Does anyone make an "in-line" tub-only valve body anymore?

Hello. I'm new here, but the house we just bought will keep me visiting a lot.

The present task: Fix the tub-only arrangement in one bath so that the valve doesn't leak and there is a shower-- with minimal fuss/disruption/re-tiling, etc.

The present valve body sits about 5" above the tub rim. The hot water valve and the cold water valve are 8" apart, and directly between them is the tub spout. The valves are old compression-washer types (probably put in when the house was built in 1959). The access panel in the back is only about 24" high, but I'd really like to avoid cutting into the walls on either the tub/shower side or the back side.

My first plan was to remove the old valve body and put in a new washerless one to improve reliability, etc. I was going to use one of those diverter spouts with an output on the side for a handheld shower, install a bar to hold the handheld/showerhead and be done. The problem is that I can't find a two-handled tub-only valve body that is configured like my present one--with the tub ouput coming directly out of the "front" of the unit. All the modern ones exit down (and have a top exit for the shower, which I could plug), and I can't use them because there's not enough room between the valve body and the tub rim to have the spout exit any lower. Even 1" lower for an e;bow is going to look bad.

Any suggestions? Other ideas I'v ehad:

-- Maybe use a roman tub valve turned 90 degrees (handels out of the wall along with the pipe for tub spout.

-- Maybe go to a single-handle faucet placed in the hole where the "cold" faucet is now, tub spout in the middle, and a fitting for the shower hose where the hot water handle is now.

-- Maybe just tile over the center hole and have an external valve unit with hot and cold water entering from the back and an exposed shower riser pipe.

If I can't find a modern replacement valve body, I'll probably just replace the washers in my present one, re-pack them with teflon string, install the diverter spout with the output for the handheld and call it a day.

Oh--any ideas of how I can tell if the walls are suited for use as a shower enclosure? The back side looks just like the wall in another bathroom that does have a shower. Also, one of the valves has been leaking water onto the wallboard for a long time and it doesn't seem to be falling apart.

Thanks in advance for any ideas/suggestions.

Mark

Would something like this work for you? I just checked again, it is only adjustable between 5-7", though. This is what I put in last summer.

Nice solution

Jim,
That looks very nice--I saw something like it in a hotel in Germany. It would be perfect if it came in 8" spacing (and if it cost $15 !), but even with 7" spacing I wouldn't have to dig out many tiles.

Thanks. Who makes it, and how much did it cost?


Mark

It's not cheap. The body is solid brass and weighs about (I'm guessing) about 8#. www.groheamerica.com You need to then get the hose and showerhead (handheld, or externally mounted), which is not included. The part that screws into the wall has an offset in it which allows it to accommodate various spacing. It also has a thermostatic control valve.

Try doing a search on "tub filler" or "exposed tub filler". You'll see units from Grohe starting at $250. Here's an example of the cheap stuff from the search http://www.randgsupply.com/Warehouse/Plumbing/faucets/tubshowerfaucets.htm Quality is suspect though.