thickness from valve

[tommasden]

How thick should thinset and tile add up to - to make it work with this valve?

[jadnashua]

From the look of it, it may be too far back into the wall.

Every valve's installation instruction's will (or should!) have dimensions indicating the depth of the valve for the trim to fit from the finished wall. Now, you may not LIKE the way it looks all the way through that range, but the trim will fit. Your safest thing is to temporarily attach the trim and mockup the install and then figure it out for yourself.

Note, many of the brands sell extension kits, but nobody makes one to help you if it is too far out.

If the plumber installed it and did not leave the instructions, you should be able to get a set from the manufacturer's website. You want to keep them in case you need repair parts later on.

[tommasden]

How about this?

I created a mockup of the finished wall thickness. I estimated 5/16 (tile) + 1/8 (thinset) = about 7/16.

Since it was 7/16 I just used a piece of the 1/2" kerdi as the finished wall thickness. I then added a 1/2" shim to the valve. In the new pics the plaster guard is about 1/8 back from the face of the mockup.

[jadnashua]

Without the trim and the instructions, it's all just a guess.

[tommasden]

by instructions you mean manual? manual says 2 9/16 from stringer to face. I am 5/16 short still since i am at 2 7/8 0r 2 14/16.

[cx]

Welcome, Tom.

What are you calling a "stringer" here?

[tommasden]

The stringer is what the manual calls it...it is the blocking. It is what the valve is screwed into and my understanding is the suggest measurements are from the face of that blocking to the face of finished tile.

[cx]

And they presume that blocking to be flush with the face of the wall studs? Or am I missing something important here? If not, there would be no known starting point from which to measure, seems to me.

[jadnashua]

The valve placement will have a min/max range of where the trim will fit. Many people do not like the 'look' of it throughout that range. The min/max only indicates you can mount the trim and tighten things up. That's why you want to temporarily attach the trim and mockup the installation to ensure you like the way it looks. If it's too far into the wall, you may not have any clearance for the handle and the screws may not reach. If it's too far out, you may not like how it looks with excessive shaft sticking out. If you go beyond the max extension, you won't be able to get the trim tight to the wall. If it's too far in, you might be able to buy an extension kit, but it's not adjustable, and it may then put it out further than you want. Some of this is personal preference, but if the finished wall is between the min/max, the trim will fit and it should function.

[tommasden]

Blocking is added back from face of studs. The measurements the manual talks about are from blocking to finished face of wall. Thanks for all the feedback it really helps. I ended up adding another 1/4" to the blocking so the plaster guard is now flush. I will do a mock up with hardware installed in a few days but should be good to go now.

[BronsonB]

Hi Tom-
That looks like the same valve I just installed in my shower reno - A Delta valve. I was a bit nervous (like you) but did as the pros suggested and crafted a "template" of sorts to mock up what the finished surface would be. Everyhing fit well...my only "gotcha" was that I had a tile cut where I wish I hadn't. Not a big deal, but I had hoped the cut would be hidden. No biggie.

I did like that Delta offers a RANGE for final placement. I once tried to install a valve that had to be PRECISELY at a certain depth. Gave up and returned it.

[tommasden]

I have the kerdi pipe covers too but I am not understanding how, I should install them with the rough in shower arm only to later remove them. It seems I would then have to replace the rough in shower arm after the tile is done. Then how would I do a leak test with the final shower arm ?

[ss3964spd]

You mean the Kerdi pipe seals, Tom?

Since the Kerdi pipe seals will hide the arm to drop ell connection the only thing you can do to leak test the connection, unless you have access from the back, is to install the final arm, cap it, then turn the water on and listen. And that's no guarantee of course, you'll only hear it if it's an egregious leak.

Just follow proper technique when wrapping the pipe threads with teflon tape or applying pipe dope. I recently had no luck in getting some threaded copper fittings to seal in a brass shower valve body using pipe dope but the tape worked perfectly.

[John Bridge]

I don't bother with the shower arm seal. There is very little pressure there. In all my years of tearing out showers I don't recall ever seeing any evidence of a leak there.

[tommasden]

Yeah maybe I should forget the seal. Is it possible to install the final shower arms now and test for leaks before doing the tile? (just leave the final in during tiling)