13th Dec 2011
How to choose a tray for an easy access shower tray
As a specialist manufacturer of bathroom and showering products for adapted bathrooms, AKW works closely with healthcare therapists, architects, installers and end users to design innovative products that meet a wide range of needs. In its experience, AKW has found that the single biggest improvement in terms of increasing accessibility is to replace the bath with a shower – and the key to ensuring success of the installation is to choose the correct shower tray. Malcolm Crawford, business development manager of AKW explains how to choose the right shower tray for an easy-access solution.
With the correct type of shower tray, showers offer a greater degree of independence to wheelchair users and to those with mobility problems. Conventional shower enclosures do have their drawbacks due to possible difficulties in stepping in and out as the user may lose their balance or slip, but these dangers can be avoided by installing a walk-in shower tray.
In order to choose the most appropriate solution, there are a number of issues that need to be considered. First is the type of installation required: wet-room style or, if a defined showering area is necessary, a completely level access or a low-level shower tray. The next consideration is the type of floor the tray is going to be installed into or on top of, whether it is wood, screeded or concrete. Third is where the shower tray is to be fitted. Most common is a corner location, but there might be the requirement to use an existing alcove or to cut-to-length to suit the installation. Finally there is the waste type to consider. Most AKW shower trays can be used with either gravity or pumped waste, a variety of these are available and suitable for most installations.
Wet Floor
The wet floor solution has become the most popular. It combines the attraction of being the latest on-trend bathroom design with the easiest possible access, particularly for wheelchair users. It also has practical advantages where the shape or size of the bathroom is limiting or if the positioning of the waste outlet creates restrictions for using a tray.
AKW offers two types of wet-floor solution, Level Best® which enables a contemporarily styled finish with tiled flooring, or a non-slip safety flooring for installations where tiling may not be suitable. Both use the AKW Tuff Form® former to create the showering area in the wet room. Tuff Form® is made from compressed Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) giving it superior strength, and is five times more durable than formers made from recycled materials. However with a carbon footprint assessment to PAS 2050 specification the former is fully recyclable. It will not warp or deform in normal bathroom temperatures and has been tested to 100°C. Weight bearing is a consideration when there is likely to be a combination of a wheelchair user with a carer in attendance and Tuff Form® has been tested to withstand loads of up to 40 stone (254kg) or greater if reinforced underneath.
Tuff Form® is available in various sizes and is suitable for both gravity and pumped waste installations. Its pre-formed fixing holes provide full support to hold the screw head firmly in place with no risk of it tearing through. These holes are designed with a “skin” covering so the installer only has to break through as required to prevent seepage. Even if all the holes are not used they must however still be filled.
For installation in a wooden floor, the boards can be removed and replaced with the former without the need to trim or remove floor joists. In concrete floor installations, the concrete needs to be removed to a depth of around 30mm to allow for the 22mm former and light bedding compound to be applied.
Level Access
Formers are not suitable for suspended or pot-and-beam floors but level access showering can still be achieved using a shower tray. In fact, this solution is recommended where the user needs to have a visual contrast between the showering and surrounding area. In installations where time is of the essence, for example where multiple bathrooms are being converted, a level-access shower tray allows for a faster and easier installation or in smaller bathrooms where heating is required, it provides a defined area enabling the contractor to meet Part P regulations.
A level access tray allows access to all users and is purpose-designed to provide a defined showering area with a built-in fall is ideal with the use of screens or curtain and rail. AKW offers two level-access solutions, the Mullen® and Low Profile.
The Mullen® has a standard 25mm fall to allow for quick drainage of water from the tray and it is formed from compressed GRP making it both strong and stable. An integrated clamping strip forms a water-tight seal and if the tray needs to be surface mounted rather than in-set into the floor, a surface mounted ramp can be added to achieve completely level access. The Mullen is ideal for wooden or concrete floor installations but cannot be cut to length. It requires supports around all four sides and is fitted using pre-formed fixing holes.
Low Profile is a very easily fitted tray with an off-set waste position but is not suitable for screeded floors or where the waste needs to be pumped. It can, however, be cut to length.
Low Level
There will be situations where neither a wet-floor nor a level-access solution is possible. It is, however, still possible to achieve accessibility for users with limited mobility by using a surface-mounted low-level shower tray which has only a small step into the showering area. Again, this solution is an option where the user requires visual distinction between the showering and surrounding areas.
Low-level access is the only option in instances when the floor type is unbreachable and the tray cannot be recessed, where there is an increased need to drain the water off the tray or when there are obstacles in the bathroom plumbing that require a flexible solution. Surface mounted trays also allow space below to accommodate an upward discharge of waste if required.
AKW offers several options for a low-level installation. A long-term favourite is the Bradden which is a versatile design that enables it to be used for complete level access, low level or surface mounted. Extremely strong, it has a central waste outlet and is supplied with a separate tiling upstand. For surface mounting, the Keppel offers fast drainage with a 30mm fall or, for full flexibility, the MultiSpec is suitable for level access or surface mounting. Where the bathroom floor is unbreachable, the Sulby is easy to install with a low entry step and a patented gravity waste with eight possible outlet points.
Whichever of these solutions is most appropriate for the bathroom and its users, ease of access is easy to achieve in an adapted bathroom with the installation of a shower – and when the practicalities have been resolved, choice of screens and accessories will complete the picture to create an attractive and user-friendly installation.
