Thanks for the input folks! coolvt, I will be able to access it if necessary through the back side of the wall which is sheetrock and is the inside of a linen closet, but I'm not planning on installing an access door........ I was hoping to get a round of opinions from professional plumbers as to how they normally tackle this fairly common connection. The valves which are made by Hansgrohe, have service stops installed and those connections are made with joint compound. I have 3 of these valves to install (unfortunately the picture that I used in my first post was a valve that didn't have the service stops installed). So I guess I'm on the fence regarding whether to use teflon tape or joint compound and wonder if one is better than the other, for this application? Probably a tough question to get a solid answer to, but I hoped to see enough responses to enable me to choose probably the more popular solution! 2 responses - 1 tape and 1 joint compound ?????? Still torn! Help!!! Thanks, Al

neednewpool- Good idea on having flexibility to power the waterfall. Yes, the waterfall can be valved to accept flow from either the variable speed or the one speed. Since you only use the waterfall when having guests over, I would just manually turn the valve. Automation is possible with an actuator but may not be worth the extra cost unless you are going to have an extra actuator left over as part of the pre-packaged automation system. Only you can decide what is important for your particular needs and how much you would like to pay to automate. If manually turning the valve, just make sure to not deadhead either pump by keeping the valve closed when starting the pump! You may want to sketch out a schematic on how you want everything valved and connected for your waterfeatures. This will allow you to make sure you've included everthing and have all the proper valves, checks, etc. in the place to make the system work properly. RG- The comparison comes from pump curves from the big three (Pentair, Hayward, Jandy). A comparison of 1 speed and 2 speed 2HP performance to variable speed 2HP peformance always favors the 1 speed or 2 speed over the variable speed by as much as 1,000 watts per hour. I don't understand you comment regarding variable speed being better due to motor technology....this is simply not true at high speed where the losses due to high current inverter losses (500W) plus impeller not optimized for high flow (as much as another 500W) are miserable inefficient. A 2HP one speed or 2 speed will beat a variable speed at high speed any day! At low speed, I agree, the motor technology makes all the difference. The pump is not using much power at these light loads and the motor efficiency is the major contributor to overall pump efficiency. At high speed, motor efficiency is very small compared to losses due to inverter and impeller inefficiencies. This is why a variable speed does well with light loads but is miserable at high loads (high flow). Recommending a variable speed for high flow applications is not doing a favor to the homeowner when a 1 speed or 2 speed will save the homeowner initial investment cost plus be more efficient every day saving money in utility bills!

Pictures are great in these cases but I would plan on a proper ledger board, joist hangers, counter flashings, etc.

I think that the first year, a few experiments are fine, but really spend that year getting to know your site. Light patterns are important but it is also good to know things such as prevailing wind, which can change during the year. Start paying attention to micro-climates. Begin checking out books from the library to give ideas a chance to gestate. You do not state your experience level. If your gardening experience is limited in your climate, do not bite off too much at once and have all the joy zapped out of a project you just spent big bucks on. When it comes to design, I do love potager designs. Mine keeps getting larger. I agree with the above about having a perimeter bed. The fence is good for trellising and it can be deeper for berry vines, etc. It is also an efficient use of space. On my latest extension, I am building long beds to be used for crops that take quite a bit of space (pumpkins, potatoes and corn). These beds will be 20 feet long. The length was chosen because many supplies come in lengths divisible by 25 feet (like soaker hoses), so the 20 feet allows me to use those easily (the extra 5 feet allows for curves in the house). Many other supplies such as row cover, red mulch, etc use these lengths, so the aim is to have things be interchangeable in the beds. Many of my regular beds are 10 feet long so I have shorter versions available for them. While I wanted more round beds in my design, they complicate the process of covering things in inclement weather, etc. so I have limited their use in my design.