Moentrol - Tub or Shower Port?

[statlanta]

This might be a dumb question...

I purchased a Moentrol valve for my shower renovation. I noticed the tub exit port has a larger opening than the shower exit port, and the specs online show the tub exit port with a higher flower rate. Would it be possible / advisable (or ill advised) to use the tub exit port to run my shower? There is no tub and I ask because I'm considering adding another shower head.

Fire away and and thanks for the advise.

 

[Terry]

The tub port does give more volume. It's fine to use that.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[statlanta]

Thanks for the info, this is my first time installing a pressure balancing valve. If I go this route should i install the valve upside down with the tub port aiming up? And would it matter which intake ports connect to hot or cold? (In other words, if I mount the valve upside down should I then connect the hot to the right side and cold to the left? Or does it even matter?) I haven't ran the shower lines yet so my options are open.

Sorry if this posted twice, I think I replied directly but meant to reply to the thread...

 

[Jerome2877]

Thanks for the info, this is my first time installing a pressure balancing valve. If I go this route should i install the valve upside down with the tub port aiming up? And would it matter which intake ports connect to hot or cold? (In other words, if I mount the valve upside down should I then connect the hot to the right side and cold to the left? Or does it even matter?) I haven't ran the shower lines yet so my options are open.

Sorry if this posted twice, I think I replied directly but meant to reply to the thread...

Install it upside down with the hot on the left and turn the cartridge 180%

 

[hj]

quote; If I go this route should i install the valve upside down with the tub port aiming up?

You CAN do this with many valves, but NOT with the Moen, because the 'stop tube' prevents the valve from being 180 symmetriical which means the trim pieces would have to be upside down. Just pipe from the "tub" port on the bottom around the valve to the shower riser. (And, if you are paranoid about maximum water flow, tee the shower port into it also).

 

[statlanta]

Thanks for your help guys, I guess I'll use both and get the most volume possible out of it.

 

[Del Fredricks]

quote; If I go this route should i install the valve upside down with the tub port aiming up?

You CAN do this with many valves, but NOT with the Moen, because the 'stop tube' prevents the valve from being 180 symmetriical which means the trim pieces would have to be upside down. Just pipe from the "tub" port on the bottom around the valve to the shower riser. (And, if you are paranoid about maximum water flow, tee the shower port into it also).

But the Moen 1200 does NOT have a stop tube. Thus, inverting the valve so tube feeds shower before installing the cartridge while provide more pressure to shower. Especially if tube port is being capped off, so cap the shower port and use tube port will provide greater pressure to shower.

 

[Jadnashua]

Pressure can change because of friction when the water tries to flow faster than the ID, length, and changes of direction of the piping create excess friction. Assuming you're talking one shower head, you won't see any difference which port you use. The shower head is flow restricted, and the smaller port can feed it with more than it needs, so there won't be excessive velocity, and thus, the friction stays under control.

You could use the tub port, but it isn't a big deal. As was mentioned, so valve bodies can be rotated 180-degrees, but not all. As to the H-C supply lines, on some, you can just rotate the cartridge 180-degrees to make the operation 'correct', but not all. If it can be done, it will be described in the installation instructions. They often do this for back-t0-back installs, so they can run the supply lines without a lot of contortions to get them on the correct sides of the valve when there isn't all that much room in the wall - flipping the cartridge fixes that on those designs.