Moen Vertical Spa questions

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Rather-Be-Boating

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Great site. Been lurking here for a few months. My name is Don.

I have a bathroom renovation project. The walls are open to the studs. I plan to replace the existing shower valve with a Moen Vertical Spa which has a combination valve & 3-way diverter. The system has a single shower head, and 4 body sprays. There have been a few posts on this forum about this system, but nothing that addresses my questions.

I've done a few minor soldering repairs over the years, but have done nothing for a very, very long time, and nothing like this.

Below I have posted a photo someone posted for me on John Bridge's site. It shows piping for the pressure balancing loop recommended by Moen for the 4 body sprays. This photo exactly matches a diagram in Moen's installation manual.

In this first photo, the 2 pressure balancing loops are connected by elbowing UP off the diverter, then over to the loop which is connected by a T. The loop continues up a few inches off the connecting "T".

Instead of the T connection where it is (a few inches below the top of the loop) could that connection be a T which would essentially be the top corner of the loop? I don't personally see a problem with it, but I certainly do not want to defeat the intended purpose of these loops by introducing something wierd.

My current valve is about 4 inches higher than what the vertical spa recommends (approx 48" elevation), and due to some other plumbing constraints within this same wall, I cannot easily lower it without adding too many undesirable turns. To keep the body sprays in the neighborhood of the elevation specified (39" and 54"), it would be best if I did not go up out of the diverter valve any more than I have to. I've attached a crude drawing below that demonstrates what I am asking.

Question 2: The valve assembly is 1/2" copper, as are my supply lines. Would there be any advantage, or disavantage, to constructing the loops system from 3/4" with a reducer?. I see a lot of bends, which I thought reduced pressure through each one. I cannot recall if increasing to 3/4" would offset that, or have the exact opposite effect and produce an undesireable reduction in water pressure.

Thanks for any input! Time to go search around these forums some more! :D
 

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hj

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piping

The "balancing loop" probably added a lot to your costs, time, and effort, but nothing to the operation of the shower system. Water being the way it is, it did not need that extra piping unless you moved the heads a long way away and separated them.
 

Rather-Be-Boating

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Thanks for the reply HJ. Nothing has been added to my cost, as I have not installed anything let. Are you suggesting there is an alternative to this configuration? All outlets are on the same wall.
 
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