Copper fittings: elbow AND offset?

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Holybuzz

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I may need to bring my supply lines closer to the wall where I am installing a shower valve. I'm using copper, and I thought that my only option was to use two elbows on each side: one on each side to bring the lines closer to the wall, and one one each side to bring the line to the valve.

But then I saw this.

It looks like an elbow with an offset (terminology?), which, if it actually exists, is exactly what I need.

I checked several sites that sell copper fittings, and none had anything like this.

Am I dreaming? Or is the pic of two (that is, four) extremely well installed garden variety elbows?

Keith
 

Holybuzz

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One more thing

One more thing.

The four-port valve I bought (on eb*y) has four threaded male fittings—something that Old Jim at the plumbing supply store said was odd. (When Jim says something's odd, my spider sense starts tingling.) I realize that it makes sense to have the supply come into a female fitting, but will I and my pipe dope be OK?

K
 

Kordts

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That is some nice work. That's an example of a good mechanic with soft tubing and a tubing bender. You can't buy them, and you really see that in residential plumbing.
 

Holybuzz

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So my options are...

Yeah, I thought that the work looked...clean. Looks more like sculpture than plumbing. (Oops! Did I just offend some pros out there? ;) )

But where does that leave me? Am I left with no other option but to use the four elbows as I outlined in the original post? I just hate the thought of pipe/elbow/elbow/pipe. Or am I being a wimp?

K
 

Phil H2

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I think you are looking at the street 90º soldered into a regular 90º. One side of a street elbow is the same size as the copper pipe so it will fit into another fitting. The picture also shows two street 45º on the top of the valve.
 

hj

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elbows

I am not sure if you are looking at the bent copper tubing, which our inspectors would not like, or the street elbows. In your case it sounds like you could use 4 street elbows, with the second two inserted directly into the valve, so you would not have to use female adapters, or worry about the thread joints leaking.
 

Holybuzz

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Sweating the valve

What are the disadvantages of sweated connections to a valve that is designed to be threaded. Obviously, removing the valve at a later point becomes an issue (I guess it's probably a good idea to remove the cartridge when installing/removing), but is there anything else that I should keep in mind?

K
 

Jadnashua

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Many of the valves these days are sized to allow pipe to be soldered in directly. The threaded connections are for people who are afraid of damaging the valve if they attempted that (DIY'ers mostly). Either should work, but a soldered connection is more secure when done right.
 

hj

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valve

The main disadvantage is that if you do not install it plumb, it cannot be rotated like it can with screwed connections. But you do not have to worry about threads leaking. Whenever that valve has to be taken apart, no one is even going to bother unscrewing the adapters. A SawZall will remove it a lot faster.
 

Holybuzz

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A(nother) change in plan

OK. I have a HUGE new wrinkle to add.

I've just decided to replace the plaster ceiling that is below the shower/tub in question with new drywall. Bringing the supply lines a few inches closer to the tub (the original motive for this thread) was complicated by the fact that the supply line was copper from the bathroom floor only. The rest of the upstream pipe is galvanized, none of which was properly secured to the joists (it shoulda been, right?). Even when being as careful as possible, there was always plenty of shimmy in the line. I have been afraid from the get-go that any tampering with the lines would make a leak much more likely. And I just don't trust the galvanized (at least not the stuff in this house).

But I can't remove/replace all of the galvanized. I'd like to, but I can't. I'm going to go ahead and search the site for tips on galv/copper joins, but if anybody would like to add something here, please go ahead.

Thanks.

K
 
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