Installation of an inspection plumbing hatch into the gypsum board screen under the bath

Recommendation points

• Choice of hatch
• Phased installation of the hatch on the GKL screen
• Stage 1. Manufacturing a frame for the hatch
• Stage 2. Fixing the sunroof frame
• Stage 3. Fixing the hatch
• Stage 4. Laying tiles
• Stage 5. Adjustment

The installation of an inspection hatch into a gypsum plasterboard screen under the bath seems to many to be a difficult task that requires any special skills. In fact, this is not so difficult to do if you follow the simple step-by-step instructions offered in our article..

What is an inspection hatch in the bathroom screen and why is it needed, every owner of a house or apartment should know. This is an important element, consisting of a frame and a door (or 2 doors at once), providing access to the frame structure, which contains pipes, joints and other engineering communications, for the possibility of plumbing repairs or revisions. Also, with the help of a hatch, the cavity space under the bathroom is often used to store household chemicals, home cleaning products.

Therefore, when equipping a gypsum plasterboard screen under the bathroom, you should definitely include it in the overall design.

Choice of hatch

There are many types of inspection hatches and the convenience of access to the desired part under the bath depends on the correct choice of the most optimal product, as well as the aesthetic appeal of the overall result of installation..

First of all, decide on the dimensions, how convenient it is to access all the connecting elements of the pipeline through it. Calculate the dimensions right away in such a way that when using the “invisible hatch”, the tiles laid on its surface lie in the ideal ratio of the seam to the rest of the tile “field” and does not require cutting.

Then select the opening mechanism, taking into account all the walls in the immediate vicinity of the screen box. You can choose a door with left or right opening, as well as bottom or middle.

In addition, you should immediately find out what kind of hatch you want to buy – ordinary plastic or “invisible”, which implies its subsequent facing with the same tiles that are on the common surface.

Perhaps the choice of the hatch is the most important stage of the entire phased assembly, then you will no longer be able to correct its position in any way, without dismantling the entire structure of the screen.

Consider installing a secret hatch under a tile with a metal frame.

Phased installation of the hatch on the GKL screen

So, you have chosen the right product. Then you can proceed with the installation itself.

By this time, you should already have assembled a frame for the gypsum board. In the racks, which will be located on the sides of the hatch, mortgages should be fixed – well-dried wooden bars treated with a means of decay and mold. In this case, the place for the future “window” must be immediately calculated and marked with a pencil.

Stage 1. Manufacturing a frame for the hatch

Further, horizontal bridges should be made from the rack profile, which will be located above and below the revision frame, fix the bars in them and fix them to the racks using “crabs” or by cutting off the walls.

You can do all this not in place, but before installing the rack profiles and insert 2 profiles at once into the guides, with the jumpers located in the middle. Who is more convenient.

Thus, you should have a square or rectangular cell in the frame for securing the hatch. Its size must be such that the inserted revision frame is held even without fastening, but at the same time it does not stand in the space. Many people advise not to make jumpers at all, since the main fastening load still falls on the sidewalls, but if you are interested in a thoroughly strong structure, it is still better to provide them.

Stage 2. Fixing the sunroof frame

In the hatch frame, if there are no factory holes in it, you need to drill them. Where they will be located and how many there will be depends on the size of the hatch, its weight, the location of the supporting elements and the side on which the door will be.

1 – lightweight; 2 – medium; 3 – heavy

Now you can fix the hatch with hardware, but most importantly, make sure that there is no screw coincidence with the caps of the frame and frame screws.

For this:

1. Install the frame into the frame.
2. Check the level of its location.
3. Screw the screws into the holes, not all the way. In this case, you first need to fix the heavy side with the door.

Check the level of the side elements of the hatch again and pay attention to the fact that when closing the door, its outer surface should be flush with the reference plane.

If the height of the hatch is not enough, you accidentally made a mistake in the calculations, raise it with backing bars.

Stage 3. Fixing the hatch

Tighten all screws tightly. If you removed the door before installation, reinstall it, fixing it tightly with nuts, using a wrench. Then slightly screw the self-tapping screw into the surface of the door with a screwdriver – this will be its temporary handle.

Stage 4. Laying tiles

At this stage, tiles are laid around the hatch and on the door. To do this, on the back side of the door, lay the film so that it falls on it, but at the same time covers the wall around the perimeter of the device. Then unscrew the same self-tapping screw that was previously screwed in as a temporary handle.

Then apply a concrete contact primer to the door surface (if it is made of gypsum fiber board) and lay the tiles so that they are flush with the tiled facing of the entire screen, observing the established joint interval.

When the tiles are dry, carefully open the hatch and remove the plastic. Stick the suction cups on the surface and try to open the device to secure the push mechanism and control.

Stage 5. Adjustment

If during installation some distortions appeared in the hatch structure, it is necessary to make a simple adjustment. To do this, if there are problems with the door, simply loosen the nuts on the hinges and, by pulling / tightening them, achieve a stable position of the element. The same actions with a Phillips screwdriver are performed if the problem is in the pressure rollers. Do not forget to lubricate the hinges with special grease..

As you can see, it is quite simple to install the inspection hatch, and you can do it yourself without involving a master.