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Modern Technology is a wonderful thing! Pressure balanced faucets allow you to shower with a temperature setting that remains within +- 3 Degrees F even when someone else in the house runs water! Isn't that a desirable thing? It is when I shower! The code is designed to prevent stupid accidents from happening like scalding...
Well Punk are you feeling like a lobster today? ~Dirty Harry
It actually sounds like a good technology! However the selection of faucets and the price mean that no one would ever consider buying one unless they were forced to. How did we make it all these centuries without scalding ourselves to death? Thank god that we have codes to protect us from hot water!Originally Posted by Redwood
Well, I browsed thru www.yourotherwarehouse.com, DoDads bath catalog, and expected to find a lot of press. bal. two handle jobs, and did not. I don't know if styles or tastes have changed? One option though is to use any two handle style, with the handles you like, and the stand alone pressure balance module from Grohe...see page 332 of the catalog.
The new pressure balance valves add about $5 to the cost.
Unless you are living Third World, I don't see the issue.
In third world countries, you may not have an option of using hot or warm water to wash with.
Many people that live there are happy to get cold water.
They are much nicer to use, and have been included in the plumbing code for years.
That's why, the supply of illegal valves has pretty much dried up.
The Plumbing Supplies that provided to plumbers quit selling the non-balanced valves years ago.
It's just the big box stores that figured they were bigger then the plumbing codes.
Um... all these centuries?
Exactly how long do you think hot & cold running water's been around?
My father grew up heating water on the stove...
Master Plumber Mark:
there is nothing better than the
manly smell of WD 40 in the air
while banging away on brass with a chisel and hammer...
it smells like......victory......
do not hit your thumb...
__________________
Just so everyone's clear: I'm the POODLE in the picture ("french", get it?) The hot woman is my wife.
Install a remote tempering valve and you can have your cake and eat it, too.
Hi: First, thanks to everyone for their input. Second, "srdenny"--What does the valve pictured above do?
And third, I got a line on a Price Pfister valve with two handles--The left one controls the flow and the right one controls the hot and cold, just like some have mentioned. But, and this is the big question: Will this satisfy the inspector? Is this an anti-scalding valve? Thanks again, Marty 1
Call and ask the inspector.
In all likelihood, that PP valve you mentioned IS a pressure balanced type. I think PP uses the trade name "scald guard" or something like that. Look for that lingo, or just look the model # up on their web.
The device pictured by srdenny is a pressure balancing valve. Instead of being inside your actual shower valve, it is located adjacent to the shower valve. It compensates for any fluctuation of pressure on the main hot/cold lines, and maintains a steady pressure on the inlets to the shower valve, so your temp mix doesn't fluctuate.
hot/cold
Without reading through the extensive replies, both Kohler and Grohe make inline balancing units that mount in the water lines ahead of a two handle faucet to give the necessary anti scald feature.
Hi: Ok, I asked the inspector, and here's what he said to use: 1. You can use a water balancing valve (like the one pictured from srdenny), with our two handled shower valve, but you gotta have an anti-scalding valve too. The two part unit I'm looking at is a TRB-1T - Pressure Balancing Valve w/PTMV-500 Mixing Valve. This is the way I understand it: When you're taking a shower and someone flushes the toilet, the pressure balancing valve evens out the water temperature, limiting the surge of hot water. The mixing valve, on the other hand, insures that the hot water delivered to the shower head doesn't go above a preset temperature. The Code wants the mixing valve used to guard against a young child (for example) getting scalded from turning on only the hot water shower faucet. This could happen with an "old fashion" two handled faucet like the one we installed. The good part is that the valves are easy to put in since we have Pex lines going to the shower. Marty
Hi: Just to let everyone know, the new valves cost about $100 retail, so that's not too bad to keep the two cross handles we originally installed. I'll keep you posted as to how it works. Marty
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