Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Judgement call: replacing a shower faucet during a remodel
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Chrisatunc
12-30-05, 12:31 PM
Howdy-
Finished bathroom #1, on to #2.
I have ripped out the tile and backer boards of my shower all the way down to the studs. The faucet is the original (I believe) 'mixet' brand faucet from when the house was built in 1978. This style, for those who don't know it by name, has one single knob for water and then a seperate disc/lever behind the knob to adjust temprature.
Judgement call: This isn't my primary bathroom, so I don't really care about upgrading the shower faucet to a nice, sleek one-handle unit. On the other hand, I'm replacing everything else in the bathroom and this will be the only time that the shower stall is down to the studs and thus it's the easiest time to do it if I was ever going to do it. Maybe when I sell the place it will be a better total package with a newer shower faucet.
Judement call: The plumbing is copper, which I heard is the longest-lasting piping option. It's 27-year-old plumbing, though. Should I replace this faucet just because it's already exposed and b/c it would be a good idea to replace it anyway, or can this be left as-is without worry due to copper's longevity?
Final judgement call: If I stay with copper I'm going to pay someone to do the faucet replacement. If I go with CPVC, I can install the new unit myself. Is it worth using cpvc, which I can do myself and not hire a plumber, or should I still with copper b/c of its durability and quality?
I'm looking for opinions b/c I realize that there might not be an obviousd right answer here.
Thanks,
Chris
Finished bathroom #1, on to #2.
I have ripped out the tile and backer boards of my shower all the way down to the studs. The faucet is the original (I believe) 'mixet' brand faucet from when the house was built in 1978. This style, for those who don't know it by name, has one single knob for water and then a seperate disc/lever behind the knob to adjust temprature.
Judgement call: This isn't my primary bathroom, so I don't really care about upgrading the shower faucet to a nice, sleek one-handle unit. On the other hand, I'm replacing everything else in the bathroom and this will be the only time that the shower stall is down to the studs and thus it's the easiest time to do it if I was ever going to do it. Maybe when I sell the place it will be a better total package with a newer shower faucet.
Judement call: The plumbing is copper, which I heard is the longest-lasting piping option. It's 27-year-old plumbing, though. Should I replace this faucet just because it's already exposed and b/c it would be a good idea to replace it anyway, or can this be left as-is without worry due to copper's longevity?
Final judgement call: If I stay with copper I'm going to pay someone to do the faucet replacement. If I go with CPVC, I can install the new unit myself. Is it worth using cpvc, which I can do myself and not hire a plumber, or should I still with copper b/c of its durability and quality?
I'm looking for opinions b/c I realize that there might not be an obviousd right answer here.
Thanks,
Chris
majakdragon
12-30-05, 01:01 PM
I would replace the shower valve. One, because it is open now, two, because if you close up the wall and it fails soon, you have to open the wall back up. Now would also be the perfect opportunity to add an access panel for future use. We get a lot of posts on "what do we do now because I don't want to tear up the tile" questions.
Not sure why you do not want to work with doing the copper plumbing yourself. DIY even has an interactive site showing how to work with copper.
http://www.doityourself.com/info/h2handlecopper.htm
Good luck on however you decide to do the job.
Not sure why you do not want to work with doing the copper plumbing yourself. DIY even has an interactive site showing how to work with copper.
http://www.doityourself.com/info/h2handlecopper.htm
Good luck on however you decide to do the job.