For the installation of communications in apartments and private houses, two methods are used: open and closed. With the open method, all pipes and devices are in plain sight, while with the closed method they are masked by false walls, partitions or boxes.
To provide access to the equipment, plumbing hatches for the bathroom and toilet are used: the dimensions of the devices usually depend on the dimensions of the hidden pipelines and the number of serviced devices.
Designation of inspection hatches in bathrooms
A distinctive feature of modern bathrooms and toilets is a thoughtful design, as a result of which the aesthetic side of the finish comes to the fore. The technical devices that provide comfortable adoption of water procedures or the convenience of using the toilet are hidden behind thin structures made of plastic or drywall.
Permanent pipe maintenance is not required, but periodically there is a need to use stop valves. For example, in order to cut off the water supply to the kitchen in connection with the replacement of the mixer, you need to turn off a certain tap.
Devices resembling doors or hatches are necessary for servicing metering devices that are masked behind partitions. By moving the flap or opening the door, you can quickly take readings from the hot and cold water meters
If the bathroom is completely sheathed with plastic or tile, more hatches will be required. Suppose one of the nodes that needs constant access is the installation location of a bath water trap. If the protective shield is made deaf, then it will have to be dismantled every time a blockage occurs in the pipe or a leak occurs at the junction of the siphon parts.
We can conclude that any components and devices that require regular inspection should be in free availability. And with a full tiling of rooms with plastic or plastic, this can be achieved only with the help of technical hatches.
What you need to provide access to
For easier repair work, the pipeline providing water to the apartment or house is divided into sections convenient for maintenance. Each individual section, if necessary, is cut off with a valve or ball valve mounted on the pipe. If this is possible, most of the valves are mounted in one place.
Collector wiring is a convenient way to separate the system into separate circuits. The advantage is the autonomous use of individual lines when neighboring ones fail, the disadvantage is more expensive installation
When all significant locking, regulating and water-folding devices are disguised behind a false wall, but concentrated in one place, it is much easier to build a hatch for access to them. The door will be large in size, but this will not damage the appearance of the partition, nor the functionality of the hatch.
Modern apartments are equipped with so-called blocks or input nodes. In addition to ball valves, the standard assembly includes a water purification filter, a pair of metering devices, and a pressure reducer.
The filter is often installed on the bypass to be able to rinse with a reverse flow of water. All units are equipped with ball valves for quick removal due to repair or replacement.
The input node with filters and other devices is hidden behind a partition that protects the equipment and helps to maintain the interior of the bathroom in the same style
In the combined bathroom or toilet is a sewer riser. Parallel to it are pipes of centralized hot water and hot water systems.
If the corner with vertically placed highways is closed with a decorative-protective box, then a hatch is also installed on it - opposite the shut-off valves. As you can see, there are several options for placing the revision hatch in the bathroom, as in the toilet.
Types of plumbing hatches
There are many reasons for the equipment of bathrooms with inspection hatches, but there are even more types of these hatches. There are factory-made models, overall and solid, made of stainless steel or plastic.
They contrasted with home-made panels made from improvised building material and fasteners purchased in the store. When dividing into groups, various sides of the models are used.
Classification # 1: by way of opening
A plumbing hatch is a door that can swing open, move to the side, recline or move out in response to pressure.
Hinged doors are a traditional type, typical of most entrance doors, furniture doors and window frames. They are hinged on one side, easy to open and last a long time thanks to a simple device. To open the hatch, you need to pull the handle, which can be a regular or equipped with a latch or lock.
Sliding models resemble ordinary swinging, but have a more complex hinge design. The fastener consists of three links that allow you to move the hatch to the side in two steps: first push it toward you (1.5-2 cm), and then carefully move it to the side.
Such models became popular when it became necessary to install hatches in hard-to-reach places: for bathtubs, toilets, bidets or furniture
Hinged hatches are arranged according to a simple principle: on the one hand there is a fixing fastening, on the other hand, a supporting mechanism. When the latch is opened, the door simply leans forward, moves from a vertical position to a horizontal one.
Push models are classified as “invisible”. They are difficult to notice, since the material of the hatch lining often coincides with the overall decoration of the walls.
To access the plumbing cabinet, you must lightly press the panel, after which it will move forward. Then there are various ways of further opening - either plowing or pushing to one side.
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Swing door
Sliding sideways model
Hinged inspection hatch
Tiled Pressure Model
Choosing the hatch by the method of opening, it is necessary to analyze the installation location and decide which model to mount is appropriate, and which will cause difficulties in the process of servicing devices or components.
The next article, which we recommend reading, will familiarize you with the choice and steps of installing a revision hatch for tiles.
Classification # 2: by fabrication material
Factory models can be divided into two large groups. The first includes metal products made of stainless steel and equipped with high-quality fasteners.
They are a solid frame with a door that can be opened by any of the above methods. Most of the proposals are designed “for tiles”, but the doors can be decorated with any materials.
The second group includes plastic hatches. They are less reliable, characterized by light weight and ease of installation. The cost of plastic products is much lower. If a reliable steel hatch costs 3.5-4.5 thousand rubles, then a plastic analog has an average price of 200-350 rubles.
Buying an inexpensive plastic hatch is an outlet for home craftsmen who repair their bathrooms with their own hands. It can be fixed with self-tapping screws, liquid nails and even sealant
Unlike factory options, homemade hatches are not made of metal, although a metal profile is often used in the manufacture of the frame. For the hatch panel, an inexpensive but durable material is chosen: drywall, plastic, wood. It is convenient to stick tiles on drywall blanks if the task of the master is to create a “invisible” hatch.
Choosing this or that material, it is necessary to correctly evaluate its wear resistance and water resistance. If you take ordinary, and not moisture-proof drywall, then it will quickly lose its quality, begin to swell and crumble. A similar process occurs with untreated wood, which eventually deforms from excess moisture and temperature changes.
Classification # 3: by degree of camouflage
This option of dividing into groups can be called conditional classification, since there is no clear distinction between the two categories of hatches: some of them are noticeable, the second are called “invisibles”.
The first group includes structures that stand out against the surrounding cladding. For example, these are white plastic hatches, which are noticeable due to their color and material. If you put such a hatch behind the toilet, it immediately catches your eye, however, it does not spoil the overall picture, as it is combined with plumbing fixtures in color.
Invisibles are visually hidden structures. Masking occurs due to the use of the same ceramic tile in the wall and hatch covers.
Thanks to the dimensions of the frame adapted to the tile elements and the inter-tile seams, the hatch plane merges with the wall decoration. As a result, it is difficult for an ignorant person to determine where the technical hole is.
The difficulty in finding a plumbing hatch increases if the door does not have a handle. Such models usually have a push-open method or are removed using suction cups.
The advantage of the "invisible" is the complete merger of the manhole cover with the wall, so that the wall decoration looks solid, untouched.
Classification # 4: at the installation site
It would seem that all plumbing hatches for a toilet or bath are installed in the wall. This is a common location, but there are also ceiling and floor views.
Holes in the ceiling are needed to service the communications that are above the suspended structures. Such modifications are more accurately called revision, rather than plumbing, as they provide access to ventilation ducts and electrical wires.
Installation of the ceiling hatch is carried out during the installation of the suspension structure. Its device does not differ from wall-mounted analogs - the same hinged door that locks onto the latch
Holes located in the floor lead to sewer pipes or water pipes that are located below the finish level. This arrangement of communications is uncharacteristic of typical wiring, but can occur when the floor is raised or thick insulation is created (for example, in private houses or on the first floors of multi-apartment buildings).
Hatches installed in the floor or in the floor ducts lead to the pipe connection points, turns, ladders - that is, to structures that need maintenance and cannot be walled up tightly. There were cases when, in order to access the place of pipeline rupture at the junction of the individual elements, it was necessary not only to remove the finish coating, but also to hammer the screed.
In addition, hatches mounted in floor protective boxes and a tile screen located under the bath can be considered technical.
Hatch Installation Instructions
The nuances of the installation, as well as the choice of tool, completely depend on the type of hatch and the material of the partition. Consider two options for mounting the hatch - the factory model and a home-made revision design for the bath.
Installation of the metal model “under the tile”
To install a hidden hatch, tiled, you will need a puncher, a screwdriver, liquid nails with a gun, a spatula, a set of screwdrivers, a marker and a tape measure for marking, a sponge for stripping.
The factory model with a metal frame will be mounted in a false wall made of drywall prepared for facing with ceramic tiles. In order for the panels to withstand the additional load, first it is necessary to make mortgages from the metal profile along the perimeter of the hatch.
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To insert the hatch into the frame on the wall, you need to temporarily separate the door. This is done with a screwdriver - two fixing bolts are unscrewed
We insert a metal frame, separated from the hatch, into the hole in the wall. Window dimensions should correspond to the dimensions of the inspection hatch
For fastening we use long screws. We make sure that the frame does not protrude above the surface of the drywall sheets, but is at the same level
We screw the hatch door back using the “native” fasteners. First we fix the lower bolt, the upper bolt. Check if the door opens well
We mark up so that part of the tile protrudes beyond the perimeter of the frame. We apply liquid nails to the main part and glue the elements to the door one by one, starting from the bottom
To the appearance of the hatch is fully consistent with the environment, it is necessary to leave gaps for grouting. To do this, use the usual mounting crosses
In order not to accidentally split the tile, we will fix the handle into the inter-tile seam: we drill two holes for screws, which we will twist on the back side after grouting
We remove the crosses and grout the seams using a conventional spatula. The remainder is removed with a damp sponge. After drying, we mount the handle
Step 1 - separating the door from the frame
Step 2 - fixing the frame in the wall
Step 3 - fixing the frame on the screws
Step 4 - replacing the hatch door
Step 5 - Gluing Tiles onto Liquid Nails
Step 6 - Insert Crosses Between Tiles
Step 7 - holes for fixing the handle to the door
Step 8 - grouting the tile joints
The final touch is to frame the hatch with a plastic corner. Thin plastic, however, at the first stage, in the process of marking and cutting the window, it is necessary to take into account its thickness. After finishing work, there should be a gap of no more than 2 mm between the plastic edge of the door and the frame.
Due to the handle and the plastic frame, the hatch can hardly be called “invisible” in the full sense of the word, but it harmonizes perfectly with the lining of the bathroom
If the partition is made of plastic, then instead of tiles, plastic is also used to decorate the door. The hatch will weigh less, but mortgages are necessary in any case, otherwise the metal structure cannot be fixed.
Tips for making a bath hatch
A small hatch under the bathtub, at the place of installation of the harness, is useful when you need to replace a plastic siphon or eliminate leaks due to depressurization of the connections. The same hatch can be installed on the other hand, but already to create a niche for disinfectants and detergents.
To work, you will need a metal profile, a piece of drywall and tiles, which produced the decoration of the bathroom and the screen under the bathtub.
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Stage 1 - drywall door preparation
Stage 2 - fastening the profile on the back of the hatch
Stage 3 - gluing tiles to the door
Stage 4 - installation of door handles
If you need to use the hatch infrequently, the seams between it can be filled with silicone sealant. It will fill the gap, and the door will look more organic and less noticeable. If necessary, the hardened sealant can be cut through with a construction or office knife.
Sizing Rules
The most difficult to fix errors associated with the wrong choice of dimensions of the plumbing hatch. When installing structures that serve several devices, it should be remembered that in addition to monthly readings from metering devices, occasionally it will be necessary to replace or repair “on the spot”, for which a small window will not be enough.
The larger the inspection hatch, the wider the coverage area and the possibility of repair work.It is good if all significant pipe connections, shut-off valves and devices requiring regular maintenance fall into the open technical area.
If a gas heater is installed in a hidden niche or behind a false wall, then access to the regulating parts of the unit and piping should be made as large as possible
Factory models have typical sizes, for example, 55x45 cm or 70x50 cm. When producing hatches “for tiles”, manufacturers are guided by the popular standards of facing elements.
There are no specific standards for self-made structures, you need to start from the dimensions of the technical hole and the possibilities of creating a functional hatch from improvised materials.
There are a lot of features of the installation of homemade products and factory models. To learn about some of them, we suggest watching interesting videos.
Video # 1. How to install a metal hatch under the tile in a vertical angular box - recommendations of Praktika specialists:
Video # 2. Installation of the “invisible” hatch from A to Z:
Video # 3. Unusual bath solution:
Installation of inspection hatches is carried out during repair work. If you are accustomed to independently make wall or floor cladding, it is not difficult to equip a technical cabinet with a convenient door. The choice of factory models is large enough, but if you want, you can make a neat hatch yourself using drywall, tile or plastic panels.
It is possible that you have your own experience in installing a hatch in the bathroom, which you want to share with visitors to the site. Perhaps your information will be extremely useful. Please write comments in the block below, ask questions, post a photo on the topic of the article.