3-handle to single conversion

Hi folks.

Thanks for any help.

I have this - its new and it was free.

I'll post later exactly which valve body is with it, but know that it has a little plastic thing you can adjust to prevent scalding, is about 2-3" in diameter and has "hot", "cold", "tub" and "shr" ports on it.

we have this in the shower now:

the old system is leaky and corroded and i want to replace it.

shower is fiberglass(plastic?) in a drywall/paint bathroom.

the house is about 15 years old.

i'm fairly handy but the closest i've gotten to plumbing is installing a new kitchen sink faucet and replacing the innnards of a few toilets.

i saved $100 or more on the valve/trim kit, but we're damn poor right now.

if the pipes are copper, the new valve fits in the same position as the old one(comes through the showervalve hole) i cut the access drywall access hole and do all the cleanup and have him do only the manifold installation, how long do you think it would take an experienced plumber to do this conversion?

and now, the $64,000 question:


can I do it myself?

It all comes down to how handy you are. You may need an additional plate to cover the holes...depends on exactly how big the new cover plate is.

Soldering isn't really hard, but it does take a little skill and some tools you may not have. You'll need a torch, solder, flux, probably a brush to spread the flux, preferably a pipe cutter (although a hack saw will work), and either some emery cloth or a brush to clean the pipe and fittings.

You'd probably want to buy a little extra pipe and some fittings to practice making some connections first.

If you do a search here, you'll be able to pick up all the major points needed except the practice.

Given the tools you may have to buy, it wouldn't be that much more to have a plumber do it if he had easy access. But, you wouldn't have the tools and the experience to be able to fix the next thing that needs to be done.

thanks Jim.

not that it matters, but here's this- the valve and the old installation.



i'm going to talk to some people tomorrow and start rounding up tools.

oh, and what about all this pressure balancing stuff - does that apply to me?

A shower valve by code for new or remodel (depends on what your local people consider a remodel whether yours would apply) is supposed to be anti-scald. The most common version of this is a pressure balance valve. If it was a tub only, it doesn't need to be. So, not knowing about your rough-in valve, I don't know...maybe one of the pros will recongnize it and be able to tell you.