Traditional style roll top baths sometimes come with a flattened part of the edge called a tap platform. Taps can't be mounted on the rolling rim of a roll top bath so either the bath must have a tap platform to mount taps on or the taps must be wall mounted or they must be floor standing taps. This article deals with some of the main issues to bear in mind when choosing traditional style taps for a roll top bath. This article is concerned with contemporarily manufactured baths and not antique baths.
Choosing Standpipes
Mostly you will be choosing a set of taps and mounting them on standpipes. Although a few freestanding traditional taps are available as a single part this is not usually the case. Nearly all deck mounted taps (i.e. normal taps, bath fillers or bath shower mixers) can be attached to standpipes (but this does not mean they are suitable for use with your bath - see below). When choosing standpipes avoid those intended for contemporary taps, these usually have a bracket for a hand held shower built in which you will not need with a traditional tap which will have an old telephone style rest for the hand held shower. Also do not confuse standpipes with pipe shrouds,. pipe shrouds (usually telescopic) are used to cover copper pipes going from the floor to the tap platform and are not sturdy enough to take the weight of taps, true stand pipes on the other had will cover the pipes and take the weight of the tap. Normally neither standpipes not pipe shrouds take the water directly, they conceal the actual water feed pipe. Standpipes vary in height typically they may be 660mm or 700mm high. As a general rule its sensible to use 660mm standpipes on a bath that is up to 660mm high from the floor to the top of the rim at the point where the taps will be. The higher your standpipes are the more imposing your taps will be.
Choosing a Suitable Tap
Most traditional bath taps, fillers and bath shower mixers will not be suitable for use on standpipes as floor standing taps. Although they will fit on the standpipes most of them will not have sufficient reach for the spout to comfortably get over the edge of the bath. In general you need what are called cranked leg taps, a cranked leg tap has an extra piece at the bottom of each leg with an extra wiggle in it that pushes the tap upwards and forwards giving that extra reach to get it nicely over the edge of the bath. In general you need a minimum of 150mm reach (pipe centre to spout centre), you should always check this before buying your taps and you should always ensure you have enough reach for the particular bath you need the taps to work with.
Summary
So the main issues are:
1. Get a traditional style pair of standpipes with no shower bracket
2. Measure the height of your bath (with feet if it has them) and get the right height standpipes to go with it.
3. Look at a technical drawing for the tap as well as one for the bath if you can and check you will have enough reach in the tap spout to comfortably get over the edge of the bath.
Here you can find more help and information about Standpipes, Floor Standing Traditional TapsFreestanding Baths. and
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