Can we attach an outdoor shower with our current setup? Any special consents required?

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turtleattacks

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#303776 8-Mar-2023 17:34

Hello whānau,

We would like to build an outdoor shower using the hot water that's available in the garage.

There's a garage-sink with hot water right next to the wall needing the hot outdoor shower and we were wondering if we can attach a three-way water to the tap (Photo below), drill a hole (fill it afterwards) and then fun the pipe outside for an outdoor shower.

Do we need to get a plumber in for this and have it certified?

Inside:

Outside:

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#3047635 8-Mar-2023 20:12

What will you do for drainage. This normally requires a plumber.

turtleattacks

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#3047638 8-Mar-2023 20:16

We already have an outside tap where that is with plenty of drainage.

Here is the diagram of under the sink.

After speaking to dad - perhaps it's easier to pipe it out from the wall source? (below) - pipe out two pipes outside.

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larknz

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#3047640 8-Mar-2023 20:23

You can do anything you want, it's just a matter of how compliant you want to be.

Bung

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#3047688 8-Mar-2023 20:41

larknz: What will you do for drainage. This normally requires a plumber.

It all requires a plumber. You can do tap / washer changes but the rest is " sanitary plumbing" requiring a professional.

turtleattacks

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#3047693 8-Mar-2023 20:53

Bung:
larknz: What will you do for drainage. This normally requires a plumber.

It all requires a plumber. You can do tap / washer changes but the rest is " sanitary plumbing" requiring a professional.

Pardon my ignorance but can a plumber provide certification like an electrician?

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itxtme

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#3047890 9-Mar-2023 09:12

If you want to be compliant you will need a building consent. Although I would expect this would be a minor works building consent.

Here is a discussion article from Tauranga Council

It is clearly their view that a catchment should occur, sending the water to your sewerage system.

Having said all that, if you resold a property and there was a piped shower outside to get sand etc off, how many people would look at that and go - thats unconsented work. Not many, if any.

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hsvhel

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#3047953 9-Mar-2023 10:45

At lest have the hot temp regulated. Laundry hot is likely not limited as it would be in the bathroom

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larknz

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#3048017 9-Mar-2023 11:15

If the connection is coming off a hot water cylinder it should be regulated.

Bung

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#3048031 9-Mar-2023 11:36

hsvhel is right that the laundry and kitchen could be unregulated although many don't split the hot supply.

hsvhel

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#3048059 9-Mar-2023 12:25

larknz:

If the connection is coming off a hot water cylinder it should be regulated.

You would think so, however it is not always the case, some older installations were split before the tempering valve to utility

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Scott3

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#3048098 9-Mar-2023 14:39

larknz:

If the connection is coming off a hot water cylinder it should be regulated.

Laundry & Kitchen sinks are not mandated to be regulated.

So it depends on the plumbing design for the build. It is common for the plumber to just feed regulated temp hot water everywhere, but it is also OK run an unregulated pipe to the kitchen and / or laundy.

(not a plumber)

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Froglotion

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#3048276 9-Mar-2023 20:26

As has been mentioned, a plumber has to do the work. Consents aside, the only thing I can see being a potential issue is that showers run off larger pipes than a tap does. You may have a long run of say 15mm pipe to that tap. Whereas a shower will have 20mm feed nearly the whole way from cylinder to shower. Just usually drops down at mixer etc.

aucklander

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#3049467 13-Mar-2023 10:02

as someone (actually a Council building inspector) told me many, many years ago, you can do whatever you want to your owner occupied property as long as you revert it back to "consented" state when you get ready to sell the property (and of course nobody gets hurt and neighbors do not get affected in any way). This might not be advisable if you rent the space or Airbnb, etc as higher level of compliance might be needed mainly for peace of mind. I know this will make some people to respond on very stern terms but this is not a contest of "how can we most efficiently kill the DIY spirit".

To further detail my position, the skill of a qualified plumber was for many generations critical to the quality and durability of the job. I would say these days most of this skill and knowledge is incorporated in "smart" products, quick connectors, crimping systems, etc, which let's face it, the professionals also use. Nobody use copper pipe and brazing, or bending copper, same as the original installation of the house was done 40 years ago. So if all you have to do is crimp-and-hold-for-2-seconds (Buteline system or similar) or tighten by hand then another so-and-so turns (other compression systems with "olives", etc) - and the professionals are doing exactly the same thing (otherwise they would not be covered by the manufacturer warranty), does it REALLY matter if the hands using the crimping tool have 20 years experience in doing this, or not? Where is the skill and formal training, certification, etc, coming into play when all you need to do these days is to follow very strict instructions of how to apply, install, etc? Let's remember that to become a certified installer of a certain system you simply attend a 1/2 day course at the supplier's premises (I did this myself for electrofusion and got certificate, this technology is not applicable in residential, but would be a very similar training system for other brands and products) these instructions come from product development and testing with fairly large budgets behind them, and smart science people too. Might look like a simple compression fitting but I bet there is chemistry involved, mechanics, physics, maybe other disciplines too, of which we did not hear about. Nor should we be expected to know all this stuff. The point being, those guys know what they are talking about.

Do not get me wrong, we definitely need the professionals and there is definitely a niche market for them (mainly when certification is needed or too risky or the DIY-er lacks confidence) but let's not allow this to kill the DIY spirit where the individual feels confident and the work is in own house, not a commercial operation. There is no fun or satisfaction in paying someone. Anyone can do that and I do not believe there is any pride in that. But to be able to say "I did that" and to actually mean that you did it, not that "I paid for that", is priceless.

"Give it a try. If it is not working, call a guy". This is the way 😀

larknz

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#3049468 13-Mar-2023 10:12

Froglotion:
As has been mentioned, a plumber has to do the work. Consents aside, the only thing I can see being a potential issue is that showers run off larger pipes than a tap does. You may have a long run of say 15mm pipe to that tap. Whereas a shower will have 20mm feed nearly the whole way from cylinder to shower. Just usually drops down at mixer etc.

The 20mm pipe was only required for low pressure systems. If you have mains pressure HW then 15mm pipe is fine. 15mm pipe will still work with a LP system however the output may not be very satisfactory.
The potentially most difficult part is what you do with the waste water. If you have a sump handy then it is no big deal. If a sump is not handy then it can become a bit more difficult.

Bung

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#3049478 13-Mar-2023 10:43

Is 20mm pipe really needed for a shower? You end up having to shift more than 2x the amount of water to get hot coming out.

I have 30m of garden hose on low pressure squirting more water per minute than a shower would need.

I agree that a bath needs 20mm.

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