I'd have the valve located where the others have mentioned, where you can open the door and turn on the water without having to step into or reach through the shower head flow. If required for space, I'd consider moving the niche deeper into the shower so the valve can be closer to the door. I'd recommend having the rain head centered on your short wall. It can be centered or a few inches deeper into the shower on your long wall. I'd place two can lights in the ceiling, offset on either side of the rain head. I wouldn't use a built-in bench, or a built-in foot rest. I'd rather have a movable 3-legged stool. A stool can be used as a footrest, or pull it in the middle to sit under the rainhead, or if it drives you buggers move it out of the shower completely. Though I make them out of teak, they can be purchased too. Wood is usually more comfortable on skin than tile.

First thing I'd do is read the installation instructions to see what is specified there. If they recommend "X" number if vertical inches and you're less than that, or if you used PEX and they specify "no pex" or you used pex that has a smaller inside diameter than the recommended tubing, then essentially you have an installation issue. 1/2" pex does have a smaller inside diameter than 1/2" copper. For delivering water volume to a faucet it's normally not a problem, but when depending on a specified vertical water column, I guess the smaller diameter of the pex could be an issue. I'd call the manufacturer's tech support line and ask them about remediation. No harm no foul, it's best to run ideas past them before you crack open walls. You installed the shower head lower for the kids. Let's say you have yours 25" above the valve and the manufacturer specifies 30". What you could do is have the pipe come vertically out of the valve, and run it up the wall several inches higher than the shower head, say to 40", or even all the way to the top plate of the wall, then add a couple of 90's (to create and inverted "U") and then run it back down to the shower head. That would take care of the vertical issue while allowing you to still have a lowered shower head. If your pex to the tub spout is constricting flow out of the tub spout, that might need to be changed to a larger size of PEX or to copper. Something with a larger inside diameter. You're on your own well so it's likely excessive water pressure isn't an issue. What's on the "back" side of the wall that the valve and plumbing is installed in? Often times it's easier to cut through the back of the wall to access the plumbing, repair the plumbing, then TEST the plumbing, then patch the hole, than it is to access through the shower side of the wall.

I have a question about how some work is proceeding. Currently, copper water pipe, above ground, 3/4", feeds house, in mild climate, San Francisco Bay Area. Here's the plan. Cut the copper pipe right after the shutoff valve, solder in a T, one side feeds the house, other side feeds a galvanized steel threaded pipe that has multiple elbows and straight couplings, channeling the water underground for a hose and PVC sprinkler connection at the far end, about 30' away. PVC connection then feeds into 3-zone underground sprinkler system. I would like the water at the end of the galvanized steel 30' pipe that will feed the hose to be drinking water quality. 1. How should the coupling of the copper and steel be done near the shutoff valve? 2. Is galvanized steel threaded pipe+elbows+couplings underground (under a paver driveway and flagstone patio) in a mild climate a problem? Threads are wrapped in teflon tape. 3. What kind of a shutoff valve should be used at water source to galvanized steel pipe, in order that the water can be drinking quality at the other end, where the hose and PVC sprinkler connections are? What kind of fittings should be used to connect the threaded pipes? 4. Is lead solder (even low levels of lead) required to connect the copper to galvanized steel, or is there another method that is feasible? In general I want to ensure the water quality entering the house is not compromised, that the piping etc. will last a long time, and that the water quality at the far end will be drinking water quality (assuming the city is providing clean water, of course!). Thanks Very Much for any and all opinions and advice! Dan 4. This entire design is a disaster in the making. First off, the code requires that the supply pipe must be buried 12", or 6" below average frost depth, whichever is deeper. A " pipe is absolute code minimum for a single family residential dwelling and is normally sufficient for a kitchen, laundry and up to two bathrooms however, the size of the supply line must be sized proportional to the calculated load of the structure and the distance from the municipal main to the furthest fixture. There is no way that a ¾" line would be sufficient for the structure and an irrigation system. You would be required to have a "Main shutoff valve" which must be a full-bore type valve (gate valve or ball valve). The line feeding the exterior piping would then be required to have a backflow preventer (check-valve) and a separate shutoff valve. Solder will not stick on galvanized iron pipe. All connections to iron pipe MUST BE made by means of NPT (National Pipe Taper) threaded fittings, however galvanized iron pipe is a very poor choice of material for direct burial anyway. The pipe passing under the driveway and the patio should be sleeved. To make a sleeve you first install a pipe at least 2 nominal pipe sizes larger then pass the desired pipe through the sleeve pipe. All hose bibs must be anti-siphon type. At the point where the pipe first feeds the irrigation system you must install a vertical riser to an elevation at least 6" higher than the elevation of the highest irrigation sprinkler nozzle and install a shutoff valve and an approved vacuum breaker. The pipe is then dropped back down and run to the irrigation system. All solder joints must be made with certified "Lead Free" solder. The first step of this project should be to make a list of all the fixtures in the house and the distance from the municipal main source to the furthest fixture to calculate the load for the structure. From this you could determine the required line size for the house. You must the compute the length of the lines and the Gal/min rate of each irrigation sprinkler head and the hose bibs to determine the load for the outdoor use. Once you know the combined load you can determine the required size of the main supply line. Check your local code carefully because they may have additional requirements for this project.

The common ones with the pull up know in the tub spout act as a diverter. A plastic blade in the spout moves up when the handle knob is pulled to restrict the flow from the spout, and the water is then diverted up through the shower head. Some are repairable if the parts separate, others are not. There is often a set screw on the bottom of the tub spout near the wall. Loosen the set screw and the spout slides off the pipe stub. You can then look into the spout from both ends and see what is broken or missing.