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With The Installer Show 2026 fast approaching (NEC Birmingham, 23-25 June), Roca has spoken with Todd Glister, founder of Glister Services (right), about one of the most common specification dilemmas in the industry: concealed versus exposed shower valves. The answer, says Todd, is rarely about aesthetics. It’s about budget, build type and having an honest conversation with your client before a single pipe is chased in.

Budget first: the first fix reality:

“The first-fix costs on a concealed system are roughly three times that of an exposed valve,” Todd explains. “With an exposed bar mixer, you’ve got two pipes coming out of the wall. Half an hour to first fix, an hour to second fix. A concealed system means a lot more plumbing in the wall. Every feed must come out in exactly the right place.” For budget-conscious projects, an exposed valve properly installed is a solid, cost-effective solution. For higher-spec builds, or where a matching in-wall bath valve is already being fitted, a concealed system makes natural sense. There is also a longer-term advantage worth flagging to clients: a quality concealed system – such as the RocaBox – allows easy access for maintenance or to change the front plate, if the bathroom’s colour scheme alters in the future, without disturbing the surrounding tiling.

Before you specify the shower head, check the pressure
Test water pressure and flow rate before a shower head is chosen, not after. “Too many people have a combi-boiler on 7 litres per minute and want a 300mm overhead head,” says Todd. “Make sure you’ve got the flow rate and pressure to support what you’re specifying."

This is a particularly common issue on combiboiler installations, where available flow rate is often far more limited than clients assume, and where pairing an undersized system with an oversized head results in a disappointing performance that will ultimately reflect on the installer. Asking the right questions at the survey stage and being prepared to steer the client towards a more appropriate head size or system configuration, is what separates a well-specified shower from one that causes call-backs. 

Ceiling-mounted heads: worth the first fix consideration
Todd opted for ceiling-mounted fixed heads over wall arms in his own home (right) and makes a strong case for recommending the same on new builds or renovations with accessible ceiling voids. “On my new build it was straightforward. Instead of bringing the supply up to a height in the wall, I just brought it into the ceiling and it’s a much better finish,” he notes.

Controls outside the spray zone: a non-negotiable
Designing controls to sit outside the spray zone is a fundamental principle of a well-installed shower, not an optional upgrade, Todd maintains. “I’ve been to many bathrooms where you have to lean right in to turn the valve on and you get a cold, wet arm,” he says. “That’s just terrible design. My main criteria is always: can the user turn the valve on without getting wet? In my ensuite (right), you slide the shower door open a few inches, press the button and the shower’s running – you’re staying dry until you choose to step in."

Products shown: (in the family bathroom) T-500 Matt Black thermostatic valve and Plenum threefunction handset; (in the ensuite) Roca’s T-3000 Matt Black round thermostatic shower valve, 
250mm Rainsense ceiling-mounted shower head and Stella handset.
Contact: 01530 830080 or uk.roca.com/professional-are