Finally - No more cold showers!

[Ben Franz]

No, it's not THAT kind of cold shower. This is a family friendly forum.

We moved into our house in 2006 - house was built in 1997. Taking a shower has been a perilous process. If anyone uses water (sink, toilet, laundry, etc.) while you're taking one, either a scald or freeze results. Obviously, there's something wrong with the pressure balanced mixing valves in the showers - right? I mean, the house is built in 1997 so it must have PB valves - that's been code for a lot longer than '97.

Luckily, the back side of both valves is accessible by opening up some drywall. I bought 2 sets of Grohe mixers, trim, shower head and arms (I'm partial to the German stuff - more $$$ but really well made) and just finished installation work. Sure enough, the existing valves weren't PB. I'm not sure how the builder/plumber got away with this one. I prefer to think it was an oversight by the inspector but this is New Mexico and our governmental processes aren't exactly pristine (think Bill Richardson:eek:).

One final gripe - there is no water shutoff valve in the house so each on or off cycle required a hike out to the road to open the meter well and turn the valve with a 6' homemade wrench.

I'll be smiling tomorrow morning, though.

[Mike Henderson]

I know how you feel. I lived in an older house without the pressure balance controls and it was a pain until I replaced them.

As long as you're doing plumbing, I'd add a shut off valve in the garage or somewhere you can get to it quickly and easily.

Mike

[David G Baker]

Ben,
That home made wrench you used to shut your water off at the street could cost you a big repair bill if you accidentally break the fittings at the street. Many cities will let you use one of their wrenches, you may have to pay a deposit on it, and if there is a break using their equipment, there will be no charge for repairing the damage. The reason I know this is the city water department caught me with my home made wrench turning my water off at the street. They stopped and gave me the advice about using the city shut off tool. The tool I was using was almost exactly like the one I borrowed from them.
If I were you I would install a shut-off valve in my house as soon as possible and I would use a ball valve instead of the globe or gate valve for the main in house shut off valve.
I have been doing my own plumbing for the past 40 years and have not heard of pressure balancing valves. Thanks for that piece of information, I try to learn something new everyday.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David,

They are also called anti-scald valves. That's all I have in the house though neither of the two showers had them until I installed them.

It's also amazing what installing 3/4" water supply lines does for a shower. The basement bathroom I gutted and totally replumbed even replaced the existing shower drain by trenching through the concrete floor. With 3/4" supply lines coming into the bathroom, you can do what you want....run the washing machine....run water anywhere in the house and the shower in the basement bath doesn't know it. Upstairs, with anti-scald pb valves...the total amount of water will decrease but the temperature remains the same. If I ever gut that bathroom again, I'll plumb in 3/4" supply lines in there too!

[David G Baker]

Thanks Ken. Next time I am in a BORG I will do a little research. A bathroom remodel is on the to do list in the near future. The only faucet in the house that seems to cause any problems is the one at kitchen sink. While I am showering the LOML seems to feel the need to rinse dishes off using the water in the kitchen.
I re-plumed the house I owned in California and one of the things I did for convenience is I added 5 ball valves in the water lines so I could isolate areas of the house that needed plumbing work and still have water in the rest of the house. I also used 3/4" lines through out the house.

[Ben Franz]

David-

Our water supplier is a rural cooperative (you have to buy a membership to connect) and the local service guy told me how to make a wrench by cutting a slot in the end of a length of 3/4" EMT.

Our house is slab on grade and I can only guess that the service entrance is in the wall behind the water heater. Unfortunately, the back side of that wall is buried behind a bathroom vanity so I can't explore until the bathroom gets remodeled in a few years. The water heater is jammed in a closet with the softener and the FAU so not much is accessible there either. Any suggestions?

[David G Baker]

If you are like me, I would wait until the remodel if you are reasonably confident that the existing set up does not have any obvious problems. During the remodel I would make the upgrades if possible. I did not realize that you had a slab house. Under slab utilities is the main reason why I will never have a house without a large crawl space or even better, like the house I now have, a basement.
Find where your main water line enters your house or goes under the slab (in most cases it is more than likely directly in line with your main supply valve at the street) carefully dig down and find the access pipe and add your own ball valve shut off in that line. You can put the valve under ground in a utility box to protect it from the cold and elements. Most homes that are on non well water supplies already have a shut off valve near where the main water line enters the home on the outside of the house.