1/2 " Kohler K-679 thermostatic valve good enough flow ?

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Tamtony

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Hi all,
I just bought a Kohler Margaux showroom display for $ 500 that included:
- 3 tile body sprays

kohler-bodysprays.jpg

- handheld shower w\ all the hardware
- showerhead w\ all the hardware
- 3 x 1\2" shutoff valve w\ trim
- 1\2 Kohler K-679 thermostaic valve w\ trim
- sconce light, roll holder and towel ring
Questions are, can the 1\2" thermostatic valve handle the showerhead + body sprays w\ pressure loop, at the same time ?
All sprays and showerhead are 2.5 gallons per minute totalling 10 gal\min. Town water pressure is about 50 PSI. Supply lines are 1/2 "
Will running 3/4 " supply lines to the thermostatic valve help with volume ?
Thanks in advance.

kohler_bodyspray_ri.jpg
 
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Terry

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With that many valves, running 3/4" may be a good idea.
If it were my home, I would find a way. The larger pipe will reduce friction loss.
If it were one shower head, then 1/2" would be plenty.
I use the tile body sprays in a hotel I visit. Pretty nice.
 
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Tamtony

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Hi all,
I just bought a Kohler Margaux showroom display for $ 500 that included:
- 3 tile body sprays

View attachment 12622

- handheld shower w\ all the hardware
- showerhead w\ all the hardware
- 3 x 1\2" shutoff valve w\ trim
- 1\2 Kohler K-679 thermostaic valve w\ trim
- sconce light, roll holder and towel ring
Questions are, can the 1\2" thermostatic valve handle the showerhead + body sprays w\ pressure loop, at the same time ?
All sprays and showerhead are 2.5 gallons per minute totalling 10 gal\min. Town water pressure is about 50 PSI. Supply lines are 1/2 "
Will running 3/4 " supply lines to the thermostatic valve help with volume ?
Thanks in advance.

View attachment 12623

Thanks for updating the post Terry.
Will the K-679 valve supply enough water downstream even with the 3\4 " supply lines in?
I got such a good deal on the package, total was less then a K-669 3\4" valve here in Canada.
Running the 3\4 " lines is not a problem as I just had all of the poly B removed and replaced w\ PEX. Short run from hot water tank to shower area. Shower had to be ripped out away to replace piping. Updating to a custom tile shower.
Just hoping that I can run the showerhead and the body spray tiles without going to a 3\4 " valve setup.
 

Terry

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I haven't had that much time to look at the specs, my guess is that the valve is going to work. I was hoping some of the engineer types would like the challenge if I put the links up.
 

Jadnashua

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You have to look at the specs, but a typical 1/2" valve will have trouble flowing 10gpm. Also, keep in mind that 1/2" pex is about the same as 3/8" copper, so that in itself would be a problem on high flow. 3/4" or even 1" would work better. Now, if you don't run all the heads at the same time, probably fine. And, keep in mind that at 10gpm, you'd need a huge WH to supply it for more than a few minutes.

I just looked through the spec sheet, and in their typical arrogance, don't list any flow information, so you'd have to call them to try to find out what volume it could flow. But, you'll probably find they just point you to the documentation online, and, unless I missed it, at least for that mixer, they don't show any flow info. Maybe it shows up in the volume control sheet. All they say is 'high-flow', which doesn't mean anything - compared to what? Not very helpful, when trying to make an intelligent decision!
 
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