiet and reliable, out of all of Salamanders ranges of booster pumps I think this is the cream of the crop, Why I hear you ask? Several reasons, it’s centrifugal so it is quiet, it’s 15mm pipe connections so its just perfect for a standard thermostatic shower valve and small shower head, it’s flow rate is exceptional for a 1.5 bar pump and it’s cheap.

With lots of other pumps available in their product ranges they do have more powerful models for more demanding applications.

RRP £240.88.

The concept is simple the Bristan Prism Twinline ceiling fed shower is the easy retro fit shower valve option its neat and tidy and can easily be installed after the tiling is complete or where you have not had a shower previously fitted.

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

If you want to be different then this is the product for you, These Arc bathroom taps from Bristan are available in chrome only and include a playful spout design throughout offering an interesting contrast to their tubular main bodies. The ceramic disc valves with joystick action allows for easy operation and durability.

The Arc from Bristan is a fairly limited range with only this monobloc basin mixer and a bath shower mixer or a thermostatic bath shower mixer available in the range.

RRP Monobloc Basin Mixer £226.00

We are going to be doing some shopping for you to save the hours of searching we have found the cheapest branded Power Shower on the market. The New Team NT 1000 XT thermostatic power shower is our credit crunch buster, it comes with a 3 mode spray shower handset a 10 liters per minute flow rate.

We have found it for £142.00 including delivery on Tapstore.com.

2 year Guarantee.

So if you are after a power shower on a budget then that is defiantly a good bet.

Introducing the QL2 Shower Valve and rectangular shower head from Tapstore.com this product was shown to me by tapstore recently and I loved it, the quality of the thermostatically operated shower valve was evident immediately, the front plate is made from 6mm solid brass chrome plated the handles are also solid brass chrome plated, the valve cartridge is temperature sensitive to 1°c and is as smooth as a baby’s bum in control.

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 limescale 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.

The Prism shower pole with fixed shower head, handset and body jets an all in one showering sensation, With a thermostatic shower valve a 200mm shower head, two adjustable body jets and a slimline shower handset it has all you will needs for your showering area.

With this Prism shower you can use the powerful overhead shower or use the shower head and body jets together or if you do not want to get your hair wet then just simply use the rub clean shower handset  - the choice is yours. And with the separate controls it means you can select your temperature and flow levels to suit you.

It is an easy to install unit with a just add water style fit, the concept is that you will save a lot of installation time and money but get the function of a seperate shower valve, head, body jets and rinse handset and if there are any future parts in need of replacing its all surface mounted so another task to deal with.

RRP £1568.00 Best Buy Tapstore.com £1064.00