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Started By
Message
OT plumbers - why does shower hardware SUUUUCK so bad
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:30 pm
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:30 pm
i like to DIY and i've replaced probably 2 dozen faucets and even tore out and installed a new cabinet and basin once. (is that subtle brag that i can screw together 4 pieces of wood and run a bead of caulk?)
anyway, the shower on/off plastic jewel thingie
died in the kids' shower and would only shoot water straight out of the little metal thingie you push in to divert the water to the shower.
since it was a really old fixture and i hate those nasty-arse jewel knobs, i picked up a $150 fixture at home depot thinking i would just swap it.
THATS A NOPE.
- there is no access via the shower itself unless you cut a big-arse hole in the fiberglass because the hole for the water on/off is too small to work from this side.
- the kit contains a brass fitting you have to install and cut and SOLDER or whatever it is plumbers do to the existing pipes in your wall.
- you also have to go in through the other side of the wall.
- there is no water-off knobs for hot/cold so you have to buy a key and turn it off at the street for the whole damn house instead of that fixture only.
- the other side of the wall is a wet bar in our house with a cabinet.
so i had to pay a plumber $600 to remove the cabinet, cut a hole in the wall, install a new shower fixture, fix the hole and put the cabinet back.
WTF. seems there should be a better solution here. with faucet/fixtures its literally just turning off the 2 water lines, and about 30 minutes worth of work with a screwdriver and channel locks.
*yeah cad is mad*
anyway, the shower on/off plastic jewel thingie
died in the kids' shower and would only shoot water straight out of the little metal thingie you push in to divert the water to the shower. since it was a really old fixture and i hate those nasty-arse jewel knobs, i picked up a $150 fixture at home depot thinking i would just swap it.
THATS A NOPE.
- there is no access via the shower itself unless you cut a big-arse hole in the fiberglass because the hole for the water on/off is too small to work from this side.
- the kit contains a brass fitting you have to install and cut and SOLDER or whatever it is plumbers do to the existing pipes in your wall.
- you also have to go in through the other side of the wall.
- there is no water-off knobs for hot/cold so you have to buy a key and turn it off at the street for the whole damn house instead of that fixture only.
- the other side of the wall is a wet bar in our house with a cabinet.
so i had to pay a plumber $600 to remove the cabinet, cut a hole in the wall, install a new shower fixture, fix the hole and put the cabinet back.
WTF. seems there should be a better solution here. with faucet/fixtures its literally just turning off the 2 water lines, and about 30 minutes worth of work with a screwdriver and channel locks.
*yeah cad is mad*
This post was edited on 9/28/16 at 2:33 pm
10
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:32 pm to CAD703X
tl;dr
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:33 pm to CAD703X
It really is a scam run by architects and plumbers. They build shite with no real access.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:34 pm to CAD703X
I hate plumbers so much. I hate plumbing more so I pay the plumber.
I spent 12 hours one day trying to fix the drains on my new sink. My wife bought some POS from IKEA with drawers that apparently are made for Euro plumbing.
12 hours. I gave up after I created a leak downstairs.
That sumbitch plumber was there 1.5 hours and $500 dollars.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:36 pm to CAD703X
quote:
DIY
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:38 pm to CAD703X
there are rarely if ever cut offs for shower valves. You should have a cut off for your water outside though without cutting it off with a key at the street.
You also should be able to cut off your hot water at the heater.
Then you relieve pressure in your heater and turn your faucets all on.
Only way to get to shower faucets is from behind, most of the time the area behind the faucets is a closet or something in the next room that allows for access. For instance I have one shower then in the adjoining room I have a sink, i have a panel under the sink that lets me get to my faucets.
I just renovated one bathroom, went crazy on the faucets. Has six heads that shoot right at you, a rain head on top and a sprayer. Bought it from Japan, only negative is instead of being red or blue it has numbers in Celsius.
But in your instance, I don't think it was the hardware, more so the placement of your fixtures by the builder.
You also should be able to cut off your hot water at the heater.
Then you relieve pressure in your heater and turn your faucets all on.
Only way to get to shower faucets is from behind, most of the time the area behind the faucets is a closet or something in the next room that allows for access. For instance I have one shower then in the adjoining room I have a sink, i have a panel under the sink that lets me get to my faucets.
I just renovated one bathroom, went crazy on the faucets. Has six heads that shoot right at you, a rain head on top and a sprayer. Bought it from Japan, only negative is instead of being red or blue it has numbers in Celsius.
But in your instance, I don't think it was the hardware, more so the placement of your fixtures by the builder.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:38 pm to roadGator
quote:
I spent 12 hours one day trying to fix the drains on my new sink. My wife bought some POS from IKEA with drawers that apparently are made for Euro plumbing
OMFG me too!!!!
yeah i spent ****HOURS*** in home depot that day trying to find adapters to fit those stupid-arse euro connectors.
it worked in the end..but i sure wish i had a picture of the crazy shite i had to do to make those connect to my existing pipes.
This post was edited on 9/28/16 at 2:40 pm
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:39 pm to CAD703X
quote:
you have to buy a key and turn it off at the street for the whole damn house instead of that fixture only.
There is usually a cut off valve where the water line enters your house. Lots easier to shut it off there.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:40 pm to roadGator
quote:Me too. I'm all for importing a few thousand Mexican and Arab plumbers to get these prices down.
1.5 hours and $500 dollars.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:40 pm to Boudreaux35
quote:
There is usually a cut off valve where the water line enters your house. Lots easier to shut it off there.
i dont have one. my last house did but my new one does not (its a very old house)
a key was $8 at home depot so no big deal there.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:40 pm to CAD703X
quote:
picked up a $150 fixture at home depot thinking i would just swap it.
You paid too much
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:41 pm to TigerWise
quote:
You paid too much
yup. i returned it and the plumber installed his own kit for the $600 price. not sure how much of the cost was the new fixture.
This post was edited on 9/28/16 at 2:42 pm
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:41 pm to CAD703X
In Germany the residential code requires a main valve in each bathroom to isolate the cold water coming into the bathroom so a DIYer can work on the local plumbing.
Many German bathrooms have hot water heaters IN the bathroom, so you only have one pipe mit kalde wasser coming into the room.
It's very handy....
Many German bathrooms have hot water heaters IN the bathroom, so you only have one pipe mit kalde wasser coming into the room.
It's very handy....
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:42 pm to CAD703X
I told my wife if she ever buys something from IKEA again to take it to her boyfriend's house. 
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:43 pm to roadGator
quote:
I told my wife if she ever buys something from IKEA again to take it to her boyfriend's house.
i'm with you. on top of that, this one bathroom looked *NOTHING* like the basins in the rest of the house after we were done.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:45 pm to soccerfüt
quote:
In Germany the residential code requires a main valve in each bathroom to isolate the cold water coming into the bathroom so a DIYer can work on the local plumbing.
Many German bathrooms have hot water heaters IN the bathroom, so you only have one pipe mit kalde wasser coming into the room.
It's very handy....
Say breh... nobody gives a frick about New Mecca. This is 'Merica.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:46 pm to CAD703X
I don't want to even get started on IKEA.
She bought some metal shelves from there. Didn't like them and made me take them to my office.
Now I have 38 pieces with no instructions. The fricking Swedes have a sick sense of humor so I'm not doing shite but waiting until she forgets about them and then straight to the GD dumpster.
I spent 2 minutes this morning debating whether to try to put them together. I quickly decided "Oh no, you swedish bitches, you ain't getting me again
in the direction of Sweden."
I bet a frick you IKEA thread would be a blast.
She bought some metal shelves from there. Didn't like them and made me take them to my office.
Now I have 38 pieces with no instructions. The fricking Swedes have a sick sense of humor so I'm not doing shite but waiting until she forgets about them and then straight to the GD dumpster.
I spent 2 minutes this morning debating whether to try to put them together. I quickly decided "Oh no, you swedish bitches, you ain't getting me again
in the direction of Sweden." I bet a frick you IKEA thread would be a blast.
This post was edited on 9/28/16 at 2:47 pm
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:47 pm to CAD703X
quote:
fiberglass
Trashy
Posted on 9/28/16 at 2:48 pm to CAD703X
A lot easier than people think.
The copper tubing doesn't need to be soldered. A 5/8" compression fitting would probably do the trick.
The copper tubing doesn't need to be soldered. A 5/8" compression fitting would probably do the trick.
Posted on 9/28/16 at 3:01 pm to nguyt518
quote:
A lot easier than people think.
The copper tubing doesn't need to be soldered. A 5/8" compression fitting would probably do the trick.
and you can conclusively state this based on how the existing plumbing looks??
from my experience, the card you're dealt has waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more to do with how difficult replacing it is than just hooking it up in a perfect world to brand-new ready-to-go shower-ready plumbing.
This post was edited on 9/28/16 at 3:02 pm
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