Fitting shower seat to thermalite wall??

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RattamahatAL

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Hi,

I have fitted a shower cubicle over a tray.

All walls are covered with mermaid shower panels.

1 wall is a stud wall.
1 wall is (I believe) breeze block, but with a insulated plaster board dot and dabbed on front.
1 wall is standard plasterboard on what I now know is thermalite. I had intended to mount a fold down shower seat on this wall, but the plumber has advised against it.

He has also advised against using the other solid wall due to the insulated plasterboard (I guess there would be an inch where the screws were not in a solid wall).

Is that correct?

Would a seat which folds down with legs that rest in the tray be ok? If so which wall would it be best on? What type of fixings should I use?

As it stands I have access to the rear of the stud wall - although I suspect this is a non-starter.

For information, the seat would be needed to hold up to 25 stone.

Any help or advice gratefully received.
 
Hi

Great re the legs on the seat as that takes away a fair bit of the risk of the seat coming away from any wayy.

Ensure your tray is up to the job as some can crack over time around the legs.

It's not just the 25st they need to hold but the weight plonking down on to it which is a lot more.

A friend of ours built a level access shower fro his father a big guy. If memory serves me well
he used some type of special bolts that were screw ed and glue in but they started to come away
gradually after a couple of years. He moved to a good strong stud wall and fitted a wide metal plate over
the battons i think you call them and got a solid fit.

If I was you, give the specialist a call, IE the coucil's 'disabled adaptations surveyors' and aske to speak with the duty
officer - they may even do a free visit but will guide, advise you most likley.

HTH

Thanks
 
The Humanitarian said:
If I was you, give the specialist a call, IE the coucil's 'disabled adaptations surveyors' and aske to speak with the duty
officer - they may even do a free visit but will guide, advise you most likley.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't consider it. A 25 stone load might hold initially but it won't last long in a Thermalite type wall or a stud wall. Best advice is as posted above. Get some advice from an occupational therapist. They have lots of info on products and solutions for all sorts of situations and will probably be free of charge.
 

It is the specialist surveyors usually in the 'disabled adaptations depts" that will decide what is feasible and what is not and that is a fact!!
These surveyors have experience/history and knowldge and often work in conjunction with occp therapist but the surveyors will tell the OT if their recommendations are safe and feasible.

Any occupational therapist is normally NOT qualified on building regs and/or the knowledge/skills to determine safe loads for
for wall fittings etc.

:) :)
 
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It's not rubbish at all. It would depend on the Thermalite - whether it's 3 newton, 9 newton... and the design of the seat.
Certainly some Thermalite block wall/fixings collapse very easily.

If in doubt for a large person, look at the USA market - they have a lot of such.
eg this type, which wouldn't put so much strain on the walls:
https://www.careprodx.com/shower-chairs/fold-down-shower-seats/padded-wall-mount-shower-seat/


Yes it would need someone with a brain to select and fit - someone who can tell the difference between "whose" and "who's".
 
Oh do stop drivvelling on. We know you have to hit 300 posts a day somehow but...

Do you know the difference between a fact and a fart? Apparently not.

What is "OT note trained"?
"OT's and not qualified surveyors" ??
So surveyors are not qualified?

O/T's vary in their scope and experience, and councils in what they will agree to grant for, and how long they take. Some Council Works' depts often prefer to let the client organise things then pay for them, because they're overloaded. The O/T may make a connection with a suitable person or company or organisation.
Which qualification is it which tells a surveyor what the strength of an invisible block wall is? They're quite likely to say use a stool because they can't tell, which isn't what the original poster wants.

Good luck looking for a wall which has "battons" in it. What you evidently don't know about are called "studs". Yes there are wooden ones, and steel ones..
 
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Justin Passing said:
Oh do stop drivvelling on.
Do you know the difference between a fact and a fart? Apparently not.

..
Click to expand...

Apologies for making full contact with that raw nerve of yours. OT are NOT surveyors. Please care on posting your "dribble" as clearly you are now an injured party to the facts.

Fact, OT's are NOT qualified surveyors in the context of this thread.
 
Everybopdy on the planet knows OTs are not qualified surveyors.

Only a tw@t suggested anyone would think that - you. Typical straw man crap.

IME OT's and council surveyors DO know their limitations, unlike you, who have to make a pronouncement on absolutely everything because you see yourself as so important that you repeat and repeat and repeat... in bold letters ffs.
 
For the OP (if they aren't lying down in a darkened room) OTs are very skilled in understanding the needs of people in challenging situations. They are the first contact in situations like this and they will provide advice and options on the best way to proceed. They understand limitations and will call on specialist input - surveyors etc. - if and when needed.
 
Having done loads of Disabled adaptions for a council it is quite frightening between occupational health and council inspectors what they think is safe and satisfactory , example hand rails on stud walls for 25/30 stone people to pull themselves off toilets and out of baths etc
 
I wouldn’t have any faith in an occupational therapist being of any help- maybe I was unlucky, but having dealt with 3 for elderly relatives all they seemed capable of doing was deciding whether a commode would be useful.
 
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