Custom shower plumbing question

Posted by Wayne Boatwright on May 25, 2008, 2:54 am

On Sat 24 May 2008 05:54:59p, Frank Robinette told us...

> On Sat, 24 May 2008 23:47:27 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
>

>>On Sat 24 May 2008 04:56:50p, Frank Robinette told us...

>>> On Sat, 24 May 2008 16:00:37 -0700 (PDT), "Kickin' Ass and Takin'
>>>

wrote:

>>>>> Hey:
>>>>> Ok Tiling a shower, and the homeowner requested me to tackle the
>>>>> plumbing also..Ok no problem I do it all the time, but they have
>>>>> handed me a box of Kohler body spray tiles,wall mtd shower
>>>>> heads,mixing valves, ect.. I have no problem handling it, but the
>>>>> shower is on the 2nd floor, and stubbed with 1/2 supply.. and getting
>>>>> 3/4 to it is SERIOUS.
>>>>> My question is will 1/2 supply enough flow for 3 spray tiles,and 3
>>>>> shower heads? and as usual time is ticking.. any advice will be much
>>>>> appreciated people
>>>>> Thanks Frank
>>>>I'm NOT trying to be a wise-ass -- call Kohler????
>>>
>>>
>>> thought about it, but it is memorial day weekend
>>>

>>And this is a weekend job, right? My guess is that to provide enough
>>velocity from all the heads, you'll either need rather high pressure or a
>>larger feed. Having all that installed would have me believe these folks
>>don't want a wimpy shower.

>
>
> They saw a Brochure and just went crazy.. and I have 2 weeks for the
> job which includes moving a wall elect/plumbing/tile ect
>

If you have 2 weeks for the job, I would concentrate on other issues and,
as previously suggested, call Kohler as soon as possible. This is not
something you'd want ot have to redo if it's not right.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 05(V)/24(XXIV)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
1dys 10mins
-------------------------------------------
Useless Invention: Tire chains for
motorcycles.
-------------------------------------------

Posted by Speedy Jim on May 24, 2008, 8:59 pm

Frank Robinette wrote:

> Hey:
>
> Ok Tiling a shower, and the homeowner requested me to tackle the
> plumbing also..Ok no problem I do it all the time, but they have
> handed me a box of Kohler body spray tiles,wall mtd shower
> heads,mixing valves, ect.. I have no problem handling it, but the
> shower is on the 2nd floor, and stubbed with 1/2 supply.. and getting
> 3/4 to it is SERIOUS.
>
> My question is will 1/2 supply enough flow for 3 spray tiles,and 3
> shower heads? and as usual time is ticking.. any advice will be much
> appreciated people
>
> Thanks Frank

Here's what I would do:

Assuming city water, measure the supply pressure with water flowing.
If they have ~50-60 psi, give it a go.

To avoid embarassment after all the tile work is up,
I would rough assemble all the valves and heads out in the
back yard/garage, etc.

Feed the Rube Goldberg with a garden hose (make sure the hose bibb
is fed from the same point as the domestic piping; no reducing valve).
Have the owner witness the sprays and sign off.

The pressure may be 5 psi greater at ground level than on 2nd floor,
but that shouldn't be significant. You could even include a length
of 1/2" pipe in the Rube setup to simulate the riser to 2nd floor.

For a couple hours setup time, you may avoid a huge battle later.

Jim

Posted by Frank Robinette on May 24, 2008, 10:23 pm

On Sat, 24 May 2008 20:59:01 -0400, Speedy Jim

>Frank Robinette wrote:

>> Hey:
>>
>> Ok Tiling a shower, and the homeowner requested me to tackle the
>> plumbing also..Ok no problem I do it all the time, but they have
>> handed me a box of Kohler body spray tiles,wall mtd shower
>> heads,mixing valves, ect.. I have no problem handling it, but the
>> shower is on the 2nd floor, and stubbed with 1/2 supply.. and getting
>> 3/4 to it is SERIOUS.
>>
>> My question is will 1/2 supply enough flow for 3 spray tiles,and 3
>> shower heads? and as usual time is ticking.. any advice will be much
>> appreciated people
>>
>> Thanks Frank

> Here's what I would do:
> Assuming city water, measure the supply pressure with water flowing.
> If they have ~50-60 psi, give it a go.
> To avoid embarassment after all the tile work is up,
> I would rough assemble all the valves and heads out in the
> back yard/garage, etc.
> Feed the Rube Goldberg with a garden hose (make sure the hose bibb
> is fed from the same point as the domestic piping; no reducing valve).
> Have the owner witness the sprays and sign off.
> The pressure may be 5 psi greater at ground level than on 2nd floor,
> but that shouldn't be significant. You could even include a length
> of 1/2" pipe in the Rube setup to simulate the riser to 2nd floor.
> For a couple hours setup time, you may avoid a huge battle later.
>Jim

That sound like one way to check it out jim, but the owner is leaving
for fla. tomorrow, and I'm not lazy, but seems like some extra work,
but I will keep it in mind...Thanks

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Custom shower plumbing question - Page 2