I have a relative who has a young boy in a wheelchair. The bathroom is pretty much HC designed, including a roll-in shower stall with a one-piece acrylic enclosure. Maybe fiberglass, I don’t know.
Anyway, they have discovered that the shower valve is too high for him to reach (he’s about 5 yo). How would you lower the valve or make it accessible? There is a closet behind the valve so access to the plumbing is not a problem. I think the biggest problem is covering the old hole.
“When asked if you can do something, tell’em “Why certainly I can”, then get busy and find a way to do it.” T. Roosevelt
Replies
Just a thought.
Since he is only 5 could you build a little redwood ramp to roll up on instead of moving the valve. He maybe able to reach in a couple of years. In fact it maybe to low if you move it (in a few years)?
Dam! Can't see the forest for the trees!
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
ADA shower valve shall be within 18" from the opening, & IIRC no higher than 42".
If moving the valve is no issue, & you're only worried about the left over hole, ---- is it a good spot for a recessed soap tray?
“How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, his precepts! O! ‘tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.” —Benjamin Franklin
Eddie, I think you could probably install one of those hand held shower units on the existing plumbing, the "track" the hand held unit attaches to should be long enough to extend down to his level and then slide up high enough for a taller person. Someone had a link for shower grab bars that was from a CO. that dealt with HC accessible equipment
Geoff
If you have ready access from the back lowering the shower control should be an easy job.
Plug the existing hole with a stainless or plastic cover. Ideally make up a back plate about the same size and screw the two together with maybe 3 bolts. Seal with silicone or with a rubber gasket of some sort.
Another option is to simply install a second, lower control, leaving the existing one in place. Connect it to a lower shower head, or to a shower hose. Solves the problem of use by taller/older people.
Thanks for the quick responses.
I had thought of the sliding head, but that does not solve the valve problem. The problem is the old hole in the acrylic.
I had thought of a stainless cover plate, but was not sure that would seal well.
I like the idea of raising the floor. In fact it would be neat to raise the floor of the entire bathroom, which would make the sink easier to reach. But that raises problems with two in-swing closet doors, and the out-swing shower door.
The second shower valve and head is a nifty idea too.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
> I had thought of a stainless cover plate, but was not sure that would seal well.Mainly a matter of having the backing plate so that you can clamp the edge of the old valve opening tightly between the two plates.My preference would be to use something like Corian for the front plate.
Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm but the harm does not interest them. --T.S. Eliot
Eddie, the second valve idea sounds good, now add the sliding shower head set up to run off the new valve and leave all the original harware in place.
Geoff
Seems to me that they make a cover plate, you might check with your local hardware or plumbing supplier. What is the brand of valve, might look at their site for info.
Saw
After-action report:
Turns out the boy could reach the valve handle, it was the shower head that was causing the problem. So dad installed a replacement head on a sliding bar, and set it low enough so it could be reached. But of course he forgot the teflon tape so I had to show him how that works. (He's a doctor.)
Second problem was the bathroom sink. It is wall mounted so there's room for his legs, but at a standard height the boy could not reach it. He's only 7 yo and a little small for his age. After much grunting and groaning and head scratching, I managed to lower the sink 5" and install a gooseneck swivel faucet set, and now it works great. He can reach the faucet handles and the toothbrush, and they're working on him reaching the soap. Of course being a young boy has nothing to do with the soap issue ...
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
A second valve was my first thought too. Just leave the old one in place, and let the lower one actually turn the water on and off.But one other possibility might be to use the existing one as the temperature control unit, and put a flow control valve down lower. Once you have temperature control with seperate flow control, you'll never go back.