How to Plumb New Fixtures for Shower
- 1). Screw the mixer valve to a horizontal piece of wall stud--use 1 5/7-inch galvanized screws. The wall stud is in turn screwed into two neighboring vertical wall studs. Check the mixer valve instructions regarding its required height and position on the shower wall.
- 2). Screw the brass fitting that holds the shower head also onto a piece of horizontal wall stud (1 5/8-inch galvanized screws). As before, this stud will be screwed to neighboring vertical studs. Check the instructions for its required height.
- 3). Sand the inside of both inlets on the bottom of the pipe, as well as the outlet on the top--use emery cloth. Then sand the ends of the two copper supply pipes beneath the mixer valve, and the brass shower head's inlet (on its bottom).
- 4). Apply soldering paste (flux) to all sanded areas. Then push the two supply pipes up into the mixer valve inlets. If necessary, brace them to hold them in place.
- 5). Measure the distance between the mixer valve outlet and the bottom of the brass shower head fixture. Add on 1 inch for the total length that the pipe will enter both valve outlet and brass fixture inlet. Cut a new piece of copper pipe to this length. First mark the pipe where it needs to be cut. Then place a tubing cutter around the pipe. Tighten its blade onto the mark. Rotate the cutter 360 degrees. Tighten and rotate again. Repeat until the pipe is cut through.
- 6). Sand each end of the pipe and apply flux. Push the pipe down into the mixer valve outlet, and the other end into the brass fitting's inlet (the fitting may have to be unscrewed to do this).
- 7). Unroll 12 inches of solder from its spool, and bend the last 3 inches 90 degrees. Then turn on the propane torch.
- 8). Heat both sides of the mixer valve's outlet by moving the flame side to side. When the flux sizzles, touch the end of the solder to the seam between the pipe and outlet. Apply 3/4 inch of solder around the seam. Wipe any excess solder away with a rag--it will be hot. Next, solder the mixer valve's two inlets and the brass fitting's inlet in the same way. The shower fixtures are now installed, and if no other copper water pipes need to be installed, the water can be turned on.
