There are a range of options when it comes to selecting the right shower valves for your bathroom setup – it’s not always as simple as you think it may be!
So, stick with us and, by the time we are done here, you will know exactly how to differentiate your concealed thermostatic shower valve from your 2 way shower diverter valve. You will also have come face to face with some of the very best shower valves of every variant, which by the way populate our expansive online store in the hundreds.
For shower valves explained, there’s nobody better than the Tap Warehouse team! We’re pretty confident in saying there’s nowhere else you can find as much information on tap – so let’s get right down to business…
Concealed Shower Valves
The first kind of shower valve that we shall inspect are known as concealed shower valves. They are called this because, while the controls themselves are obviously fitted on the outside of the wall for full accessibility, the remainder of the unit is hidden away behind your bathroom wall.
The result is a slick and subtle shower valve presentation that makes the concealed shower valve a very popular shower valve, concealing all of the plumbing that those with an eye for a minimalist décor will be looking to tuck away.
These concealed shower valve units are also a relatively modern development, and no doubt you will see them in show bathrooms everywhere, as well as most modern and contemporary homes. And rightly so, with so many excellent examples featured!
First, we suggest you check out our Crosswater Dial Central 2 Outlet Concealed Thermostatic Shower Valve - Portrait . A sublime piece, this Crosswater production is as much of a work of minimalist art as it is concealed thermostatic shower valve.
Boasting precise temperature control, a solid brass body, and a very comforting 15 year manufacturer's guarantee, you'll certainly be showering in copious amounts of luxury thanks to Crosswater.
The first control can be pushed to alter 11 separate flow positions, the second control enables a precise choice of temperature, whilst the third control offers an outlet control for showers; this allows you to control both outlets separately.
These highly responsive controls prevent residual water and give you a great deal of control over your shower. What more could you want that total control over your shower?
Thanks to Crosswater you now have the ultimate luxurious bathroom style and the latest high-tech smart shower technology at your fingertips.
If you’re looking for a concealed valve for your shower with great vertical versatility, you need look no further than this Butler & Rose Victoria 2 Outlet Concealed Thermostatic Shower Valve. The Victoria concealed shower valve offers a traditional handled design and can be flipped to your personal preference.
WRAS, TMV2, & TMV3 approved, this stunning traditional design thermostatic shower valve is far more than just a beautiful bathroom component.
Manufactured from high quality brass and ABS with a luxurious chrome and ceramic finish, the Victoria can be fitted both vertically or horizontally, and maintains thermostatic control of the water temperature, alongside ensuring an accurate flow control thanks to quarter turn ceramic disc technology.
With full thermal protection thanks to an automatic shut-down in the event of a hot or cold water failure, the Victoria is highly resistant to calcium build up and guarantees excellent functionality as well as appearance.
This gorgeous shower valve even comes with a 5 year manufacturer's guarantee to assure you of its stellar quality.
Exposed Shower Valves
Now, we flip shower valves on their heads and progress from concealed shower valve units to their older yet by no means less glamorous sibling – the exposed shower valve.
The difference, as you can imagine, is that the connecting works of the shower valve to your home’s plumbing are more or entirely visible. Sometimes this is not desired, sometimes this only furthers your bathroom’s style.
We introduce a firm Tap Warehouse team classic, and that is this Butler & Rose Elizabeth Exposed Thermostatic Traditional Shower Valve.
Even cheaper at £119.95, this chromed exposed shower valve boasts a traditional crosshead design that looks right out of a vintage home, yet features all of the latest design components that have established Butler & Rose as one of the out-and-out shower valve innovators.
A fantastic single outlet shower valve with flow control operated via a traditional lever – this right here is as classy and affordable as it gets!
If you're not quite convinced yet, perhaps we can reassure you with the fact that the Elizabeth is a TMV2 approved product, featuring a sleek traditional design and very comforting 10 year manufacturer's guarantee too!
Even cheaper at £119.95, this chromed exposed shower valve boasts a traditional crosshead design that looks right out of a vintage home, yet features all of the latest design components that have established Butler & Rose as one of the out-and-out shower valve innovators. A fantastic single outlet shower valve with flow control operated via a traditional lever – this right here is as classy and affordable as it gets!
Last, a serene blend of traditional and modern bathroom aesthetic can be more than achieved with this Hudson Reed Black Topaz Twin Exposed Thermostatic Shower Valve in Chrome and Black.
The revealed piping of the exposed shower valve offers a useful design flair to bathroom designers that are keeping to a traditional vibe – or those looking to create a bathroom décor exhibiting a beautiful melding between modern and traditional componentry. As you can imagine, this latter option is becoming ever more popular.
Thermostatic Shower Valves vs. Manual Shower Valves
While each of the shower valve variants we have shown you so far have been thermostatic radiator valve types, there is a type known as a manual shower valve that is incredibly popular for its ease of use and simplicity.
So, manual shower mixer versus thermostatic… let the battle commence!
A thermostatic shower valve has been intelligently designed to maintain a constant and comfortable temperature, and will actually limit the heat of the water if it senses the flow about to go dangerously above a preset temperature.
On the other hand, the manual shower valve has one lever that manually controls both the water flow and the temperature of the flow. These are one of the more popular shower valve options that you will encounter, and likely feature throughout home that are not sculpted entirely from the highest luxury.
The pivoting control of the shower valve lever enables the perfect balance of water pressure and temperature and is more than enough for most secondary bathrooms.
Some of our customer favourites in the manual shower department are these beauties:
However, we can all be forgiven for wanting something a little special when it comes to the showpiece shower of the home, or for requiring a valve with more than a single manual lever…
If you're after a truly snazzy thermostatic shower valve, take a look at our most popular contenders below:
Diverter Valves
Now we take it one step further and examine the ever-advancing scene of the diverter shower valves. These fantastic little units are incredibly versatile and quickly rising to be a hugely popular form of valve we sell here at Tap Warehouse.
Diverter valves, depending on the number of outlets at play, work as intuitively as you would imagine. You will have a single handle controlling the direction of the water flow to the relevant output, whether this be a deck-mounted bath tap, shower handset or slide rail kit. You can get as creative as you (and your plumber’s skills) allow!
For example, a 3 way diverter shower valve can be used to pipe pre-mixed, temperature-controlled water to a shower head, shower side panel tap and even deck mounted shower handset. The hot and cold taps are turned on to mix the water to your ideal temperature, followed by a turn of the diverter valve to allow the pre-mixed water flow to push-through between whichever outlets you have. “Why would you ever need that?” we hear you cry. Well, ask any dog owner and get back to us!
Shower diverter valve types are ever-increasing – you can have 2 way diverter, 3 way diverter, 4 way diverter and even an astonishing 5 way diverter valve!
If you're still a little unsure as to how diverter valves work and how you can use one within your bathroom, contact our Sales team via live chat or email and we will be more than happy to talk you through it.
As with many things in life, the best way to get the gist of something is to take a look at it, and go through what it is you're actually looking at; so sit back and relax as we go through all of our each type of diverter valve we have on offer individually to make sure you find the right fit. And don't worry, we'll keep it as simple as possible so we don't bore you to death!
For your 2 way diverter valve needs, we direct you to our incredible value Sagittarius Ergo 2 Way Deck Mounted Diverter with its effortless simplicity of design for maximised performance.
The Ergo works through simply turning the valve to adjust pressure, and features a captivating full chrome finish.
With its elegant and minimalist design, this diverter combines modern practicality and style to produce a simple yet astonishing product.
Not only does this beautiful piece look wonderful, but it also comes with a highly reassuring 10 year manufacturer's guarantee to assure you of its stellar quality!
If a 3 way shower diverter valve is required, we often recommend the concealed valve shown here in this Flova Fusion GoClick 3 Outlet Concealed Diverter Valve, with an attractive modern buttoned interface that displays the level of versatility available.
With innovative GoClick technology, the Flova Fusion gives you full control of your shower, enabling you to select the desired outlet with the click of a button, alongside an instant flow with no delay.
You can run multiple outlets simultaneously meaning you can have a fully intense shower, or a lighter shower depending on your preference.
Manufactured from solid brass, this gorgeous and durable shower diverter valve boasts a stunning contemporary design along with ceramic disc technology to prevent dripping, resistance to rust and corrosion, laser etched buttons for simple identification, and a hugely reassuring 10 year manufacturer's guarantee.
If all that hasn't tempted you, we don't know what will! That is of course, unless you are looking for even more outlets...
One diverter more and we have the Inox Brushed Stainless Steel 4 Way Diverter Valve with its amazing rotational single control yet access to a potent four outlets.
This is an incredible piece of engineering here and is one of our best sellers.
Have you ever seen anything more beautiful? Made from durable and stylish pure brushed stainless steel, the Inox 4 way diverter boasts the ability to choose between four outlets - so much freedom for such a sleek, minimalist design!
There's even a super handy arrow to show you exactly which outlet you're using so there aren't any water-to-the-face-esque surprises.
This stunning wall mounted valve boasts high quality top-end design, and a very admirable 10 year manufacturer's guarantee to ensure you feel relaxed thanks to its wonderful quality.
Please note that this beautiful diverter valve will require a minimum water pressure of 1bar.
The amount of control these diverter shower valves is nothing short of unrivalled and has opened the world of bathroom renovating to new levels of innovation. Limitations to outputs are lessening by the day and your future bathroom can do incredible things when you call upon one of our diverter valves.
Digital Shower Valves
As with everything else, the world of shower valves is ever advancing and we are beginning to see even greater developments in the digital bathroom industry. Digital showers are taking the market by storm and people are switching to digital to enjoy innovative features such as fully programmable water temperature, wireless shower controllers, Bluetooth connectivity, stunning visual components that make use of mesmerising LED lighting functionality, and even more. Naturally with digital showers come digital shower valves. A digital shower valve allows you to make precise temperature and water pressure adjustments, as well as turning the shower on/off remotely so you can avoid getting wet in the process - it's almost too convenient. Almost.
Take a look at some of our favourite digital showers below.
Placing Your Shower Valves
Now that we’ve given you (like far more than) enough options when it comes to some of the best shower valves Tap Warehouse has to offer, it’s time to get practical. Let’s consider whereabouts we should place our new shower valves. After all, there’s no point having something that looks great if it won’t work properly.
Shower Valve Placement
So, the first and foremost element to consider is the location of your new shower valves.
This may be the first time that more than pure aesthetic quality of the shower valve variant you have chosen comes into play. And it’s about time.
Now it becomes a matter of feasibility of fitting, accessibility during maintenance and, of course, enjoyment of use. At times this results in a reselection of the shower valve, at others a complete redesign of the rest of your bathroom just to fit the glorious shower valve you simply cannot turn away!
Please note that location is especially important with the concealed shower valve which, much like a concealed toilet cistern, requires enough space in the wall behind the place it is destined to operate.
Under Pressure!
A commonly overlooked element of kitting out your new bathroom with a stunning new shower valve is the water pressure that your home plumbing can put out.
Some of our more extravagant valves require sizeable water pressures, such as 0.5 bar. Some less modern housing can feature plumbing capable of a 0.2 bar max water pressure.
Assuming you don’t want to uproot and redo your entire house’s plumbing, you will need to make sure that your selected shower valve is compatible with your home’s plumbing pressure.
Inlet Spacing and Inlet Diameter
When you have a hot and cold outlet emerging from a wall into the body of your shower valve and it must be replaced, you need to consider the shower inlet spacing set into the existing wall – and whether you wish to or even can redo that wall.
Perhaps they are family heirloom tiles, perhaps they are just rather darned expensive. Either way, you must match the diameter of the shower valves to avoid redoing your bathroom walls.
For example, if the piping is 22mm and your existing inlet is 15mm, you may have a problem. If in doubt, just reach out to us.
Non-Return Shower Valves
Another key point that we might as well point out now is that all shower valves should be fitted with non-return valves, which stops the water flow from upending and causing severe flooding to your home.
While all of the valves we have shared with you here have a non-return valve fitted, your existing ones may not. So, if you’re moving your replacements elsewhere throughout the home, passing them onto friends or family or selling – you should check this to avoid later disaster.
Your friendly neighbourhood plumber can sort you out with a non-return shower valve compatible with your valve, as can we if you wish. Once again, just give us a call if you need any help.
Sublime Styling
As more of a personal preference point to round off our placement portion of this article – you may wish to ensure your shower valves serve to enhance your overall décor rather than detract from it in any way. You think it sounds obvious but it happens a lot, trust us.
So, save yourself a whole bunch of money and stress, as well as feel like a professional interior decorator, by taking the time to maintain a singular design vision for a supreme final ambience!
Shower Valve Central at Tap Warehouse
As you might have guessed, we take shower valves quite seriously here at Tap Warehouse. They are an integral part of any bathroom and can make or break the experience your shower provides. You may not realise until you select the wrong shower valve how much of an impact that can make!
We’ve shared only a small portion of the shower valves that are available right now and at industry-leading prices on our huge online store. To check out the entire Tap Warehouse selection of shower valves, simply head right here and see what other gems you can unearth! If you are looking to save water in your daily shower, take a look at our water saving shower heads.
If you want to know anything about the shower valves featured in this article – from tech specs to aesthetic advice – then please do not hesitate to reach out to our incredibly friendly customer service team. You can do this by contacting us here!
