Trouble on site... Wall mixer installed too deep

By Alex

No one is perfect, and sometimes a little mistake can lead to big problems. Recently, I supplied a unit development where the shower mixers were installed too far back in the wall, the bodies that go in before tiling were too deep so after tiling the handles wouldn’t go on. This has happened to jobs I have supplied from time to time over the years, so this time I thought I should write a blog article to maybe help people having this issue.

As with other times this has happened I get a call from the builder worried that they are going to have to remove tiles, get the plumber to fix the initial mistake, then get the tiler back to retile. Sometimes they have even been worried they may have to remove shower rails and glass screens in front of big tiles too, worried they may have to get plumbers, tilers, glaziers, maybe even caulkers and cleaners all back to site causing delay and at a huge cost.

There is usually a simple solution that many people don’t seem to know about. Three-piece tapware has spindle extenders available, and wall mixers have body extensions available. This basically extends where the handle in front of the tile connects to the body behind the tile. Presto, problem solved. These parts are cheap depending on where you get them I suppose, but even if you get them from a big company that really overcharges, it will still be much, much cheaper than the labour cost of retiling.

I should mention this can happen often without it being the plumber’s fault, sometimes tile thickness or other specifications are miscommunicated. Even if it is someone’s fault (John!), no one is going to stress too much about the cost of a few extender pieces, and the site can remain peaceful and happy!