Sanitation, electricity, heating

Building plumbing in the bathroom area should be started from building sanitation connection, that is special branch-pipes connecting sanitation pipes to individual appliances.

Wash basins, bath tubs and shower cabins can have the same branch-pipe connecting them to the sanitation pipes. An individual branch-pipe, below the others, should be the one for the toilet.

Toilet branch-pipes should be no longer than 1 m; branch-pipes for bath tubs, wash basins and shower cabin can be as long as 3m. To avoid problems with slow water drainage or clogged drainage pipes , we should carefully choose their head and diameter.

Sanitation pipes should have a head form 1 to 3 inches for each m. The pipes diameter depends on the kind of the connected appliance- for a toilet the pipes are 110 mm in diameter; for a bath tub or a shower cabin 50 mm; and for the wash basin drainage 32-40 mm.

Drainage inlets ought to be placed on different levels depending on the type of the connected appliances. In case of wash basins - drainage inlet is 20 to 24 inches above the floor, shower cabins about 2 to 3 inches, bath tubs about 6 to 7 inches above the floor. Obviously, all drainage inlets should have safety knees protecting us from bad sanitation smells.

Toilet drainage could be solved in two ways. We can choose from a vertical or horizontal drainage. The horizontal drainage is the one used most often, although there is vertical drainage in older buildings. We need to choose a proper type of the toilet pan, depending on the kind of the toilet drainage.

Sanitation installation is just a part of the bathroom “pipe” system. The second, equally essential part, is the water installation. That is, the pipes leading water to the bathroom appliances- wash basins, bath tubs, shower cabins and toilet flushes. Water can be easily led anywhere in the bathroom if we use proper pipes.

The pipes can be laid either in the floor or in the walls. We can choose from classic steel, copper pipes or plastic ones. Unfortunately, the most popular steel pipes have a lot of faults: poor quality steel and polluted water cause a very quick corrosion, and the pipes get clogged with stone. Thus they need to be changed every 7 to 10 years. So we had better think carefully about choosing copper installation (more expensive) or a plastic one (comparable price to steel pipes).

Plastic pipes are lighter than the steel ones and it is easier to install them. Their low thermal conductivity means low thermal loses. Inner surface of those pipes is very smooth which lowers the flow resistance and prevents from stone deposit. Plastic pipes do not influence the taste, colour or the smell of the water. However, they are sun light and high temperature sensitive.

Copper pipes are resistant to high temperatures and sun radiance. They show good thermal and electrical conductivity. That material is flexible, which means they are easy to put together. Copper pipes are very solid- when installed correctly, they can last up to 50 years.

However, they are very sensitive to some kind of corrosion.

Electrical installation

Before we start putting electrical installation, we need to plan it; or at least set the functionality requirements and approximate position of its elements. We need to define the type of lighting the way of switching it on. We have to also decide whether we wan to have a floor heating in our bathroom, a hot water tank, a hydro massage bath tub or a ventilator. All these appliances need to have a planned and proper feed.

Electrical wires are put in or beneath the plaster. Those wires need to be tight-fitted and insulated.

Electrical sockets should have earth pins, be hermetic, tight-fitted and water proof. It is good to plan the number of the sockets we need- that way we will avoid re-plugging of our appliances.

Accordingly to the regulations the sockets should be installed in a safe distance from bath tubs or shower cabins- 24 inches minimum. They have to be installed on a proper height -the switches 56 inches above the floor, the sockets-230V 48 inches above the floor, electrical framework 2m.

We should think about the bathroom lighting, light points and the switch positions before planning electrical installation.

Heating

Installing the floor heating in the bathroom may turn out to be a very practical solution. We can have either water or electrical floor heating; both heating systems differ in construction and the costs of work. Water heating is more expensive in construction but cheaper in use.

We can use three types of heating elements in floor electrical heating: wires (the cheapest), mats and foils. When the current flows through these elements they heat up and transmit the heat to the floor. Electrical heating systems are usually fed with one phase current 230V, rarely three phase current 300V.

Plastic pipes are the basics of the floor water heating. A thermal and damp proof isolation is indispensable when installing this type of heating. Water installations are heated with water as hot as 50 degrees centigrade, which comes from an additional heating boiler or heating nodes. That`s why this type of heating is recommended for buildings with a central heating installation.

When we make up our minds and decide to install the floor heating, it is worth remembering that in most cases the floor level will be lifted- about 5-7.5cm (12.5-18.75 inches).

The electrical heating cables and water heating pipes should be put on a previously prepared concrete floor, electrical mats and warming foils do not need previously prepared groundwork. The best materials for finishing the floor in this kind of bathroom are the ones which transmit the heat well- marble, granite, and ceramic materials. Due to the difference in expansibility between concrete and the floor ceramic tiles, we should not use too big tiles. More over, the spaces between the tiles should be filled with a special elastic joint.

Good ventilation is absolutely essential due to numerous sources of dampness in the bathroom. Efficient ventilation allows us to use safely gas water heaters.

Natural forces can be used to ventilate the bathroom or ventilating-fans which force the air flow. Natural gravitational ventilation is the most common way of the air conversion in a room. Ventilation lattice-work should be placed as far from the doorway as possible, so that there is some air flow throughout the bathroom. There should also be lattice holes in the bathroom door letting the air into the bathroom. Under no circumstances should those holes be covered.

Natural gravitational ventilation is good enough n small bathrooms. However, bathrooms size 5.5 sq m or bigger need to have ventilation systems which force the air flow. We can reinforce ventilation in those kinds of bathrooms using an exhaust mechanical ventilation.

Additional ventilators working continuously are usually installed in exhaust canals or lattice-work. They are switched on when we are using the bathroom or when there is too much steam in the room. We need to bear in mind that those kinds of appliances limit the natural gravitational ventilation when they are not used.