Two shower heads

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MMB

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I know there is some discussion on this in the forum but I haven't found anything that quite answers my question. I am doing a remodel of an old kitchen to make it a master bath. I am putting the shower where the sink was. There is a 3/4" cold line and a 3/4" hot line in the floor. I want to put in two separately controlled shower heads, one on each end of the shower. I wan to make sure I have the flow and pressure to do this. I did a flow test on a faucet outside and got a tad over 5 gpm. The shower head I was going to use is 2.5 gpm at 80 psi. The plan was to come out of the floor with a 3/4" line for hot and one for cold, tee off with a 1/2" line in each direction going to each shower valve. My question is do I have the flow and pressure that I need for this configuration. I want to be able to run both showers at once. Should I test the pressure in the lines?
 

MMB

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Normally 1/2" will run two shower heads at once.
Do you have existing galvanized piping? Or something newer?
I have PVC lines. Since I am building this shower from scratch I really don't want to go through all this and not be able to use both heads.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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80 PSI seems pretty high. Do you not have a pressure reducing valve on your home line? We typically see pressure around 65-70. 80-90 sometimes left for the garden hose bib.

What size drain do you have? I would be concerned if you plan on two control valves with two shower heads. Safer I think to have one control valve with two zone valves for each shower head.

With two separate units and that kind of pressure you might consider a three inch drain line.

JW
 

hj

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You measured the flow for THAT hose bibb, which has absolutely nothing to do with the volume from the pipes in the bathroom. I REALLY hope you do not have PVC water lines because that would be the worst scenario you could come up with. You have more than enough "piping" for two shower valves at the 3/4" line. If your piping is CPVC or PEX, then the 1/2" lines are "undersized" and would NOT support two valves. (and may be marginal for one valve if they go a long distance to the valves).
 

MMB

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I did not measure the pressure. The specs for the shower head I was going to use said 2.5 gpm at 80 psi. I have 3/4" PVC lines in the floor. Hot water is CPVC. Why is that the worst scenario? I was going to use PEX in the actual shower.
I will have to upsize the drain because the existing drain was for a kitchen sink.
I have not seen a control valve with two zone valves. Can you give me a model or a brand that makes those?
 

JohnfrWhipple

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.....Can you give me a model or a brand that makes those?

So many company's make them it's not funny. You should easily find one at any store or online. Check out Hudson Reed online. Being playing around with their products lately and like them a lot. Email this fellow - he can help you out.

Dan Gillen @ Hudson Reed - Dan.Gillen@Hudsonreed.com
 

hj

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Many companies make "two device diverter valves". PVC, which is what you stated, WOULD BE the worst scenario, not CPVC which you say in the later post. Why did you say the HOT water was CPVC? Isn't the cold water the same material? If not, and it IS PVC, then you revert back to my original statement that is the worst scenario.
 

MMB

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My cold water is schedule 40 PVC. Hot water is CPVC. I want to be able to use one shower head or two. It seems that these valves work only if you run them both at once.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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My cold water is schedule 40 PVC. Hot water is CPVC. I want to be able to use one shower head or two. It seems that these valves work only if you run them both at once.

With the shower fixtures you can many times do this.

Use A
Use B
Use A&B

If you have a three way set up you can do this many times

Use A
Use B
Use C
Use A&B
Use A&C
Use B&C
 
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