2570 Valve gpm flow rates - should Moen know this stuff?

[SDRenovation]

This morning I was on the phone with Moens technical support after I called yesterday, made an appointment and waited until this morning for my "scheduled call back time" to be able to talk to them. I was double checking that the 2570 Posi-Temp valve is the one I want to use in my master bathroom shower which is a stand up shower only.

In talking with Jesse from Moen, I asked him if there was a true "shower only" valve that I should be purchasing that didn't have a bottom facing port since we won't have a tub spout in that shower. He said no. He said all their valves have a bottom output meant for the tub spout. He then recommended that I use that output to feed water to my shower head since it has the highest output (5.2 gpm).

I said to him "wait, you recommend that I cap the top port and run my feed line back up to the shower head from the bottom port???"

I asked him this because I have never heard or seen this done. I then asked "Ok, so if the bottom port is rated at 5.3 gpm, what is the top port rated at (for gpm)? HE COULDN'T TELL ME.

He straight up said "we don't know." And he couldn't tell me why they didn't know. And he was super rude about it... like I was an idiot for even asking such a question.

Does this strike anyone else as odd?? I mean, wouldn't you think that a company as big as Moen that manufactures as many products and has flow rated most of their products would be able to tell the flow rating on the top port on one of their most popular valves. Especially when they can tell you the flow rating on the bottom port of that same valve. Does this seem odd to anyone else?

I guess I'm just gonna have to flow test it myself when it gets here, but that's a pain in the ass to do.

And big thanks to Jesse for being so rude to me on the phone. Really looks good on your company. I'll do my best to tell as many people as I can how Moen treats their customers.

 

[Reach4]

He straight up said "we don't know." And he couldn't tell me why they didn't know. And he was super rude about it... like I was an idiot for even asking such a question.

I doubt that he was rude about you asking the question about the flow rating of the top port. I could understand him sounding as if he did not provide the deference to you you were due after he said that was not a specification that they had.

Rather than the way you behaved, you could have asked if the valve could be turned over, putting the big port on top.

 

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[SDRenovation]

Thanks Reach for the idea about flipping the valve. I will have to try to see if that's possible or really needed, but I guess if we knew the gpm we could alleviate the need to even consider that as a possible option. Right?

Sorry you weren't on the phone to hear his snide tone. I really appreciate your input on nearly every post on this forum - you always have such logical and well thought out responses and I think that it really helps this forum provide good information to people like me who don't know everything and come here to ask input from those smarter than me. Thanks.

 

[WorthFlorida]

I accidentally replied and deleted content.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

People have off days. Tech support has tiers as well. I've gotten 3 different answers for a Kohler product that we were installing. I've had full on technical arguments with all manner of tech support, and sometimes I just call back and get someone who really knows the product.

On the Moen valve itself, the porting is indeed slightly larger on the bottom port vs the bypass port up to the shower. I'm holding that very valve in my hand as we speak. I don't think you want to install the valve upside down. The limiting stop and is at the 12oclock position, any stamping and lettering will be skewed. I would just plumb off the bottom and back up to the desired position.. Lots of thermostatic valves are installed like that.

But then again, its all restricted at the shower head.. especially in drought plagued california.

 

[Jadnashua]

The upper port can support one shower head that meets federal standards. As long as the port can supply at least that amount, the head should work at its full capacity. Now, if you are one that drills out or removes the restriction in your shower heads to get more flow, you'd want to use the bottom port. That would hold true if you wanted to supply more than one head at a time.

You might be able to drill out the upper port on the valve, but you'd want to look at it closely to verify and not render the thing useless. IMHO, it's not needed.