bath/shower thermostatic/pressure balance retrofit faucets for three handle faucets?

Hi,

I live in a house that was built in the early fifties. It has a bathtub/shower combination that has a faucet mechanism with three handles. One each for hot and cold water, and one for the tub/shower diverter. There is a tub fill spout mounted below the handles, and the shower spout is well above the handles. I believe the faucet was made by American Standard.

The faucet leaks even after replacing washers and valve/diverter mechanisms. After reading an article in Fine Homebuilding on retrofitting faucets like mine with either a pressure balance faucet or thermostatic faucet, I have searched for retrofit pressure balance/thermostatic faucets with little luck. I've looked at the web sites for Grohe, American Standard, Delta, Price Pfister, and perhaps a few more. (Personally, except for Grohe, I think the web sites are among the worst I have ever visited.)

Does anyone out there know of any manufacturer that specifically manufacturers either pressure balance or thermostatic faucets that would retrofit relatively easily into this type of faucet mounting?

I would prefer to have a thermostatic rather than a pressure balance faucet, however, from what I found thus far, it would require almost a Rube Goldberg approach.

Thanks in advance.

Reply to
Matthew Zenkar
Loading thread data ...

I have a 2-handle pressure balance Delta tub faucet, and it works

*great*. Someone can flush the toilet or start the dishwasher, and the shower temperature doesn't move at all now (old house with 1/2" plumbing.) And it looks at first glance like an old 2-handle faucet, so it fits the decor. (The "Hot" handle is the flow control/shutoff, and the "Cold" handle controls the temperature) until you look closely at the eschusion plates. I can look up the model for you; I still have the box in the basement. I'm not sure what you'd do with the center control though. Cover the hole with a soap dish? Do you have any spare tiles to just fill it in?

Even if this doesn't help, don't rule out the pressure balance just because now thermostatic controls are in fashion.

Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

Betcha if you had checked Kohler you wouldn't be posting the question. HTH

Joe

Reply to
Joe

Thanks for the reply.

The center hole is for a two-port diverter that diverts between the shower and bath. I will still need the diverter.

It looks like the model that you have may have been an older model. It seems that most of the current pressure balance faucets now fit in a single hole with the volume and temperature controls both located on the same handle as separate knobs.

After much "pain" ;) I did finally manage to get somewhere on the Delta web site. I still find their site less than optimal as it seems they are focused more on serving people who are buying based on looks rather than function.

Right now, I'm still leaning toward something partly custom from Grohe. I can get separate rough-in volume, temperature, and diverter controls as well as single handles for "trim" that would fit in the three holes. The only thing a bit tricky about doing it this way will be the piping, but I figure that I'll use something like Pex or another simliar but flexible plastic for at least part of the piping.

Reply to
Matthew

Thanks for the reply. I did get on the Kohler web site, and they don't seem to have thermostatic/pressure balance faucets that specifically retrofit three-hole tub/shower installations. I might be able to piece together something custom from them, though.

Their web site is another one that I love to hate. If you want to find something by function, specifically, "constant temperature," it is difficult to do. It seems that they and similar manufacturers sort by room, product line, and do not give you a choice that would easily help you find constant temperature faucets.

Oh well. What would life be without challenges. LOL

Thanks again.

Reply to
Matthew

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.