2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24
- Invisible hatches: purpose
- Selection features
- Hatches for installing tiles
- Designs for painting
- Other selection features
- Installation steps
It is worth installing plumbing hatches for the bath, if necessary, to hide equipment, pipes or shut-off valves under them. However, before installing such a structure, it is worth choosing its type and size, focusing on a number of location features.
Invisible hatches: purpose
The presence of a water supply and sewerage system in an apartment and a private house requires the installation of special inspection hatches. Behind them are hidden meters, taps and pipes (and sometimes even boilers), to which periodic access is required, which makes it completely impossible to close them. To solve the problem with the inconsistency of such elements with the general design of the bathroom, plumbing hatches for the bath, most often installed invisibly, allow. Visible doors made of metal or plastic are practically not used in modern repairs, giving way to invisible hatches.
Selection features
When choosing the version of the inspection hatch for the bath, first of all, they are guided by the height of the installed equipment, which should be hidden. According to this parameter, the structure can be ceiling, wall or floor. For a roof hatch, an additional requirement is the presence of a magnet to prevent spontaneous opening. The floor version must have increased strength to withstand the same loads as the floor itself. The invisible wall hatch, the installation of which is carried out most often (in almost every bathroom), should be easy to open and have reliable hinges to prevent sagging.
The most often chosen material is metal - aluminum, galvanized steel and stainless steel. Such structures are relatively inexpensive and practically corrosion-free. And their high strength allows them to withstand the weight of the facing materials installed on top - tiled materials, natural stone or drywall. With small dimensions of the hatch, for example, if only one tile will be glued to it, it is allowed to use plastic products.
The main classification of invisible hatches is carried out according to the method of further finishing:
- Option for tiles.
- Access hatch to the bathroom for wallpapering or painting.
Hatches for installing tiles
In the domestic market, you can buy invisible hatches for tiling, produced by the companies Hago, LukeLand and Praktika. The first brand, with production facilities in Austria, produces floor hatches. LukeLand is engaged in the production of metal models for any purpose (floor, wall or ceiling). And among the assortment of the firm "Praktika" you can find many plastic options - durable and at the same time lightweight.
By the way of opening, they are divided into two options - push and extractable using a suction cup. The first is used when using rough or embossed facing materials, on which the suction cup will not hold. For the second option, only glossy or simply smooth tiles are required.
Tip: when choosing between suction cup and push-down options, you should pay attention not only to convenience, but also to cost. Push-to-open design costs 10% more.
Hatches for tiles and tile materials have a different design and can be:
- Sliding, installation of which is carried out in the presence of an obstacle in front of the structure.
- Hinged, used in places where there are no restrictions for opening. Often this is the way of opening that has access hatches for the bath, although they are often made completely removable from the frame.
- Folding (opening first towards itself, and then upwards at an angle), which are recommended to be installed at a distance of no more than 12 cm from the obstacle.
- Two-door, the use of which is advisable when the opening size is more than 70 cm. Unlike the version with one door, this installation of a hidden hatch under the tiles guarantees increased strength and no sagging under the weight of the cladding.
- Under the mosaic. The peculiarity lies in the need to match the shape and size of the hatch to the mosaic pattern.
- Reinforced. Suitable for cladding with heavy slabs - granite, marble or natural stone. It is recommended to install a hidden hatch with an increased load capacity and with dimensions of the structure more than 0.6x1.2 m.
Designs for painting
Hatches for installation on painted or wallpapered walls are produced by a number of domestic brands such as Praktiki and Lukland. But if you want to get at your disposal products of even higher European quality, you can purchase models of the KNAUF Alutop (Sweden) and Alu-Star (Germany) brands. The installation of such plumbing hatches for the bath is usually done in the upper part of the walls or in the ceilings. The easiest way to carry out installation in the enclosing structures made of plasterboard, however, they can be built in both brick and concrete.
The invisible hatch produced by Knauf, the installation of which is carried out for subsequent painting, is considered the best option in all respects (except for the high price). In addition, the range of its products includes non-standard models. For example, fire protection structures, laboratory invisible hatches and products with liners that do not require painting. The products of other companies are more profitable in price, but they are presented only with standard options.
Other selection features
After determining its type, it is possible to choose a specific model of the hatch by such parameters as the dimensions of the tiles, the dimensions of the hidden equipment or the niche in which it is located. It should be noted that when finishing with tiled material, the ceramic plate must extend beyond the opening structure by at least 5–70 mm. Therefore, for example, the dimensions of the inspection hatch under the bathroom start at 20x20 cm and are intended to be installed over the door of a standard 300x300 mm floor tile.
The optimal choice of design is ensured by a careful study of the range of different manufacturers In this case, it is worth studying not only materials and brands, but also options for mechanisms for opening doors. You should also pay attention to the location of the awnings - with equal dimensions of the hatch (for example, 300x200 mm), the hinges can be on both the long and short sides.
Installation steps
Features of the installation of inspection doors depend on the material of the structures in which they are installed. In brick, foam concrete and concrete walls, the installation of a sanitary hatch under the tiles is carried out after the frame is built into the opening. The structure is installed in the frame and the door is completely aligned with the plane of the wall. After that, it remains to fix the product with self-tapping screws through the holes in the side of the frame.
The final step in installing an inspection door in a brick or concrete wall depends on the type of finish - paint or tile. In the first case, the gaps between the door and the enclosing structure are processed with mounting tape. In the second, tile material is glued on top of the hatch in such a way as to completely coincide with the general plane of the wall. It will be easier to preserve the integrity of the pattern if you start with the door lining.
There are few differences in installing a hidden hatch under a tile or painting inside partitions made of sheet material (for example, drywall or asbestos cement). They consist only in the need to pre-mount the wall frame, taking into account the placement of the hidden equipment and sheathe it with sheets. Next, you need to cut a hole for the door and continue installing tiles or materials for painting (the same as the main part of the structure).
In order for the invisible hatch, the installation of which has already been completed, not only to hide the equipment, but also to protect the room from water noise, it is required to perform soundproofing of the structure:
- Clean the tiles in the joint area.
- Cover the areas around the door with masking tape.
- Fill the joint with sealant, removing the excess with a spatula.
- Remove tape.
- Wait 2 days and only then cut the seam along the entire depth of the sealing layer at an angle of about 45 degrees.
It should be noted that the dimensions of the openings for the invisible hatches must match the installation dimensions of the doors. And the installation of a small plumbing hatch allows its installation in an assembly with a frame. Whereas large structures require disassembly into components and a separate installation.
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