If you have a bathroom in an older house with galvanized steel pipes, you’re better off calling in a plumber who will have the specialized tools to cut and thread this type of pipe.

Most of the newer shower valves install the same way. This project illustrates the basic steps to rough in a shower valve, which is unique in that it has additional water jets in the shower valve assembly and an oversize opening that makes replacing an old shower valve easier. The jets not only tickle your middle with water, but for remodeling purposes, they’re covered by a larger-thannormal escutcheon plate. The escutcheon conceals the control handle and jets, and allows you to cut a large opening in the wall.

The particular shower valve you choose may not be exactly like this unit, but the installation is basically the same. Manufacturers include installation instructions with their units along with the rough-in dimensions.

To replace a shower valve, you need these materials:

»  Emery cloth tow
»  Flux (to coat copper joints when soldering)
»  Hand saw, jigsaw, or spiral-cut saw
»  Pliers
»  Propane torch
»  Putty knife
»  Screwdriver
»  Shower valve
»  Solder or plastic pipe cement

Follow these steps to install a new shower valve. When you’re replacing an old shower valve, rather than installing a new one, do Step 1 and then jump to Step 9.

1. Turn off the water.

2. Remove the escutcheon from the existing valve.

Take off the control handle first. Then remove the screws holding the plate against the wall. If the escutcheon was installed with caulk, score it with a utility knife. Try to avoid scratching tile you plan to leave in place.

3. Use the template provided by the manufacturer or the escutcheon plate from the new valve to locate the position of the new hole in the wall.

If there is no template trace around the escutcheon, use a pencil to make a new line about 1/2 inch inside the escutcheon profile line (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Use the escutcheon as a template to position and cut the hole to access the pipes.

4. Use a hand saw, jigsaw, or spiral-cut saw (see Figure 2 ) to cut the opening in the wall for the new valve by following the outline of the cover plate.

Carefully check inside a wall for the location of the existing pipes before you cut into it. To get a good view, shine a flashlight on the hole as you hold a small mirror in the hole. Look for electrical lines and water and vent pipes that may be in the way.

Figure 2: You can use a spiral-cut saw to cut the opening for the valve.

5. If the old pipes are copper, unsolder the valve body from the water pipes.

6. Heat the valve close to the pipe, gripping the valve body with pliers.

7. As the solder melts, twist the valve body and pull it off the pipe. Do the same for the remaining pipes.

Wear leather gloves because the copper will be hot.

Plastic pipes can’t be removed from the valve body and must be cut. Use a hacksaw to cut them as close to the valve body as possible.

8. The new valve requires support. If no blocking is behind the old valve, cut a 2-x-4 and insert it between the wall studs behind the valve.

Check the roughing-in dimensions for your particular valve and adjust the position of the support so that the valve protrudes the proper distance from the wall.

9. To connect the valve to the water supply pipes, first clean the ends and inside of the pipes with flux.

Clean the end of the pipe with emery cloth and then use a wire brush to clean inside the fitting. Apply the flux to the outside of the pipe and the inside of the fitting. Flux prevents oxidation, helping the solder form a good bond.

10. Insert supply pipes into the valve body.

11. Consult the instructions for the lengths of the supply piping that leads to the water jet assembly.

12. Cut, clean, and flux these fittings, and then cut the shower riser to length and insert it into the assembly.

13. Check alignment and then solder the unit together (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Solder the water supply pipes to the valve body.

14. Test the unit for leaks.

If this is a new installation, screw a 1/2-inch galvanized plug into the shower head pipe so you can test the unit for leaks without the shower sprinkling water all over the place.

15. If the tub or shower is already in place, install the shower head.

16. Turn on the water and check for leaks.

If there are leaks, turn off the water, drain the valve, and resolder or glue the leaking joint.

17. Install the escutcheon and control handles (see Figure 4).

Figure 4:Installing the cutcheon plate and control handles.

To purchase shower valves please view our shower valves section. Click here

Replacing a radiator witha towel rail

Most modern towel rails are attached through the wall, rather than the floor, so you’ll more than likely need to adapt the pipework. First, you’ll need to drain down the system (see below), then disconnect and remove the old radiator complete with its valves 1. Clean up the open pipes with steel wool and temporarily cap them off with a fitting to prevent any debris getting in while you work. Remove the old brackets. At this point it’s a good idea to mark a centre line on the wall where the old radiator hung, to act as a guide.

Adapting to a different size

You’ll need to gain access to the floor void to alter the pipework. Remove the skirting and lift the floorboards. For clarity the pipework is shown here in an empty void, but in reality you’ll have to cut away some plasterboard above solid wall. Either way you will have to make good the wall before moving on to fix the towel rail.

Mark positions for the new copper tails (for both the feed and the return pipes) 2, then cut out a section of noggin, or chase into a solid wall, to take the new pipework. Run the new pipework from the old pipes, using either compression or capillary fittings, and add two elbow joints so each pipe can go into the wall and exit higher up 3 ready to connect to the towel rail. Tape over the open ends to keep out any debris while you are restoring the wall, flooring and skirting.

Installing the new heated towel rail

Unpack the towel rail and remove the plastic bungs that protect the threads. Leave on the protective outer coating until the heated towel rail is fixed in place — you are bound to get a few scratches as you install it. Unscrew the two valve adapters from the bottom of the old radiator with an adjustable spanner. Unscrew the bleed valve with a bleed key, then remove both blank plugs from the top of the new towel rail with a radiator spanner 4. Screw the adapters and plugs into the new towel rail. Finally, screw the bleed valve into the blanking plug. The new towel rail is now ready for fixing to the wall.

The heated towel rail is is attached to the wall in a different way to an ordinary radiator. The bottom should be level with the skirting board. Using a spirit level, draw a horizontal guide on the wall for the top brackets 5, and fix them in place 6. Repeat for the bottom brackets. Now you can connect the valves to the supply and return pipes. Check the position of the towel rail on the radiator brackets.

Hold the valve to the pipe, mark the pipe and cut to fit 7. Connect the towel rail and cover the fixings with the clip-on caps. Connect the valves to the adapters and close the drain cock. Restore the water supply to the expansion tank and refill the central heating system (see opposite). Fill the radiator by opening the valves, bleeding any air in the radiator through the bleed valve 8.

Bathroom Tip: Hold a cloth to the bleed valve as you are screwing in, to catch any water that might leak out 9.

Draining and refilling the system

Shut off the boiler, switch off the fuel supply and leave to cool down for a few hours. Once the water in the heating system is cold, cut off the water supply at the expansion tank, either by closing the tank’s gate valve or tying up the float arm. Fit one end of a garden hose over the drain cock, usually on the return pipe at the boiler, with the other end over an external drain gully. Open the drain cock using an Allen key or spanner, and let the system drain down completely. Pack towels or cloths around the valve in case of spillages. To refill the system, close the drain cock and restore the water supply.