# What the heck?



## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

Just got back from my last call of the day, been swamped. Lady was getting new kitchen counters put in and needed me to install the new fixtures. Of course the granite guys weren’t even close to being done so I’ll be back tomorrow. Newer house, 3-4 years old. Most of the downstairs was ripped up from flood damage, builder F’d the valves at washing machine and flooded the place.

She was also confused as to why no hot water(flow) at master tub. I figured maybe a bunch of debris so pulled the Moen stem, looked clear. Left stem out and turned on the water, not a drip or a drop out of wide open valve body. Told her to call the builder because about 110% chance the pex was kinked to the tub, allowing no flow. I saw the exact same thing in a newer home about a year ago, trying to make a 90 without fittings. In both cases the fixture worked fine for a couple years and then just stopped altogether. Guess it can take a bit of time before that kink gets developed. Time to get the builder on speed dial...

Anyways the reason I started this rant was because I came across 2 things I’ve never seen before in this home. First was what appeared to be a mixing valve under one of the master sinks. Sorry I forgot to take a pic but will get one manana. Had H&C flexes connected with an outlet that went back to a copper line going into the wall. Appeared to be mixing valve but no clue what it would feed.

The other was right by the water shutoff, a big ol’ chunk of brass that would look great in my scrap pile. First one I’ve come across but maybe they are required in new construction these days? Here’s a pic of that one


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## Eddy k (Jan 30, 2015)

They?re everywhere


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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

Your pic appears to be this right here
http://www.tyco-fire.com/index.php?P=detailprod&S=9800
The fire protection guys can confirm this.

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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

Sounds like a thermostatic mixing valve that is under the master sink. Required here by code to supply tempered hot water to bathtub hot side of faucet.
Here is my crappy hack diagram.









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## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

5onthefloor said:


> Sounds like a thermostatic mixing valve that is under the master sink. Required here by code to supply tempered hot water to bathtub hot side of faucet.
> Here is my crappy hack diagram.
> 
> 
> ...


Interesting, I was just confused as to where the tempered water went, but it is installed at the lav closest to bathtub. I only do service work, so sometimes it’ll be a couple years before I see what these new construction guys are installing. 

Any idea on why the hot to bathtub has to be tempered? I got a little down time later today so I’ll try to look into it but seems weird to me. The only time I use tempering valves is commercial


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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

Don't have my Codebook near by lent it to a buddy but I believe it has to do with volume of water and no means to regulate it like a pressure balancing valve with limit stops. Someone else can back me up or provide more insight since I'm shooting from the hip here. Yeah that tempered water only feeds the hot side of the bathtub. I get complaints about hot water at tub warm
I pop off the green cap and there is the adjustment screw and just turn it up there. Max temp I believe is 115 degrees F

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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

This could also be related to your problem with the hot water. The mixing valve can be rebuilt although we usually just replace since they come with unions. No one ever puts ball valves so gotta turn off water to replace

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## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

5onthefloor said:


> Your pic appears to be this right here
> http://www.tyco-fire.com/index.php?P=detailprod&S=9800
> The fire protection guys can confirm this.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk



Yup that is it. So it shuts off house water and diverts to sprinkler system when needed. Guess that all makes sense, probably cuts costs down a lot. I’m sure I’ll start seeing more around if that’s what they’ve gone to


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## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

Wow.... Feeling kinda dumb right now. Someone popped the sinks out where this was installed. That mixing valve is connected with dual angle stops- I bet they shut off the valves going to it and it killed the hot. Makes total sense now....

Good think I’m going back to do the kitchen today!


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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

rowanova said:


> Wow.... Feeling kinda dumb right now. Someone popped the sinks out where this was installed. That mixing valve is connected with dual angle stops- I bet they shut off the valves going to it and it killed the hot. Makes total sense now....
> 
> Good think I’m going back to do the kitchen today!


Yah if you had not described mixing valve I would have guessed trash in the line or kinked Pex in the wall or under tub deck. 
Take pics today. 

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## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

Yeah I’ll take pics, won’t be back over til about 6pm. Knowing that there was no hot, and a mixing valve pretty close by I feel I should’ve picked up on that quicker- but hey, it was the end of a very long day. Also I asked her when this started and she told me it started months ago before they began the work in her house, so I didn’t really think it was a valve someone shut off.


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## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

Sorry didn’t get a pic of the valve last night, but that was it- whoever removed the sinks from the bathroom shut off both handles of the dual stops, rather than just the ones feeding the lavatory. Turned the 2 valves back on, instant water to bathtub. I’m logging that one in the memory bank, I’m sure all the newer houses are going to start having these. 5- I really appreciate the help on this one! I told the lady a plumber from another state helped me figure it out- she was impressed by that and was very thankful for your assistance as well


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## 5onthefloor (Sep 13, 2017)

You got it brother. No worries. I'm on a nightmare of a job. Old house with bad angle stops and homeowner wants them all replaced. Just took me an hour to do two. Got 3 left to go. Something tells me my brain will be fried too by the end of the day

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