In reply to No Time :
But I like those suggestions.
In reply to No Time :
But I like those suggestions.
Update:
In order to heep things simple, I think I'm going to add one of these:
While I'd rather go vertical as Clem suggested, the horizontal valve will work better, given the siding and the available space inside.
Oddly enough, last summer I replaced the original (failed) valve with the single version of this one. With the new valve, I get away with drilling one more hole, using the existing Sharkbite connection that I installed last year, and then just adding another Sharkbite tee and elbow for the hot side.
Hot line to the sink is the top insulated pipe in this photo.
Then, I'll use a brass gated wye outside, with a handheld shower on one side, and the other side available for watering the dog.
I should have updated this a few weeks ago, but I've had a lot going on around here.
I ended up ordering the horizontal version of the Woodford valve that Clem Sparks had suggested. I like the vertical configuration, but the horizontal was going to work better with the siding on the house, as well as the existing plumbing on the inside.
I've used SharkBite before, but never Pex. I decided to try the Pex because it would give me a little more flexibility when it comes to making short connections, and I wouldn't have to be super accurate with the aligment of the joints.
I Heart SharkBite and Pex.
Once everything was hooked up inside, I added some insulation (garage is not heated).
Outside, I decided to skip the wye and instead I added a nice set of brass quick disconnect couplings that I found at Lowe's. These are so nice, I added them to all of the hoses and valves.
And as a short term solution that will probably just become permanent, I added a hand held shower that I bought a few years ago when I was recovering from knee surgery.
Pro Tip: If you're shopping for one of these, skip the shower head aisle at Home Depot and find out where they sell the stuff for handicapped accessible bathrooms. The regular hand held showers have a four foot hose. This one is seven feet. It's perfect.
Overall, I'm very happy with this. While it's not a true mixing valve, it works well enough, and it's just the thing I need after mowing the lawn or doing yard work.
This was a good solution, and one that I probably wouldn't have discovered had I not posted the question here on GRM.
Big thanks to Clem and everyone else who offered suggestions!
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I Heart SharkBite and Pex.
Especially for small jobs the combo is amazing. It feels like cheating after years of sweating pipes. Even pex without shark bites and I'm never going back to copper.
In reply to Sonic :
And it's dirt cheap. Two five foot lengths of Pex (one red and one blue) cost $2.25 each. A two foot length of copper was nine bucks.
These are awesome. And cheap. About eight bucks for a matched pair at Lowe's, if I recall correctly.
I'm tickled to have been able to contribute something useful. When It comes to plumbing (mostly on cars, but definitely on houses too) I become a bit of a nerd and way over-think every project. Though, in this case, it wasn't even my nerdery that was useful.
I'm going to have to check out those quick-connect setups. Might be handy for the Mrs. in the winter when she's always having to clear hoses after use to prevent them freezing solid. Thanks for that tip!
In reply to ClemSparks :
No, Thank You!
And for the record:
They are not quarter turn valves...but these are better for this application.
Still loving the outdoor shower, but with the leaves falling, I decided it was time for some kind of modesty panel.
I threw this together with some scraps from the basement and a piece of square vinyl lattice from Home Depot. It's still in the proof-of-concept stage. If I decide that it's what I want, I'll add some more molding and replace the black zip ties with some heavy duty white ones.
For the record, its not an outdoor shower. If you use the word shower, then it may fall into plumbing code requiring a drain. Technically its a seasonal outdoor rinse station, and as such, it does not fall under the plumbing code. I kid you not. Pop out low, and elbow up. At that elbow, use a tee with female fittings and screw in a hose bib/draw off valve so you can drain in the winter. Go up into the valve and out the top of the valve to the shower head. Use a tub and shower valve if you want a lower tub connection for mixed water to wash the dog. Make sure you install shutoffs inside with drains on them so you can properly shut it down. Use bell hangers to space everything off the wall. I get to install several of these every year.
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