ciferecaNinjoJul 5, 2023

Advice needed: exposed water valve in shower

(all text is linked) #plumbing #showers

https://fedia.io/m/plumbing/t/58279/Advice-needed-exposed-water-valve-in-shower

Advice needed: exposed water valve in shower - Plumbing - Fedia

A house is divided into apartments, one on each floor. For one floor which is sometimes unoccupied for lengthy periods, there is a water valve to shut the water off for the whole floor. This mitigates against water leaks developing when the floor is vacant....

Show threadUncandy1
If you are going to open up everything and shut off the water to replace the valve, the best solution is to put the valve somewhere else. Either up high on the wall so it won’t get wet or turn it to access it from the other side of the wall cavity.
Jul 5, 2023 at 10:53amWeb
Show threadciferecaNinjoJul 5, 2023

If I move it higher, it will take on less water. But there would still be some water unless I move it all the way to the ceiling, which would really lengthen the path the water must go.

Regarding the other idea, it seems the house was extended at one point in time. So the wall was once an exterior wall and is very thick (~50cm?) and solid (concrete, brick, or combo of the two). Not sure if I’d be weakening it structurally to do that. It’s in a corner though, so there is perhaps an interior wall I could move it to the other side of. But I think it’s brick & thus also structural. Perhaps feasible though. It’s hard to be enthusiastic about demolishing part of a plaster & lath bedroom wall to reach it, but it could be the best option. I have to wonder if the original builders had a good reason for not doing that. Tricky though since I’ve seen plenty of dodgy work from the past builders of this house.

Show threadUncandy1Jul 6, 2023
Is there a basement or crawl space underneath?
Show threadciferecaNinjoJul 6, 2023
There is another shower underneath with easily removable PVC ceiling and access to the pipe. So indeed theoretically I could put the valve in the shower ceiling of the lower apartment. But that segment of pipe is galvanized steel, so I would have to cut it and add threads. I actually have the ratcheting tool to do that but I would still need to buy the threading die. It’d be a bit weird if the lower apartment had the control over the water above. Not a show stopper but I think there are better options.
Show threadUncandy1Jul 6, 2023
If you have access then you can run a new line away from the bathroom, put a new shut off anywhere you want and then return it back to where you started. Think of a big loop with just a shut off on it.