Shower Tub Valve with Integrated Shutoff???

[davien]

Hi,

I have a condo in an aparment style setup...in order to change out my Shower/Tub Valve in my current remodel, the whole building needs to be shut down from water supply. IN addition, there is no "rear" access or nearby closet to allow for a hidden piping setup. The plumbing wall is shared with another Unit owner who has a mirror floorplan. It is a standard 5 foot tub setup with three walls. Access to the shut-off, if such a thing exists would need to be from the shower stem wall, itself.
I was told that there is now available, a valve unit for applications like this which has a Shutoff for my unit alone incorporated right in the system. I would like to do this if it does exist. I checked my local suppliers and although they agreed they could see the value of such a system,they had not yet heard of it or installed anything of the like.
Can you tell me, is this a "unicorn" I am hearing about, or does it really exist and if so, how does such a shutoff system work? Would it require additional "handles" to protrude from the shower wall?
Thank you for any info...

[jadnashua]

Some do, but when you install a new valve, the following is one company's generic in-line solution. Note that unless you can access the water somewhere as it comes into your unit for a shutoff, you'll have this sort of problem for many items. The shower is probably the only thing that doesn't have an accessable shutoff, though. This would still require you to tear apart the wall to access unless you could find another place to install them, but it would solve your immediate problem of how to work on it without shutting off the rest of the building's supply the next time. Note I'm not a pro...
http://www.brasscraft.com/Default.as...terSupply.aspx

check out page 26.

[Plumber2000]

Moen valves have Integrated Shutoffs on them.

[hj]

Almost every company makes valves with intregral stops, but supply houses seldom stock them, unless they are a popular item in your area.

[jimbo]

Every good brand of shower rough-in valve is available with what are called integral stops. These are small stop valves, usually operated with a screwdriver and accessible when the chrome trim flange is removed.

Of course, to install this valve the first time will involve gaining access into the wall ( tile removal ) and shutting down the main water while the install takes place. After that, in the future, maintenance on the valve will be easily performed without shutting down the building.