Methven WELS 3 Star, 9L/Min Waipori Satinjet Rail Shower $49.50, appears to be nationwide. Listed on the Harvey Norman website for $299.
Free click and collect in store otherwise delivery from $10. Special order item so not stocked in store (4-7 day lead time according to website)
Other items in the Methven Waipori range seem to be marked down too, for example:
- Methven Waipori Shower Mixer $39.50
- Methven WELS 4 Star 7.5L/min Waipori Wall Mounted Basin Mixer With Plate $49.50
is it possible to install this without drilling into the wall?
Would also like to know
Pretty sure you can (although won't be recommended by manual) install it with adhesives, but don't expect it to last long. They never do when you go down that route - nails are the way to go for that type of thing.
Nails?
my bad - new years day. should have said screws.
Depends whether you want it falling off or not. :)
You need to drill into the wall.
Not 100% sure but it seems like you might need to drill it in according to instructions https://6f5808fed5df953b5ce8-f7092dceca7c6a0fa248f5b05eee434…
Stick it on with some fixtech fix190. It won't be coming off in a hurry.
No..
It will be weak, but there would be ways.
Could use aggressive as suggested (but that may rip tiles off).
Or since I assume it's currently a regular showerhead point about 6ft high, you could probably fabricate some form of bracket to hang the top mount of the rail from the pipe plus use weaker adhesive to stop it rattling.
Both are pretty dodgy though and could be disaster if someone uses the rail as a handhold.
We've had this no drill rail shower from Bunnings for about 6-7 years with no problems.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/flexispray-wels-3-star-9l-min-no…
It comes with a normal shower head at the top. This is what the top end of the rail hangs off. The bottom of the rail can be affixed with an adhesive pad to the tile wall. It has held firm and has not come off.
Therefore it has both the top shower and the hand shower and both can function at once. Our 2 young kids like it as a double shower and so may you ;)
The rubber gripper that hold the shower head holder onto the pole disintegrated on ours after 2 years.
No, you would just need a plug but it might even come with a few.
I wonder how this compares to the Aldi showerhead that's going on sale on Wednesday
Don't bother with the Aldi ones as i had to return them 3 times before getting a refund. they are rubbish and leaks water. I even got a licensed plumber to install it and even he hated it
This is a several hundred dollar showerhead that is seemingly on clearance. The aldi one will be a $60 showerhead that's $60, and they won't have stock of something goes wrong with it in a month's time.
This is a very well brand, quality is excellent, not comparable at all.
Do you hate your plumber that much that you make him install that aldi junk?
Or
Are you such a big ozbargainer that you are willing to risk quality on such a item?
I mean, since many shower heads are different , it’s not like it’s easy enough to patch up the tiles and make new holes for a new head if one doesn’t work out
Do you hate stuff which is not expensive and consider it a risk just on that parameter?
@jalwa: Not at all.
But tap ware such as this isn’t something that is super easy to change to a different mode/brand if things go wrong, so why would you have the added risk of installing something that is not a brand recognised for taps.
It’s not a toaster that you can just unplug from the power and replace
That’s just my opinion.
@popcornready: You essentially just unscrew it and replace. I don't understand hiring someone to come to your house to do that tbh. Although I did buy this Aldi one and actually it is a male connector to the wall, which is annoying since in Australia they seem to always be male outputs on the wall, so that doesn't just screw on like it should. Had to go find a joiner to connect them together. Bit of a hassle. Definitely not the best quality stuff either, but way cheaper than anything else.
@rhino015: Yes, you simply unscrew it if you were just replacing with the same.
But what if you realise it’s junk and you want a different brand. The likelihood is the holes won’t line up. Not really possible to putty and paint the holes on tiles, is it?
@popcornready: Oh I get what you mean, with the rail systems, how you have to drill a hole lower down for the rail. That's why I opted for a non-rail one like the Aldi one. That type of one just screws onto the outlet of the wall and that's it. I definitely agree about not drilling holes into the tiles for a rail shower unless you're very certain you won't change it for 15 years. You'd want to have some spare tiles, since you won't be able to find the same ones again if you break one, and then you'd need a pro to come out and replace it so it doesn't look crap haha. That's why I reckon just getting one of those goose neck shower arms and a rain shower head is the way to go if you're upgrading an older shower head. Even if you're renting you can just unscrew it and put the old one back on.
Methven support is legendary. I had a leak in the shower in my 8 year old Carlisle home with Methven fittings. I called Methven, they posted a replacement piece and then sent a plumber to replace it. I didn't have to spend a cent.
I had a methven adjustable shower head blow out after 6 years; Gave them a call, they asked for a photo, then sent me a new replacement for free.
I had blum self-closing kitchen cabinet mechanisms also stop working after 12 years and they sent replacements for free!
Did they ask for receipts? Or just replace them no questions asked
No receipts. Just a pic. I was the second owner so didn't have any receipts.
@merill: Good to know. We put methven in our bathroom Reno and I bought some new off eBay - didn’t save the receipts in time…
They still making these? OR only shower stuff now?
Same here - had a Futura shower head fail with water leaking around the face plate - I sent them a few photos to show what was happening. Couldn't find my receipt from like 5 years ago but I did send them before and after photos of my bathroom when I installed the new rail system, ha! They were happy to send me an upgraded Escape replacement head. Nothing but love for Methven here.
I have a couple of their Turoa Vjet which is an amazing showerhead yet kind of stupid, for it is made of stainless steel. Most if not all other showerheads are made of chrome-plated PVC/ABS or similar low-density materials. The stainless one is supposed to be durable but unfortunately once you accidentally drop it, it can cause severe damage to itself, your tiles and you toes depending on how (un)lucky you are. I was on the lucky side that only the showerhead snapped into two, so I wrote a complaint email to Methven telling them stainless steel seems like a bad idea. They sent me a new replacement completely free so at least the customer support is really good.
Don't worry, most of their stuff is just painted plastic now :)
Yeah I just wanna say their customer support is really good and it would be great if they made a plastic Vjet. It would be my favorite travel showerhead visiting crappy places.
Can this replace a standard shower head and seperate hot/cold taps (no mixer)?
I can't speak for this one specifically. But generally this type just connect the hose to where the existing head screws on, so it behaves exactly the same as the old head, just with an extended flexible hose section.
Picture has mixer. How you convert hot and cold taps into mixer?
That's just the example bathroom
Yes
OK, so yes you can replace standard shower head, this set has nothing to do with your taps. To update that you need to buy the shower mixer that's linked, but that means digging out the wall and welding the mixer into the pipework and re tiling. In other words, just use the existing taps and replace the shower head
Yes or else you would be showering under two heads of water trying to stand in the middle to get the best temps lol. The water gets mixed before the head.
Yes.
The actual taps, whether your shower has two separate levers/taps for hot and cold, or a single lever for both, are sold separately, so they are not part of this.
You can probably find matching methven lever/tap, in both styles (separate hot and cold or one for both), on the bunnings website.
(You could maybe spend a grand or two on plumber to rip out a section of your wall and change from one style to the other, if you have matching tiles, but why? No need, no point).
Not a standard stock item and needs special order.
Part of me wants to get this installed alongside our rain shower head just to avoid having to squeegee the glass every shower.
How would it help? We have this and still squeegee to save cleaning the glass
Right, I figured it would just let you rinse off the glass instead of having to squeegee it.
Appreciate the insight!
I find it faster to clean the shower once a week than squeegee it every time i use the shower.
Fair enough. I guess I really hate cleaning showers so this doesn’t feel like I ever have to lol
@WhyAmICommenting: But you are cleaning it every time you use it.
Plus you are wet and get cold.
This is the best shower cleaner I have found, you don't need to put in any effort to scrub.
https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/89793/easy-off-bam-p…
@spaceflight: I used to use the easy off bam soap scum aerosol can spray. It required a whole $5 can every time but worked well. Then I read about this other cleaning solution you can make that's easily just as good if not better. I now mix mostly cheap cleaning vinegar $1/L with a little dishwashing liquid and spray that on with an old windex bottle. Leave that on the shower glass for 5 mins, come back and give it a quick wipe (not necessary if it isn't too bad) and rinse it a bit and squeegee and it's instantly mint. Very cheap too and very easy.
@rhino015: I have never tried the aerosol, the normal bottle only needs a few squirts to do my entire shower glass and lasts a long time
I treat the glass with rainx twice a year. Before I apply it, I use this https://www.bunnings.com.au/trojan-safety-scraper-with-5-bla… along with water to remove all the scum off the glass. You would be amazed at how quick and easy it is, plus water and bodywash/shampoo/etc, jus glides off the glass.
I suspect the previous owners had RainX'd the glass yeah. It is really nice.
We have all methven across the house, great quality & this is a great price. Definitely recommend the brand.
Anyone know what you need to turn 2 taps into a mixer for the shower? Im guessing some sort of thing behind the mixer?
Meh, buy now work it out later.
Meth, buy now regret later.
Need what is called a shower mixer:
https://www.reece.com.au/search/tapware-accessories-c2518/sh…
Something like these. Will need a plumber to combine the pipes in the wall into that unit for it to work.
Yeah cool, probably gonna need a bathroom reno anyway.
Plumbing wise it should be easy two inlets (hot) (cold) and one outlet. Same config you have now, Now you will have hot and cold separate and they mix into each other just after the tap and lead to the shower head in a single pipe. So you only really need to add a fitting to the outlet pipe screw type fitting so it attaches to the mixer.
It will be harder to make it look nice as the space for two taps is heaps bigger than the mixer and you would have to patch and waterproof the hole and find matching tiles.
Yeah thanks mate. Ive actually smashed through those areas hunting for a nightmarish leak (gave up, think tiling waterproofing is buggered). Reno now on the cards for this year.
Don’t forget sydney water offers a free showerhead replacement service replaced and installed. $33 for labour
https://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/your-home/helping-you-save…
And this covers installation of something like this?
Nop, it is just a single shower head. You get a crappy shower head that is nothing near the Methven.
"Showerhead replacement labour only
We can also install a shower you supply. Just make sure that your new showerhead is a compatible replacement. Price includes removing your existing showerhead and installing the new showerhead you supply. If our plumber needs additional materials, this will be an extra cost.
$33 each"
let's just say I'm not a handy man, is drilling int to tile easy enough? Tricks to not breaking the tile?
You need a special drill bit and go slowly, not hard. Just don't rush it
And don't go into the water pipe that almost inevitably, will be behind that section of wall.
Masonry drill bit works.
Yup they do
You need a special drill bit for tiles. This did the job for me in kitchen and perfect holes in tile and no cracked ones
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-4-piece-glass-and-tile-bit…
Cheers, those bits look like they are for an impact drill, would a driver suffice?
In contrary you mustn't use an impact/ hammer setting on tiles. The bit works on normal drill. Just go slow until tile is drilled through then change to a masonry bit as suggested below. Even masonry bit will work on driver setting, just takes time.
Good luck
I can vouch for above product… It worked perfectly for me when I had to drill through my bathroom tiles.
I drilled slightly larger than my desired hole size (8mm tile bit for 6mm final hole in wall). I then changed to a masonry bit to drill into the concrete behind the tiles. The pros probably have a different method, but I am just happy I didn't break any tiles.
Chuck some masking tape down first to get a better grip on the drill bit, and as above, go slow
I always used this method, masking tape, select standard/non hammer mode, and go slow for a while. Used a standard bit and never had a cracked tile, worst I have had is just some slight chips at the edge of the hole which are covered anyway and probably unavoidable
This is the key to not chipping or fracturing tiles. Start with a smaller drill bit and onto making tape. Once there's an indentation made, can switch over to the larger drill bit that is correct for the supplied screws/wall fastener.
I looked at YouTube videos on how to do this when I installed my shower rail about 12m ago.
Most water pipes runs in a 'U' shape from the tap to the showerhead. So drilling anywhere left or right of the showerhead is fine. For me, I just drill mine into the grout to the left or the right of the showerhead which is normally safe. That way you don't have to drill into the tiles…
Any plumber can confirm if distance between fixings are standard? I think my current one is 630 but this one is 730…
This kit adjusts to distance between fixings of 595-730mm
O, it says 730mm, thought it's fixed. Thanks.
R u sure this is adjustable?
Looking at the instructions, it goes from 510mm to 645mm so you should be fine.
@brendanm Thanks mate. 510mm-635mm will be sutiable for me. End to endin the current fitting is 570mm. 595mm-730mm as mentioned by bdl would have been a problem.
Make 100% for yourself, that's just the install sheet I found online for it.
@amsaini15: Could you please update if confirmed? Mine is 580 and broken, but unfortunately it looks like it's 595-730 on here https://hndgwww2.blob.core.windows.net/www2/products/053%E2%…
We have three of these in the house. Fantastic shower head, unbelievable price!
A general question, would you guys pick Methven over Dorf, quality and warranty-wise?
Yes, probably as good or better, and YES
Love my Meth!
Woops
Meth head after life… 'Methven'.
And I know, there’ll be no more…
Tears in Methven
Thank you. Ordered the basin mixer too.
Methven WELS 4 Star, 7.5L/Min Ovalo Basin Mixer $39.50
https://www.bunnings.com.au/methven-wels-4-star-7-5l-min-ova…
For the Waipori Rail Shower, here is the Methven site link for more info.
https://www.methven.com/au/showering/rail-showers/waipori-ra…
The Waipori Rail Shower does not come with the mixer, so better to grab the mixer from Bunnings as well if you are doing a new installation.
I have this basin mixer and paid much more for it. It has a pretty short sprout and tend to cause splashes around the basin.
Which mixer do you recommend?
Great price and great shower head. Ordered one. Thanks OP