Buying taps from China: plumber checks
Ask your plumber to review the exact model evidence, backflow arrangement, connections and suitability for your home's water system. Ask your water supplier whether the proposed work needs notification and consent before installation. Cambridge China Bridge can obtain the factory documents and samples for that review.
Give your plumber the installation brief
Before paying a deposit, send your plumber the model drawings, installation instructions and proposed bathroom layout. Include your hot-water system, measured supply pressures, any booster and whether the shower has a flexible hose. Ask for a written list of acceptable fittings and unresolved questions. If your bathroom project includes a sauna, see our UK sauna installation checks. For a shower screen in the same project, see our shower screen installation checks.
For a home in England or Wales, discuss this checklist with the local water supplier. For Scotland or Northern Ireland, ask the supplier to confirm the applicable local requirements before ordering. The existing taps and valves guide provides the product sourcing background; this guide focuses on the proposed installation.
Match compliance evidence to the complete fitting
Ask your plumber and water supplier to confirm the quality, standard and suitability requirements applicable to the fitting and its circumstances of use. Give your plumber the evidence for the exact assembled model, including its cartridge, flexible connectors, seals and water-contact materials. Ask which evidence demonstrates the applicable British Standard or regulator-approved specification.
If the factory offers an approval certificate, ask for the current listing and installation conditions. Match the manufacturer, model and component configuration, and ask whether the evidence covers the complete fitting or only a material or component. Use how to verify a product test report for document checks. Refer unresolved evidence to the water supplier before purchase.
Assess backflow at the actual installation
Backflow protection must be appropriate to the highest applicable downstream fluid category. Ask your plumber to assess the complete arrangement and specify the protection. Do not choose a check valve solely because the factory calls it suitable for a shower. For a garden pool installation, see our pool kit approvals and checks.
Show where a flexible shower head or pull-out spout can reach, including the bath, basin and toilet. Ask the plumber to check outlet clearance, hose restraint and whether an air gap or another protective arrangement is appropriate. Include any bidet spray in the assessment and get the proposed solution settled before ordering.
Check connections and operating conditions
Ask the plumber to confirm thread standard and size, parallel or tapered threads, sealing method, inlet spacing, pipe connections, hose ends, tap-hole dimensions and mounting thickness. Put these details in the product specification. Ask the factory for dimensioned drawings and a sample to trial with the intended mating fittings.
Check the model's operating pressure range against the home's measured pressures, and confirm hot-water temperature limits, flow performance and compatibility with the water heater. For a thermostatic mixer, ask about temperature control and the manufacturer's commissioning procedure. Agree access for servicing, isolation and replacement cartridges before selecting concealed fittings.
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Resolve notification before installation
In England and Wales, listed installation operations require advance notice to the water supplier and consent before work begins, subject to specified exceptions. The list includes certain shower units and bidets with an ascending spray or flexible hose. Ask the supplier to assess your exact proposal, including any booster, and confirm whether an approved-contractor exception applies.
Send the supplier the proposed layout and product details, and ask what supporting documents it needs. Agree who will handle notification and keep the response and any conditions with the order file. Buy against the reviewed model and components, prohibit unreviewed substitutions, and retain the plumber's commissioning and installation records.
Frequently asked questions
What documents should I ask a Chinese tap factory for?
Request exact model drawings, installation instructions, complete fitting test evidence, water-contact material details and any claimed approval listing with its conditions. Have your plumber review them before ordering.
Does a tap approval cover my shower hose installation?
Ask your plumber to check the approval scope and conditions against the installed arrangement. Hose reach and downstream fluid risk still need assessment; backflow protection must match the applicable risk.
Will Chinese taps fit UK pipe connections?
Ask your plumber to compare thread form, size, sealing method, inlet spacing and hose connections with the drawings. Trial a sample with the intended fittings before buying; a description saying UK compatible is insufficient.
Do I need to notify my water supplier before fitting a shower?
Ask the supplier to assess the exact model and installation. In England and Wales, certain shower installations are listed for notification and consent. Check any applicable exception before work starts.