Wall-Mounted 2-Hole Shower Tap

In a shower, “2 holes” means the two water outlets that stick out of the wall: one brings hot water, the other cold. This tap screws onto these two outlets, and it does the mixing before sending the water to the handset.

It is the most common set-up in bathrooms. If your old shower mixer is fixed to the wall by two large nuts at its ends, you are in this case, and this model can replace it without touching the tiles or the hidden plumbing.

The photographed diagram shows 15 cm between the mixer's two connectors, 19 cm overall width and 9.5 cm depth. Measure the spacing of your wall outlets from centre to centre, at the middle of each pipe.

If your outlets are slightly out of line, eccentric connectors (angled pieces that screw into the wall) take up the gap. The mixer nuts then go onto these eccentrics, and the two rosettes slide against the tiles to hide the thread. Do not tighten more than necessary: it is the seals that make it watertight.

Once in place, the oval handle lifts to open and swivels to set hot and cold. The outlet, under the body, takes a standard shower hose with a 1/2″ (15x21) nut; the handset is not included, which leaves you free to choose your shower head.

The stainless steel body suits wet rooms. A pass with a soft cloth and soapy water keeps its brushed look. Leave the handle in the cold position at the end of a shower, so the next user does not start on very hot water. And if the spacing turns out not to match, you have 30 days to change your mind.