Pressure Testing Shower Installation

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mnRemodeler

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I installed a shower on the second floor of my home. There was no previous plumbing in the room. I had plumbers do some of the rough in. I roughed in the shower control valve. I soldered copper to each side of the valve and ran the copper through a stud. At that point, I soldered Uponer nipples to the ends of the hot and cold copper lines and then hooked up the Uponer pex to those nipples.

I ran straight copper from the top of the shower valve up to the shower nozzle drop-ear.

At the other end of the Uponer lines, down in the basement, they tie into valves coming off the cold and hot water to my water heaters.

I need to air or water pressure test the shower valve before closing everything in. How would I connect to the lines to, for example, put air on them? Do I need to cut the Uponer lines free of the valves at the hot water heater and then install an air hose nipple? Where would I put a pressure gauge?

If I cap things off and just turn the water on, I suspect no water would get to the second floor because it would be air locked unless I didn't cap the shower nozzle and left it open to bleed the lines.

I would appreciate some direction here. I've not been able to find a youtube video or anything else showing how this is done.

Thanks!
 

Terry

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Normally we would install a nipple and cap at the shower head and turn the water on. It's nice to have someone handy with a phone in case you need to shut back down again.

If you air test, you pick up that part first to seen what the connection is.
 

mnRemodeler

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Thanks. I turned the water on and let the air flush out of the shower nipple and then turned the control valve off and let everything sit under pressure. No water drips!
 
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