:laughing:
I knew I'd get caught on that. :tt2:
Here's my bullshti excuse, and when you hear it, you'll know why I do it. I use Delta remodel plates, Danco ones as well. Sometimes depending on how clean the holes where put in the wall for the 3 handle faucets, that cover will just barely cover a 12" spread faucet.
If the hole was cut badly, then it won't work. On 8" centers, you can hide it all.
When I rework these faucets, sometimes the valve will rough in too far out. When this happens, you try to pull that chrome piece out too far, it will expose the brass valve body. That's not going to fly. So, using that spacer outside fills the gap without having the valve protrude with the chrome sleeve not doing its job.
Some faucets I don't have to do this, some do. Most times it's inside like where it belongs. One in particular, I used 2 of those on the outside to get it to work out.
Most of these however are emergency jobs where I'm called in at a moments notice to rework. "Some" can be reworked with using street 90's and 45's to roll that valve out or into the wall. Sometimes I have to do double street 90's, or I won't use any fittings at all other than the sweat sockets that are designed in the R10000 or solder 1/2" FIP's right to the valve. Before anyone screams about me sweating threaded connections...
it works, and I only do them on these valves. Never anything out in the open where I can get to them.
The R10000 is by far a longer valve and I'm not going to make double work of trying to get back farther into the wall. Sometimes the tolerance of fittings will prevent that along with issue of how the last plumber installed/anchored those lines inside the wall. I've done tons of these and some of the water lines in these offer zero movement, or are braced so tight in the wall that I'm taking huge chances prying, popping these lines into fittings or the valve itself. It's crazy some of the things I've done, and most of the reworks when it's single handle for single handle, I'm working inside a 4-3/4" hole so I can avoid a remodel plate, like every other plumber states they must have, or access to the back side. I've sold a ton of them by that statement alone.
I've only had one person complain about that piece, and it was this valve I installed in particular. Now, if another plumber came and did work behind me, they'd probably flag it as well, but as I repeat; most were emergencies and sometimes you can't make them work out in the way you want them. Anyone that knows 1/2" copper, there's a significant distance between double street 90's distance, street 90 into regular 45. IF, they made 22's in copper I could eliminate the use of that piece completely.
We all know that's never going to happen, short of bending copper tubing. What's awesome is the R10000 is a larger valve altogether and you can replace monitor for monitor on a rework and never use a coupling or a FIP.
On these 2/3 handle reworks, I'm dealing with thin wall all the way up to 2" thick plaster at times so sometimes I can make it work, sometimes I can't.
What I find with this application is people hook those mesh ruffled soap scrubbers around those white pieces. Don't know why, but that is where a bunch I've seen go when I install these valves.
