View Full Version : access panel - is it required by code?
cme10ae
03-15-2005, 07:34 PM
I'm in Michigan, and am wondering if a plumbing access panel is required by code in a shower - general code I guess, I know nobody would know about my local codes.
RioHyde
03-15-2005, 09:56 PM
Not sure if you're under the International Plumbing Code (IPC) or not. However, under IPC an access panel isnt required (sections 408 and 418). Its not a bad idea to have one though. Anytime I replace a tub and/or shower faucet in a home without an access panel the customer wishes there had been one installed.
Not required and has no purpose unless you install a valve that you anticipate will wear out and need to be replaced in a few years. If that is the case, then you need a better faucet not an access panel.
Mike Swearingen
03-16-2005, 08:18 AM
And they have the newer shower valve assemblies with the large estucheons that can be installed from the shower side. No back access required.
Mike