The Valve

The Valves Use ¾” thermostatically controlled valves It’s not necessary to have ¾” supply connected to ¾” valve.

How Many Heads? The sum total flow of all shower outlets (Shower heads, Hand Showers, Body Sprays) combined cannot exceed the maximum flow rate of the valve at a given water pressure

Shower Heads

Hand Shower

Body Spray

Example: Shower head delivers 2.5gpm at 80psi* 5 heads x 2.5gpm = 12.5gpm Valve is rated at 16gpm No problem! * 50psi is recommended for showers with 3 or more heads

What happens when the home owner removes the restrictors? Unrestricted, the flow rate of a typical shower head will be approx. 4.5gpm. 4.5 x 5 = 22.5 Now the 16gpm valve can’t deliver

Note: Do not tee off of a single ½” or ¾” supply to service two or more thermostatic valves. Solution: If you need more than one valve use a 1” supply or plumb each valve with a separate supply directly from the main or manifold

The Drain In the prior example 5 heads could deliver 62.5 gallons of water in 5 minutes. Where will it go? Two 2” drains or one 3” drain is recommended for the multi head shower Note: Pay particular attention to this on accessible showers

Hot Water The bigger the shower, and more heads means more HOT WATER! A 50 gallon hot water heater will supply a 4 head custom shower for approx. 8 minutes. 100 gal should be a minimum

Volume Control

Custom Showers are generally designed with separate on/off volume controls One for the shower head One for the hand shower One per three body sprays

Body Spray Any configuration of 2 or more body spray heads must include a pressure balance loop. This insures that each head delivers the same spray volume and temperature

Pressure Balance Loop

Positioning Shower Components

A ) User height is a critical factor in setting the height of shower outlets. Note: Children or anyone confined to a wheelchair can be accommodated by a hand held shower head. B)The shower head should be set at a level above the head of the tallest user but within the reach of the shorter user. (excluding children)

Positioning Shower Components

C)The top level body-spray is normally set at shoulder height. It should not spray into the face of the user. D)The mid-level body spray is normally set at waist or hip level. E) The lowest level body spray is normally set at thigh level or knee height.

Positioning Shower Components

Note: Body sprays should be place on a different plane than the shower head. The idea is to have the entire body covered by water. F)The thermostatic temperature control valve should be set at approx. waist height and should be easily accessible.

Positioning Shower Components G) Volume controls (on/off valves) should be easily accessible to anyone using the shower, usually about waist high and slightly above the thermostat valve.