A column buys coherence; separate parts buy repairability. Both connect to the same 150 mm wall outlets, so this is a preference rather than a constraint.
What a column is
A mixer, a riser, a fixed head and usually a hand shower, sold as one assembly. It replaces an existing installation in one go, it matches by construction, and its overall height has to work in your room — many are adjustable over 15 to 30 cm, and that range is the specification to read.
What separate parts give you
When the hand shower perishes, you replace a hand shower. When the thermostatic cartridge fails, you replace a mixer. On a column, a failed part is sometimes only sold as part of the column.
The question that settles it
Is the mixer being changed too? If the existing thermostatic mixer is fine, a rail set or a head is the smaller and better purchase. If everything is being replaced anyway, a column is simpler and usually cheaper than the parts bought separately.
The measurement either way
Centre distance at the wall — 150 mm on almost everything — and the height available above the outlets.
Questions people actually ask
Can a column be fitted without opening the wall?
Yes, when it connects to existing exposed outlets at the standard centres — that is what an exposed or "Aufputz" system is for. Concealed systems are a different product and do mean opening the wall.
Do I need a thermostatic column?
Not necessarily, and it costs more. It is worth it where the supply moves — a household where a tap or an appliance changes the temperature mid-shower. Where it does not move, a plain mixer does the same job.
Last reviewed 5 September 2026