install shower pressure balancing valve
I have a question regarding the installation of a 35.253.000 Grohsafe-enhanced flow pressure balancing valve. What it the recommended way of installing the valve to the 1/2″ copper supply pipes? The shut off valves on the sides are 1/2-14NPT male X 1/2″ copper sweat. Should I use brass drop ears on either side? If I would use 1/2-14 drop ears I could screw them to the studs. In this case how do you make a proper seal between the drop ear and the shut off valve since I would have to rotate the drop ear to a downward position. Do you have any suggestion?
Any help would be appreciated.
Replies
Given the option of threads or sweating, I sweat them in. I view threads as leaks waiting to happen. Lately, a number of clients have asked for Moens units that can only be threaded. In those cases, I sweat a stub on a 1/2" female fitting and using teflon tape, thread it on, mount the assembly, then fit up the rest. Some valve assemblies are damaged by sweating, so ensure you read the instructions, some will direct you to remove the internals prior to applying heat.
When heat is required and the stub is short and the valve can not be disassembled, I will soak a cloth and wrap it around the assembly to protect it while sweating.
OK, but how do you attach the valve than to the framing? This is for my kids bathroom. I don't want them to play with the valve handle and the valvebody rips out of the wall.
Edited 4/27/2005 11:24 pm ET by myhousereno
Cross blocking.
The way to attach the body to the blocking will depend on wether you are mounting this before or after the walls (surround I assume?) are up.
If the finished walls are not installed (just rough framing) and you have access from the tub side, determine the distance from the plate of the valve assembly (they usually come with a plastic plate that fits over the body to allow it to fit it flat against the back side of the wall) to the finished wall surface. This will tell you where the valve body needs to be located. Nail/screw the blocking to the studs. I usually block so that the pipes themselves can be clamped using copper pipe clamps and screws.
If the walls are already installed, then you are working from the back. In this case I mount the valve (sometimes fully piped out depending on framing conditions) fit up and sweat it in. Afterwards I install blocking behind the pipes directly below the valve. I then screw one end of plastic plumbers tape to the blocking, then wrap it around the pipe and back over the blocking. It's secured using sveral screws. In some cases I've added blocking (scraps of 2x) between the wall and pipe/vavle/tub faucet) to prevent movement.
All this is assuming rigid copper pipe, as that's all I use for bathroom plumbing. If it doesn't work for you, you can see what you have, and you just might have to get creative.
Good luck.I never met a tool I didn't like!
if you want you could flux the threads male and female tighten together hand tight position valve in wall then solder in position the male and female
Do any of you have advice on sweating copper into a brass shower valve? I just installed one and all four joints are leaking - just little pinhole drips, but leaking all the same. I've got a good bit of experience sweating copper and usually use threaded connection for valves. Just forgot to double check the order this time so the valve came out with sweat fittings. I'm really not looking forward to chopping it out and resweating the joints..... I'm always afraid that I'll heat up the valve too much and harm the valve body, even though I take the cartridge out.
if you have a stripped out valve body... sweat away... onough heat to damage the body would ruin the pipes long before that..
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