Frequently Asked Questions
Q. "What is the difference between satin nickel and brushed nickel?"
A.The Satin Nickel finish is nickel plating on a base metal that has been made to appear dull. Satin nickel is sometimes also referred to as brushed nickel.
Q. "Will your universal tub drain trim kit fit my tub?"
A.The specifications that you would need to take note of when considering of the universal tub drain trim kit will fit are listed below:
Q. "What does "PVD" finish mean?"
A."PVD" stands for "Physical Vapor Deposition" which is a modern plating process used in faucet manufacturing. Vaporized zirconium reacts with nitrogen and other gases to form a VERY durable plated surface. Unlike finishes in the past that would easily tarnish over time, finishes with PVD are extremely durable and won't generally tarnish or discolor.
Q. "Does the showerhead I ordered swivel, or do I need an additional part for it to do so?"
A.It is rare for a showerhead not to have a swivel feature unless its position adjustment is in the shower arm or it is a "flat" model that is meant to be installed parallel to the floor. With the exception of those mentioned, some industrial models and most handshowers, standard-style showerheads generally come with a built-in swivel feature.
Q. "My shower arm is broken off in the wall. What can I do?"
A.This is a common problem with brass shower arms. Brass shower arms do not have a very thick wall as compared to normal galvanized or brass or stainless steel nipples because water flows through them without being under constant pressure. Brass or plastic shower arms can easily break in the wall due to stress from weight, movement, length of the arm, etc. It's usually fairly easy to take the broken nipple out if you have the right tool. Most spiral type easy outs and cam type pipe extractors will not remove the thin walled shower arms. The 1/2" ips Internal Nipple Wrench works best for this application. Be careful to not damage the female threads on the 90 degree elbow inside the wall. If you have a leak in this area, you probably wouldn't be aware of it until the leak has done damage. Look with a flashlight to make sure the threads are still good on the fitting inside the wall, and be sure to use lots of PTFE thread sealing tape on your new shower arm.
Q. "What size is the sleeve in the Valley trim kit?"
A.The sleeve on the Valley trim kit is 1-15/16" inside diameter and works with the old style cartridge #V6680 which has a 3/16" handle stem.
Q. "The Valley escutcheon shows the two mounting holes on the bottom but my existing escutcheon has the two holes on the top. How will this escutcheon work as a replacement for my Valley shower valve?"
A. The original escutcheons Valley provided with their valves had the screw holes at the top, above the center of the valve. In later years, and up to the present, the only Valley escutcheons made for replacements have the screw holes located below the center of the valve. The original brass "rough-in" shower valves (part behind the wall) were made with threaded mounting holes both at the top and the bottom but only the top holes were used. The replacement escutcheon will need to be screwed into the bottom threaded mounting holes. Since there is always a possibility the original valves may have not been threaded by mistake, you will need to check to make sure your valve has the available threaded holes to mount the escutcheon. Otherwise you will have to mount the escutcheon upside down. Thus, the temperature indicators will be wrong.
