Quote:
Originally Posted by stangel
1. The pressure-balancing valves seem pretty big, is that 2x4 going to be in the way?
2. I can get under the house, so I'm assuming I'll be able to unscrew the elbow and put in a dielectric union -- any advice on that? My biggest fear is that I won't be able to unscrew the decades-old pipe
3. Is it better to attack this from the front or the back? Since I want to move to a single-handle valve, I expect that I'll have to replace a few of the tiles but I'd rather not knock out enough to require a Smitty plate
4. Is that a bond wire running across the back? If so, how does that need to be connected to the new pipe?
5. I think I can bust out enough plaster to get the new pipes under the house, but how do I handle the run up to the shower head? Can I put the elbow on it and then run it up the wall, or do I need to bust it out all the way up so that I can brace the pipe at the top?
6. What's the best order to piece this together? Can some of the elbows be sweat on before installation, or do I work bottom to top, sweating on each piece in turn?
7. I know nothing about new valves -- can someone recommend a) the type of valve to get, and b) specific brands? I've seen Moen recommended here, and read that Delta is okay; I've also read that Kohler changes their products so frequently that it may be hard to get replacement parts 10+ years down the road -- true?
Thanks very much in advance!
Mike
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#1. Yes, the 2x4 will be somewhat in the way. You could notch it out to fit the valve in place. How much depends upon what valve you use.
#2. If you can get the pipe apart, that would probably be your best bet. If not, there are fittings made called either SharkBites or GatorBites that you can use to transition from one type of pipe to another, so you could cut the galvanized pipe off with a hacksaw or such.
#3. I would try to work from the back. Most of the work can be done from there, and what can't should be able to be done through the hole that you will have to make for the new valve.
#4. I don't know, hopefully someone else can comment.
#5. It might be possible to reuse the shower riser that is there, by unthreading the old valve from it and threading the new valve back in it's place.
Personally, were it my house, I would take out enough of the back wall to replace the whole thing. I am anal that way.
#6. It would probably be easiest to make the final two joints the 90's that turn into the sides of the new valve. The particular situation might dictate something different, but that is generally the way I tie in a valve.
#7. Perhaps Moen's strongest point is the easy availability of parts. Some years back I replaced a Moen cartridge for my Mom that was easily 25 years old. I have run into some problems with Moen valves being hard to "fine adjust" temperature wise. Moens are easy to work on, unless the cartridge gets stuck, in which case you have to by a puller tool.
I have had a Delta in my bathroom for perhaps 5 years now, and I can say nothing but good things about it. No problems, and they are super easy to work on.
I have installed some Kohlers, but not had a lot of experience with them other than that. They seemed to operate well when I checked them at trimout time. As I recall, they were a little more complicated, but not overly so.
One thing I wouldn't do is buy a cheap valve. Parts can be impossible to find, and some of these things are absolute junk to start with, speaking from experience. We install a lot of cheap garbage in apartment complexes, so I know whereof I speak.
Need advice on shower repipe
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