The right diverter valve for a tricky tub/shower combo

[Auntie Jojo]

Hi, folks:

I'm looking to replace a weird valve setup. The previous homeowner was the king of jerry rigging (I call him Jerry). It has been scary at times, but I have to give him credit for creativity.

The setup is this: A very nice tub faucet that is actually a laundry sink faucet with a swiveling spout on it comes out of the wall and fills the tub. Then there's a separate shower setup with a separate diverter/mixer valve and separate supply lines. That means two separate valves for these two fixtures. By the way, if it helps, I would like to move the showerhead so it comes out of the ceiling and into the tub instead of on a standard riser. That probably doesn't matter in this particular case.

As I'm asking this question I'm realizing that if he is the king of jerry rigging, I might be some minor princess.

My question is this:

What hardware will allow me to combine the tub and shower input and output using a single valve--one set of hot and cold supply lines (I'd use PEX to combat the tight corners) go into the one valve, like a diverter, which then could be switched to run hot and cold EITHER to the tub (whose mixer is the faucet with separate hot and cold handles one spout) OR to the shower, which would have to have its own mixer; I might even reuse the old mixer. Most valves I've been looking at, like the Hansgrohe iBox, seem to want you to stick their tub trim on it. I don't want to do that. I want to keep the tub faucet that I have. The only Hansgrohe tub spout that reaches far enough to fill this tub is hugely expensive.

Basically, I really like the laundry faucet to fill the tub--it reaches out about eight inches to fill the tub, it has never leaked, it swivels, and it looks great. Basically, I guess I'm asking how I can rig my tub/shower setup with just one set of hot/cold supply lines but service TWO fixtures--the tub faucet coming out of the wall which is its own mixer and then a shower on the ceiling, which would need its own mixer.

I am in the planning stages now, but I don't want to make a bad decision and buy something that doesn't work.

When I look at different kinds of valves that just divert and don't mix, I don't find much.

Let me know if I am nuts. And thank you for the advice in advance.

Jojo

 

[hj]

Are you trying to KEEP the laundry faucet with its hot and cold controls, but get its water from the shower control valve? It can be done, but I don't know why anyone would want to do it. Or, are you asking if the existing hot and cold supply lines can feed both valves which is easy to do, but that sounds like what you already have so I don't know why you would ask the question.

 

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[Auntie Jojo]

Hi, yes, I am trying to avoid buying expensive new trim by keeping the laundry faucet as my tub filler. But I want to keep the shower as well and wonder if there's a more streamlined way of doing it besides two separate hot/cold supply lines, one running to the shower and one running to the tub (laundry faucet).

I guess it's cheaper just to run two sources of hot/cold, buy one shower valve, and be done with it.

j.