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biondanonima_gw

Shower confusion - valves, risers, threads, slip joints, help!

biondanonima
16 years ago

I'm gutting my bathroom and I am trying to make sure I have everything I need for the contractor and plumber to do their business. Here's a sketch of what I'm planning:

The knee wall shown does not currently exist. The contractor/plumber will be building the knee wall and rerouting the shower plumbing into it. Right now, the handles for the shower and tub filler are both where the tub filler is shown in the sketch, and the showerhead extends from the middle of that wall. They are 2 separate fixtures (I can run bathwater and use the shower at the same time). The new tub filler will be in the same spot as the old one.

This is an OLD apartment, and the old valves don't control the water temperature very well, so I bought a new thermostatic valve for the shower - Kohler K-679-KS, plus K-681-K for volume control and K-T16175-4A for trim. I also purchased a chrome shower riser. Now, from what I can tell, the shower riser attaches directly to the top of the valve. However, the riser I bought does not have a threaded connection on the bottom, and from what I can tell my valve isn't threaded either. So, do I need a slip joint coupling? Or is there some other piece that needs to go between valve and riser that I am missing?

As for the bath, since I am leaving it where it is and I'm not super concerned about consistent water temperature, I was going to leave the old valve there and just put on a new faucet. The old faucet has 2 handles (6" apart) and a separate spout - I assume this means that the old valve is set up to accomodate 2 handles? I found a new fixture with 2 handles with an adjustable spread that I assume will work with the old valve, but it does NOT have a separate spout - so perhaps it won't work. Again, your advice is MUCH appreciated!

I realize that my contractor/plumber should be able to answer all of these questions but I really want to make sure I understand what's going on with this remodel - thank you to all of you experts for taking time to explain!!!!!!!

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