Hello! I would REALLY like to swap out the compression stems in the master shower with quarter-turn stems. Both hot and cold stems (Union Gopher 7E-1C by Danco) require fresh washers at least yearly; and sometimes the stems turn with the faucet handles rather than stay put; and I've replaced both stems more than once and even had to hand-grind the stem seats on more than one occasion--and I’ve lived here only six years! Tired of the hassle, so I am thinking that stems with quarter-turn valves or ceramic discs might solve my problems. Is there a trick to this? Or would this simply be a matter of pulling out each 7E-1C stem and replacing it with a quarter-turn type stem (rather than yet another 7E-1C) without having to change anything at all about the pipes/plumbing? Or would I at least have to replace the stem seat at the same time?
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I've only ever seen discussions about quarter-turn valves used at shutoff points (e.g., under sinks, next to toilets, at clothes washer hookup, etc.), but I hadn't seen anything yet about using quarter-turn stems to replace compression stems behind shower faucet handles.
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I did see in another thread where HJ mentioned that he never replaces stems like these but converts them to "a 'lifetime' seal system." Unfortunately, he did not elaborate.
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I've only ever seen discussions about quarter-turn valves used at shutoff points (e.g., under sinks, next to toilets, at clothes washer hookup, etc.), but I hadn't seen anything yet about using quarter-turn stems to replace compression stems behind shower faucet handles.
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I did see in another thread where HJ mentioned that he never replaces stems like these but converts them to "a 'lifetime' seal system." Unfortunately, he did not elaborate.