[Shop-talk] a(nother) plumbing question

[scott.hall at comcast.net]

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Doug Braun <doug at dougbraun.com>

> Is this the "Niagara Falls" model shower?  A 1" pipe
> is much larger than is normally used for pipes leading
> to a bathroom.  A 2" pipe is larger than almost any
> house would have coming in from the street.

it's got a total of six shower 'heads' with one box controlling all of them.  pretty snazzy if you can feed the thing.  I figure 2" is overkill, but if I can only do this once I'll do it.  I'm sure once I hear ideas for the master bath I'll be wishing I'd run 3" pipe.

> Is it really worth adding all the extra piping just to
> heat your towels?  We have an electric towel warmer. 
> It works fine and you simply have to plug it in to an
> outlet.

the electric model would have needed wiring run to it, it was right next to the shower (even if it is gfci-protected, I still would prefer no electricity there) and had a big red-illuminated box for the power supply.  this is a pool bath that will see a lot of 8 year-old traffic.  I thought it would be an attractive nuisance.  a hot-water-heated wall of pipes seemed like the lesser of two evils.

> If this is the case, the Niagara Falls shower will
> not work very well...

exactly.

> You could probably install a pump and pressurized
> reservoir where the pipe from the well enters the
> house.  The situation you describe, a low-flow well,
> is probably quite common.  I'm surprised the plumber
> did not suggest it.

well, the well has a tank into which it pumps, and that tank is pressurized.  the problem is that tank is 50 feet from the house and giving its all as it is (sayeth the plumber).  I asked about another tank in the house, closer to the fixtures, a pump, etc.  his advice was to live with it.  then he gave me a bill for $100 for being there for 15 minutes.  time to research on my own.