Shower Valve Put in Wrong--Solutions??

So we decided to do a bathroom remodel. Everything was going great--got the shower valve moved, tile is on the shower walls and the floor, lavatory is assembled, shower doors are in. Husband puts in lavatory faucet and is very pleased with himself, and moves to the shower. He finds that the shower head arm is hand tight only when it is upside down, but we figure we'll trouble shoot that later. He begins to install the trim kit and the first warning sign is that the flange behind the handle will not sit flat. Hmmmm, it's hitting the screws that hold the valve in place, leaving a half inch gap all the way around . That's not the least of our problems; there is also a gap about an inch big between the handle and the collar. He takes everything apart and gets the valve directions and a tape measure. The valve should be between 2-5/8" and 3-1/2" from the finished wall, and it is only 2" from the finished wall . Called the plumber back out and got the "hamenahamena" about the tile should be thicker and the wall is right back there (5" back there--we measured afterward) . His solution is a longer collar--then my handle will be protruding into the shower about 5", and will look stupid. Are there any easy solutions that don't involve ripping out a completed shower?? I tried looking for a more convex satin brass flange, but have come up with nothing. It is a Price Pfister R89E, 808E series. The valve is a Price Pfister 0X8, JX series. HELP!!

smcgowan,

I used that exact same valve and found I had to install it as deep into the wall as possible. To do that I notched a piece of 2x4 lumber as deeply as I dared, and mounted the valve to it. The notched wood isn't really holding the valve in place, the pipes which the valve are soldered to are doing most of the holding. I am just about done with my tile so I will tell you how it went.

In your situation you probably can't reinstall the valve, however that would give you the best possible results. Check 2 things:

1. Try reversing the threaded trim collar that holds the escutcheon to the wall. I had mine backwards. It works either way, but one way gives you a tighter fit than the other.

2. If 1. above fails, cut the collar length down using a Dremel or Rotozip or hacksaw. Go slowly so you don't scortch the finish or deform the threads too badly. I believe this will improve the situation. You said you have 1 inch of gap, is this precise or a guess? I think 1 inch might be pushing it to cut the collar down, but you should be able to shorten it by up to 3/4".

If 1 and 2 don't get the job done, then it's up to you if you want to force the plumber to tear out the tile and drywall, re-do the valve, and redrywall and tile. Next remodelling project, I'm going to avoid this valve.

You haven't paid the plumber in full yet, have you?

chassis said:

smcgowan,

If 1 and 2 don't get the job done, then it's up to you if you want to force the plumber to tear out the tile and drywall, re-do the valve, and redrywall and tile.

Click to expand...

"hamenahamena" thats as classic as getting a plumber to redo drywall and tile! lol. i guess you dont have access from behind or you would have mentioned. easier to patch rock than tile and cbu.

faucet

If you don't have an access door you can make one. Is the backside of the tub faucet in a closet? You've got to have an access..........
Get in there and loosen the clamps and notch the wood and then strap the valve body back solid again.
I wouldn't screw around trying to cobble it together. Do it all from the back side.

Thanks, Chassis. Cutting down the collar did work--hallelujah!! I had a diffeent plumber over to install my new toilet (the new tile was 1" under the toilet flange--nothing is easy!!), and he said I needed an access, too. But the valve side of the shower can only be accessed by a ladder--it backs up to the two-story foyer. Thanks goodness we ddin't have to cut the sheet rock way up there--I don't care how decorative the access panel would have been.

Thanks for all your help, everybody!!!

valve

1. There should have been a large round plastic piece on the valve that said, "This surface is to be flush with the finished wall", and if it was there, then sometime before the tile was finished, someone should have had the presence of mind to call the plumber and tell him that it was an inch outside the wall.

2. If the trim plate was hitting the valve body, you should have had to make it thicker, not grind metal off of it.

3. You have to know the total thickness of the wall and tile before the plumber installs the valve. I recently, (last week), put the trim on a valve that the contractor said would be 1/2" cement board and 3/8" tile, but when I got there he had used 1/2" green board, 3/8" cement board, and 1"+ stone. That valve did not have the adjustment necessary to adapt to a wall that thick.