how to turn off the tub water supply in a townhou?

[smr]

I can't locate the control valve for the tub water supply. In my third floor of my 3 story townhouse, I have a main bathroom. there are water controls for sink and toilt, but not for the tub. Do you guys think the water control valve should be around the heater?

[LazyPup]

Unfortunately the tub mixer is one of the only faucetts in the house that does not have an individual shutoff valve. You may have zone valves to turn the water off to that bathroom, otherwise, if you have to service the hot water valve you can turn the supply off at the water heater. If you need to service the cold water valve on the tub mixer you will have to turn the main water supply valve off at the water meter or well pump.

While the code defines the minimum placement of valves, there is nothing stopping you from having additoinal zone shutoff valves installed for future maintenance. In my home I have a stop & waste valve located at each branch intersection.

[smr]

hi, Lazypup:

Thanks. Do you mean I can locate the water(cold/hot) suppply valve in the heater? How many types of the water control system for the tub had been existed for a building built 10 years ago?

[LazyPup]

You stated in your post that you are in a townhouse so I will assume for the moment that your water comes from a municipal watermain that runs beside the street.

Somewhere near the curb of the street there is a small metal disc about 4 inches in diameter that has the word "Water" on the cover. That is called the "curb box" and directly below that cover, usually about 4 feet down there is a main water shutoff valve called the "Curb Stop" for your house.

From the curb box they usually run a 3/4" diameter main water line from the street into the structure to the water meter. There should be a valve on the main line on the street side of the water meter that is called the "Main Water shutoff". (either the curb stop valve or the main water shutoff will turn all the water off to the structure.)

From the water meter the line should continue as a 3/4" diameter line to the water heater where the inhouse water system divides into two parallel but separate systems, the hot & cold water supply.

The volume of a water line is not determined by its diameter, but ratehr by its cross sectional area. The cross sectional area of a 3/4" line is twice that of a 1/2" line, thus from the water heater the hot and cold water lines are reduced to 1/2" diameter to insure equal pressure on both the hot and cold systems.

There is a valve on the cold water supply line to the water heater. Turning that valve off will turn off all the hot water throughout the house.

As you already know, there are stop valves on both the hot & cold water lines under all the sinks and the toilet. If the supply line to those valves is vertical up from the floor they are a straight through valves called a "Stop Valve". If the water line is horizontal out of the wall they are "Angle Stop" valves.

Somewhere on your house you are required to have an outside faucett. The valve on the outside of the house where you connect the hose is called a "Sill cock" or a "Hose Bibb". If you live in an area where the outside faucett is subject to freezing there is a valve on the water line about 3 feet inside the house called a "Line stop". Some line stop valves have a small cap on the side of the valve body. Once the line stop is turned off the little cap can be removed and the water on the downstream side of that valve can be drained out. Those type valves are called "Stop and waste" valves.

If you have a heating system that requires a water supply such as steam or circulating hot water there is a water "line stop" shutoff valve at the furnace or boiler immediately before the furnace controlled auotmatic fill valve. (CAUTION- the heating system line stop valve should only be turned off to service the heating equipment.)

Normally the shower mixer and Laundry faucetts are plumbed directly into the water supply.

So far we have discussed the code required valves in your house. While the code establishes the minimum requirements, often for convenience during maintenance we install additional valves Which are often referred to as "zone valves" because they can isolate a particular zone of the house while still maintaining normal water supply to the rest of the house.

Example- In your three story townhouse you have both hot & cld water lines running up to the 2nd and third floor. You could install line stops on those risers so you could turn the water off the the upper floors while still maintaining water supply on the ground floor.

You could then install another set of lines stops between the 2nd and third floor, which could isolate the third floor while still maintaining normal service on the first and second floors.

Depending upon how the lines are laid out in your house you may be able to install zone valves that can isolate one particur bathroom, kitchen or laundry while maintaining normal water supply to the rest of the house.

I would highly recommend the installation of zone valves whereever practical. The valves themselves are very cheap. Typically about $5 each and are relatively easy to install. The advantage is that if you should happen to have a broken water line during the night or a weekend you could isolate that area while still maintaining water supply to the rest of the house until you can get a plumber, otherwise you may have to shut the water off at the main. One only has to spend on nite without a bathroom to truly appreciate zone valves.

[smr]

test

[smr]

wow, this a so complete literature. Thanks, Lazypup. I will read it again to digest it.

I got a
link from delta website. My faucet is Monitor 1400 series.
http://deltacom.deltafaucet.com/medi...67_v1_4689.pdf

Could u check this link too?It seems I need to unscrew the trim screws to pull out the escutcheon. But escutcheon is glued to the tile, I think. I just couldn't pull it out. What do you think I need to do?

Do they think there is a water control valve behind the eschtcheon?

[LazyPup]

Usually the shower handle trim escutcheon tubes are screwed onto the fauctt mixer body by means of a fine machine thread on the inside of the Escutcheon Tube. After they are installed they are often sealed in place with Tub/Bath adhesive silicone caulking.

Experienced plumbers often wrap the chrome plated fittings with a rag, the screw them in place with a pair of channel lock pliers, but due to the extremely thin walls and easily damaged plating on many trim parts I personally prefer and highly recomend using a vinyl stap wrench.

Aside from the faucetts themselves, normally all connections are soldered and there are no other means of shutting the water off at the shower mixer.

To service a shower mixer you must turn the water off at a zone valve controlling that bathroom or, if servicing the "hot" side only, you could turn the Hot water off at the water heater cold water input valve. To service the cold when there is no zone valves you must turn the water off at the house main.

I have prepared an illustration to show the internal piping for a typical Tub/shower diverter.

[smr]

Thanks for understanding my question and showing me the diagram. Now I know what I NEED to do. I will check out the channel lock pliers and vinyl stap wrench tomorrow.