Thermostatic shower replacement

[amfisted]

Hi all
I'm replacing a twenty year old Aqualisa thermostatic shower ( which still works, but the visible white plastic fittings are looking very shabby and all my other bathroom fittings are chrome) with a modern Aqualisa chrome bar shower, also thermostatic. Pretty sure its a relatively straightforward replacement, ensuring the pipes are correctly aligned. Anything else I should be aware of?
Feed is from a combi, and the shower has worked perfectly for years other than having to replace cartridges twice.
Cheers

 

[denso13]

Nothing in particular, you seem to have it mostly covered. Proper alignment, are the supplies in a different position, are you re-tiling, are you happy with fixing/support of the new bar mixer?

 

[amfisted]

Cheers for your response, denso.
Retiling's a moot point. At present I'm thinking that my best bet, rather than tiling the whole shower area, is to replace the tiles immediately around the existing shower valve with a contrasting colour to make it look like a deliberate design rather than what it really is, a botch up due to removing old tiles. Dont have any spares, unfortunately.
The feeds might be aligned OK already, but they definitely need extending proud of the tile surface, all of which I know is basic stuff.
I'll be fixing to tiles over plasterboard--would there be much weight in a mixer bar? The supplier I'm looking at--Plumbworld-- recommends purchase of a fixing kit to go with the shower. I'm surprised the manufacturer doesnt supply that as a matter of course, but without that kit wouldn't the fittings supplied with the shower itself be sufficient to secure the bar? Or would it only be held in place by the pipework?
Ta.

 

[denso13]

I'd definitely go with the fixing kit. Adds to the cost but makes for a much better job IMHO. Fit some plywood in place of plasterboard around the supplies sticking out of the wall for screwing the fixing kit to.

 

[amfisted]

Will do, and thanks again. :0)