Quote:
Originally Posted by topfiverecords
I wouldn’t use a plumber that didn’t know the difference between a thermostatic and pressure balancing valve.
|
Agreed. So I was kinda surprised at the amount of plumbers that were suddenly eliminated. I didn't think I was asking for a service that was super complex.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducay
Thread reminded me that I was going to look into swapping out my pressure balancing trim for a thermostatic a couple years ago. I went with a Hansgrohe valve iBox when we redid this bathroom and would recommend that to all - basically you plumb that box in, and then the trim and mixing valve itself are separate and can be changed out very easily. A few companies have similar offerings now.
So for me to swap out pressure balancing for thermostatic is a matter of a couple screws, no actual plumbing work, but mostly shelling out the added cost for the new valve.
Thermostatic are ~$500 vs $150 for pressure bal (for this brand) so illustrates the cost diff and why many plumbers rarely deal with them. They're niche since the safety side can be covered off with much cheaper pressure balancing.
|
One of the struggles I'm having right now is figuring out where there might be some duplicate work situations.
I wonder whether it's possible to do thermostatic/pressure valves with grey pipe replacement before bathroom reno/refresh, or if there's some type of cost savings to do both simultaneously. Doing both might allow me to better pair thermostatic/pressure valves to a new shower/bath etc.)
I'm additionally considering changing the ceiling from a popcorn look and potentially replacing some flooring/carpet so also wondering if it makes it easier for better access for grey pipe work that isn't as big of a deal to hide/blend if doing the entire space vs a small one... but then that goes into a pretty significant reno that I was more hoping to do over a period of time (for stuff that I don't have to move out of the house for) rather than all at once and I probably have to move out with kids for several months.
Hmm...