where is the water supply control for our tub in the bathroom?

[smr]

I have a 3-story townhouse in chicago. Recently I need to repair our tub faucet. In order to do it, I need to shut off the water supply for the tub in the bathroom. I noticed there is water supply valve for the sink and toilet but I can't find one for the tub. I wonder if I need to goto that facility small room to find the one? IN that room, there are cold and hot water supply valve around the heater area. I just guess they might the one I am looking for.

What is your suggestion? Thanks.

[LonnythePlumber]

There usually are not shut offs to a tub. You will probably need to shut off the cold water to your unit. It will also shut off the hot because there is no cold going into the heater to push the hot out. If you have a gate valve, long stem with round handle, then be careful. The gate can break off the stem and you will not be able to get your water back on.

[smr]

LonnythePlumber:

Thanks.

"There usually are not shut offs to a tub. You will probably need to shut off the cold water to your unit. It will also shut off the hot because there is no cold going into the heater to push the hot out. " Where is this cold water valve located? besides heater?

"If you have a gate valve, long stem with round handle, then be careful. The gate can break off the stem and you will not be able to get your water back on." I think I need to find a book for my own good. But if u have time, could you tell me where this gate valve usually located?

[LonnythePlumber]

The main shut off valve for a unit is often about a foot off the floor. The piping runs to the water heater. It is probably the only valve in the wall in your utility room. The gate valve is one kind of shut off valve. We prefer the lever ball valves but they don't extend out the wall and they cost about $5.00 more than the ball valves. Globe pattern valves are often used. They are the more common shut-offs that use a rubber washer.

[hj]

Installations like that often have the shutoff valves on the tub faucet itself. Without seeing your installation or knowing what make and model of tub faucet you have we cannot tell you if yours does, or could have.

[jimbo]

Just one more possibility for you: sometimes shower valves have stops installed right at the valve inside the wall. When you remove the handles and the chrome trim pieces, look into the wall. If on the hot side and the cold side you see a small stem with a screwdriver slot in it, those are your stops. Otherwise, it is probalby turn off the whole house as others have described.

[smr]

Thanks for all your reply. I checked the tub faucet. It is Delta Monitor 1400 series with one handle.

I am not familiar with plumbing. But I am an intern architect. Do you guys think I can do it by myself?

[Bob's HandyGuy]

Do you have an access panel directly behind the tub? They usually place it in a closet. If so, Remove the panel and you will find the water valves.

[hj]

Remove the round trim ring and see if there are valves attached to the faucet under the ring.

[smr]

Do you have an access panel directly behind the tub? They usually place it in a closet. If so, Remove the panel and you will find the water valves.

NO. Please see the follows.


hj: What is "round trim ring "? Is it located inside the Escutcheon?

The customer support just give me a link for my faucet.

http://deltacom.deltafaucet.com/medi...67_v1_4689.pdf

I have several question for this:

1. I think I need to open the Escutcheon first to reveal the others, don't I? But it seems the Escutcheon is glued to the bathroom tile, no matter how hard I tried, I can't open it. How will you guys do it?

2. After you view the link I provided, do you think there is water control valve inside the Escutcheon?

Thanks always.

[hj]

The trim ring is the escutcheon. Most people would not know what was meant by escutcheon if I had referred to it. There is no way to tell if the valve has integral control valves because the 1400 and other valves come with or without them. Carefully cut the escutcheon loose from the wall, it should not be glued on anyway, and remove it. If the valve has stops in the wall they will have screwdriver slots on them to turn them off. Good plumbing practice would suggest that you do have them because that is one of the few ways a tub could be serviced without turning off the entire building. Shutoff valves for the entire apartment would do it also, but given that it would require a lot of extra piping, I would expect that they would have opted for integral shut offs on the valve.

[smr]

hj:

Thanks for the explanation. This properly got me closer to the final stage. I got a comment from Delta support:

"If your faucet has screwdriver stop assemblies, you will be able to turn the water off with them, if not, you will need to locate the water turn off in your house If on your faucet, the screwdriver stops will be located on the supply lines on each side of the valve. They will look like a stem sticking out of a nut and will have a slot that a screwdriver will fit into.

Delta Customer Service
"

Do they also intend there is no guaranteen there is a water stop valve behind the Estcheon? Please clarify this. I am kind of confusing here.

[jadnashua]

That's what they are saying...there might be shutoffs and there might not! Not all valve assemblies have them, apparantly on Delta, even on the same model, some did, some did not. The only way you'll know is if you take the eschution off.

[smr]

jadnashua:

Thanks for confirmation it. Do you have any problems to pull the escutcheon off? Any trick to share since I have difficulty to pull this off?