Options for installing tub/shower valves

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GatorKenD

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After busting up the slab and having the tub and toilet drains reversed, I've been buying my vanity and tub fittings for this bathroom remodel. At midnight last night as I'm pulling the trigger on an order for tub/shower valves, spout, etc., I found a problem that I could kick myself for not noticing earlier. If it'd been a snake, it would have bit me. The main vent stack for this bathroom is running right smack dab where I want to mount all of the tub/shower fittings (see photo). I wanted to talk through my options with you (and see if you had one I missed).

1) can I put four 45-degree bends in the vent stack to take it out out of the way? (red dashed line) or does it have to remain vertical?

2) Only other option I can think of is to bump out the wall in the photo with 2x4 or 2x3 to give me another 3.5" or 2.5" of depth between the tub and the vent stack. I've got 1.5" right now so I think that would give me enough room for mixing valve and pipes. Cons: I'm going to have to bust up that concrete work I did and move that tub drain 2.5" or 3.5" away from the wall. {wah!} Other negative is I will encroach on the small (12") nook I planned to put a narrow base cabinet into (see second photo).

I'm not having any other brilliant ideas here!
vent stack.JPG

bath back wall.JPG
 
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Reach4

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45 degrees off of the vertical is considered vertical. So #1 should work fine.
 

hj

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45's or 90's, it is immaterial because you can do it above the rim of the tub. I would use 90's because it will be easier to insert them. BUT, according to your drawing, the shower valves will be in the new wall so how does the vent get in the way of it?
As a sidenote, is that a male copper adapter screwed in to a female CPVC adapter to the right of the vent piping.
 

GatorKenD

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Hey HJ - If I can you use 90's instead of 45's, that would make life a lot easier! Don't entirely understand your "BUT.. valves in new wall..." My first choice is to divert that vent stack and put the valves in that existing wall right where the vent stack is.

That is a threaded connection between the copper and the CPVC. There are actually two in the photo (one to the far right edge of the photo); hot and cold supplies. I can't remember if the copper adapter was male or female (I'm at work), but I'm guessing it IS a male copper adapter. Is that a no-no?
 
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hj

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That would be a DEFINITE "no-no". According to the drawing, the tub is going from right to left and the "drain" is against the new wall which is where the faucet would also normally be. Isn't that new wall, for the cabinet, going to attach to the old one, "right where the vent is now"? IF your tub is going perpendicular to the existing wall, (over the drain line), then your drain is NOT in the right location to do it.
 

GatorKenD

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HJ - another question: you said "above the rim of the tub." Does that matter? below the rim of the tub would give more room to work in my tub spout. If it does matter, would "below the rim, but above the overflow" be sufficient?
 

GatorKenD

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I'm not sure we're on the same page with regard to the tub placement. I updated that (crude) drawing (above) to show the orientation of the tub and where the plumbing and existing wall is that hopefully makes the photo and drawing makes sense in relation to each other. Does that make more sense?

In terms of the placement of the tub drain, I sure hope I didn't screw that up! Here's the spec sheet from Kohler for the Villager tub. I had the drain placed 1-5/8" from the wall where you see the vent stack/plumbing (dimension A on spec sheet) and 14-1/2" from the concrete block wall on left side of the picture (dimension B on spec sheet). (note that the spec sheet is for a left-hand drain and mine is a right-hand drain).

Kohler Villager specs.JPG
 
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GatorKenD

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Just to recap (and simplify) my open questions: I want to install a tub spout, mixing valve and shower head, all right where the vent stack is.

1) I'd like to use 90's, but if I have to put them above the tub rim, it'll make it tough to squeeze the pipe for the tub spout in there (but maybe not impossible). The toilet is on this drain, too. If I have to go even higher before I got horizontal (42"?), then that would put the mixing valve mighty high, even if could squeeze in the pipe for the tub spout. Would using 45's allow me to start diverting that closer to floor level?

2) Did I miss something on the tub drain placement? Based on the specs from Kohler above, I put that 1-5/8" from head of the tub and 14-1/2" from the side.

3) HJ says the 3/4" copper male to 3/4" CPVC female connection is a no-no. What's the correct way to make the transition? I could stay all copper (and maybe should so I don't give up inside diameter on the pipe). If I stay with all copper, can I tie into the existing copper with that threaded connection or do I need to sweat all the fittings on?

Thanks in advance for the help. I'm hoping to get to work on this tomorrow morning!
 

Cacher_Chick

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I believe HJ's point was that one should never install a male copper threaded fitting into a CPVC female threaded fitting, because eventually the PVC fitting will crack.

You can use 90's to offset as long as you do not place any horizontal section of vent lower than 6" above the flood rim of the tub, If you use 45's, they can go anywhere because they are on the vertical, and thus are unable to retain solid waste in the event of a backup.
 

hj

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In your original photos, SOMETHING is backwards because your stub wall in the drawing is EXACTLY where the vent is in the photo above it. According to the photo, your drain appears to be MUCH MORE than 1 1/2" from the plumbing wall unless you are going to build the wall thicker, (or did you use the dimension to the opening in the bottom of the tub, which is NOT where the drain goes), which would again take away from the closet space. The tub spout is NOT going to be where a vent would be if it turned sideways just above the tub rim.
 

GatorKenD

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Hey HJ - I think that's an illusion because of the camera angle and the depth of the top of the drain. I think these photos put it in perspective. I was surprised the top of drain needed to be that low, but that's where I had to go in order to get my tub drain assembly (Kohler K-7160, right photo) positioned where the tub drain was close to flush w/ the slab.
IMG_0933.JPG


I was planning on putting the tub spout 4" above the tub rim. The 90-degree bend will have to be JUST above the rim to allow for that. That ok? I thought I read 6" above somewhere.

On the CPVC to copper connections, the coupling I used has a stainless steel transition
King Brothers Inc. TFS-0500 Female X Socket PXL CPVC X Stainless Steel Transition Adaptor, Tan, 1/2-Inch

. That ok (sealed w/teflon tape)?

Thanks for hanging in there with me! Any headway this weekend is with the help of this forum!
 
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