bj99
Apr 30, 2015, 09:50 PM
Questions:
1) With a 66" tub that takes 70 gals, do you need a high flow valve to fill it fast enough to not have the water cold before it is filled? Can you assume all tub spouts will have sufficient flow?
2) If you want a tub, fixed shower head and hand held shower at one end (I'll call it the busy end), and a fixed shower head at the other end, does it make sense to have the second shower head have its own valve and not need a diverter, so it controls its own temp and you don't have to worry about insufficient pressure? Or do you recommend that they all come off the same valve (if so, what valve?)? Or is there something you'd recommend that would be less complicated and be highly functional, good looking, and modestly priced?
3) Can someone recommend the valves and diverters/transfers that we should use? Our plumber likes to use Delta and Moen because they are easy on repairs, and finding parts even years later. (He wants us to figure out what we want and get the parts, then he'll install.) That makes sense to us, so long as we can cost-effectively get the functions we want and have fixtures that seem of good quality that fit in our older home. I haven't felt a Delta tub spout but saw I the Delta Q + A for a pretty expensive set that a customer said it felt like plastic and Delta confirmed it was "non-metallic". I am not sure we'd be happy with that, nor that it would be durable. Moen doesn't appear to carry a high flow valve.
From Delta, what do you think of the R10000UNWSHF for a valve, T119 Diverter, and T17 trim to go with them, for the busy end, and the R10000UNWS with the T14 series trim for the other end? Do you have another recommendation that might be better? This combination saves money over using the T17 series for both sets, but the handles work differently, which might be annoying or confusing, especially to guests. If there is any reason the plumbing would be easier, we could have the water source for the hand-held go with the other end, instead of near the tub spout, but the valve and handle will still go on the wall with the tub spout, to make access to plumbing easier (the other end is over stairs).
From Moen, do you have a recommendation? Or will their products not accommodate adequate flow?
4) The Hydrosystems tub came with its own cable-driven drain, which they called a "half-kit". Sales reps at two different places have said we'd want to buy our own drain to be of better quality, but we are wondering whether that was just to make another sale. If we do buy another, do you have a recommendation for high-quality, easy to repair? My husband is fine with the old fashioned kind that had a lever to lift up, or with one you screw up and down with your hand to plug or unplug. Customer reps have said that they are nasty to clean with trapped hair, etc (but we are used to that) and that the lever is "an accident waiting to happen" with someone hitting their head on it (I have never seen an injury from that). My husband is worried about the cable breaking, or a mouse chewing through it, and he can't get to it. Your thoughts, please?
Thank you for any help you can give!
1) With a 66" tub that takes 70 gals, do you need a high flow valve to fill it fast enough to not have the water cold before it is filled? Can you assume all tub spouts will have sufficient flow?
2) If you want a tub, fixed shower head and hand held shower at one end (I'll call it the busy end), and a fixed shower head at the other end, does it make sense to have the second shower head have its own valve and not need a diverter, so it controls its own temp and you don't have to worry about insufficient pressure? Or do you recommend that they all come off the same valve (if so, what valve?)? Or is there something you'd recommend that would be less complicated and be highly functional, good looking, and modestly priced?
3) Can someone recommend the valves and diverters/transfers that we should use? Our plumber likes to use Delta and Moen because they are easy on repairs, and finding parts even years later. (He wants us to figure out what we want and get the parts, then he'll install.) That makes sense to us, so long as we can cost-effectively get the functions we want and have fixtures that seem of good quality that fit in our older home. I haven't felt a Delta tub spout but saw I the Delta Q + A for a pretty expensive set that a customer said it felt like plastic and Delta confirmed it was "non-metallic". I am not sure we'd be happy with that, nor that it would be durable. Moen doesn't appear to carry a high flow valve.
From Delta, what do you think of the R10000UNWSHF for a valve, T119 Diverter, and T17 trim to go with them, for the busy end, and the R10000UNWS with the T14 series trim for the other end? Do you have another recommendation that might be better? This combination saves money over using the T17 series for both sets, but the handles work differently, which might be annoying or confusing, especially to guests. If there is any reason the plumbing would be easier, we could have the water source for the hand-held go with the other end, instead of near the tub spout, but the valve and handle will still go on the wall with the tub spout, to make access to plumbing easier (the other end is over stairs).
From Moen, do you have a recommendation? Or will their products not accommodate adequate flow?
4) The Hydrosystems tub came with its own cable-driven drain, which they called a "half-kit". Sales reps at two different places have said we'd want to buy our own drain to be of better quality, but we are wondering whether that was just to make another sale. If we do buy another, do you have a recommendation for high-quality, easy to repair? My husband is fine with the old fashioned kind that had a lever to lift up, or with one you screw up and down with your hand to plug or unplug. Customer reps have said that they are nasty to clean with trapped hair, etc (but we are used to that) and that the lever is "an accident waiting to happen" with someone hitting their head on it (I have never seen an injury from that). My husband is worried about the cable breaking, or a mouse chewing through it, and he can't get to it. Your thoughts, please?
Thank you for any help you can give!