Best Thing Since Air Fryers - Thermostatic Faucet

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Riverbug

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Wife and I have been talking about how great the shower faucet is since I installed it just prior to our trip to AK that we're on now. It is especially great for boondocking because there's no fiddling with the separate hot/cold knobs. Set the temp once and leave it, then just use the on/off dial to control water flow. We have only adjusted temp a couple of times on this trip to make the shower a bit warmer as it got colder out, and a bit colder when it got hotter out. We've never had a thermostatic faucet so we're pretty surprised by just how great it works. Below is the one I bought. It was a direct replacement for the OEM faucet, with the exception that I added a backing plate to make it stick out 1/2" otherwise the wall depth is just a hair short. I know I got the idea from a thread on this forum but now I cannot recall where that was. Just thought I'd share. If you boondock much, you want this type of faucet, trust me. :)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098NGP43C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
RV2600RB said:
Is there a way to turn off the water to a trickle, like rv showers, while soaping up?
Rich
Click to expand...

Yes, the left side is flow control. You just turn the dial for the amount of water you want, including a trickle. The right side is temperature control. Once you set it to desired temp you never touch it again until you want to increase or decrease the temp. The other nice thing about this is that you don't get the blast of hot or cold water when you do turn it off and back on. In fact, my wife does dishes now while I'm in the shower and it doesn't affect the temperature of my shower. It's great!

As a side note, we installed an Oxygenics shower head that has a flow control. When boondocking we turn the flow down and set the spray to the narrow/blast setting. This way you just turn the faucet off and full on and the shower head controls the flow. Alternatively, we have had the valve below for a few years and it works great too. It's installed on the faucet and the wand hose attaches to it. The slider makes it easier to turn the water on and off during the shower, it's easier for my wife than trying to grip the wet/slippery faucet control.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LX1CUMQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
 
WhittleBurner said:
Intriguing! How does it control the temps?
Click to expand...

I don't quite understand the science behind it, but there is a cartridge inside that expands and contracts to let the right amount of hot/cold water flow based on what the user sets it to. All I really know is that it really works. We love that thing. I believe I read somewhere that they can be prone to calcium buildup which then requires the cartridge to be pulled out and cleaned. Haven't experienced that yet so not sure. We've been on the road for 3 months since I installed it and it's working well so far. We do also have a water softener so maybe that will help the situation...
 
Riverbug said:
Yes, the left side is flow control. You just turn the dial for the amount of water you want, including a trickle. The right side is temperature control. Once you set it to desired temp you never touch it again until you want to increase or decrease the temp. The other nice thing about this is that you don't get the blast of hot or cold water when you do turn it off and back on. In fact, my wife does dishes now while I'm in the shower and it doesn't affect the temperature of my shower. It's great!

As a side note, we installed an Oxygenics shower head that has a flow control. When boondocking we turn the flow down and set the spray to the narrow/blast setting. This way you just turn the faucet off and full on and the shower head controls the flow. Alternatively, we have had the valve below for a few years and it works great too. It's installed on the faucet and the wand hose attaches to it. The slider makes it easier to turn the water on and off during the shower, it's easier for my wife than trying to grip the wet/slippery faucet control.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LX1CUMQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Click to expand...

Appreciate your reply.
Thank you.
Rich
 
Riverbug said:
I don't quite understand the science behind it, but there is a cartridge inside that expands and contracts to let the right amount of hot/cold water flow based on what the user sets it to. All I really know is that it really works. We love that thing. I believe I read somewhere that they can be prone to calcium buildup which then requires the cartridge to be pulled out and cleaned. Haven't experienced that yet so not sure. We've been on the road for 3 months since I installed it and it's working well so far. We do also have a water softener so maybe that will help the situation...
Click to expand...

Great post. This forum is always good at helping me spend my money. lol. Any idea how well it would work if your water heater tank is empty? Thinking about when winterizing or flushing the lines come spring. Can you just set it to work with cold water?
 
lorend said:
Great post. This forum is always good at helping me spend my money. lol. Any idea how well it would work if your water heater tank is empty? Thinking about when winterizing or flushing the lines come spring. Can you just set it to work with cold water?
Click to expand...

Hmm. I haven't tried that but it's really just a mixing valve. So, it mixes the water from the hot line with water from the cold line to provide output based on the temp you set it to. If only water was available via the cold line, you would just turn the temp all the way down. And I know what you mean about getting help spending money on this forum. I've nearly exhausted all my upgrade options at this point. But I know I'll find more. LOL!
 
Riverbug said:
Wife and I have been talking about how great the shower faucet is since I installed it just prior to our trip to AK that we're on now. It is especially great for boondocking because there's no fiddling with the separate hot/cold knobs. Set the temp once and leave it, then just use the on/off dial to control water flow. We have only adjusted temp a couple of times on this trip to make the shower a bit warmer as it got colder out, and a bit colder when it got hotter out. We've never had a thermostatic faucet so we're pretty surprised by just how great it works. Below is the one I bought. It was a direct replacement for the OEM faucet, with the exception that I added a backing plate to make it stick out 1/2" otherwise the wall depth is just a hair short. I know I got the idea from a thread on this forum but now I cannot recall where that was. Just thought I'd share. If you boondock much, you want this type of faucet, trust me. :)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098NGP43C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...

This sounds like a mod I've wanted to do. How difficult is it to do, any changes to the water lines that went to the old faucet? And exactly why the standoff? Make it easier to use controls? Be great if you happen to have images of before, during and after mod was done. Thanks for the information and looking at checking into making the mod
 
more tired since retired said:
This sounds like a mod I've wanted to do. How difficult is it to do, any changes to the water lines that went to the old faucet? And exactly why the standoff? Make it easier to use controls? Be great if you happen to have images of before, during and after mod was done. Thanks for the information and looking at checking into making the mod
Click to expand...

I'm terrible at remembering to take pics. The before was pretty standard two handle shower faucet but I'll see if I have one. I can take one of how it is now as I don't think I took one when I was done. I tried to install without the standoff but the space is just barely too shallow. I could have bought a standoff which would have been quicker to install but then it also sticks out much further. I only needed 1/2" so I used the white PVC board that you buy at a big box store for exterior trim. Making that piece by far took the longest. Otherwise, you really just pull the old faucet out, and swap in the new one. There were no changes to the water lines or connections. If you buy the one I did or similar, it's made for an RV so it was a direct swap. The original standoff wouldn't work because if I recall correctly there is a hole in the middle. That was fine for the original faucet because it's covered by the faucet backplate, but this faucet stands off in the middle so that extra hole would be exposed. You can buy a two hole standoff that works, but for our shower it just stuck out too far so I returned it.
 
Last edited:
I believe there were other posts on this forum with write ups, pics, and other useful install info - from not to long ago, say within last year maybe?

One thing I remember reading was about having to place a mounting plate spacer of some kind to install the shower faucet due to supply line length. Would search the forum for info already shared.
 
We just went on a cruise and this control was in the shower. They are very easy to use and after the first day, we only adjusted flow on the left control.
 
more tired since retired said:
A photo of the final result would be great. Give me an idea what I'll be working toward. What may be a dumb question, is the waterline pex? I have a 2020 Imagine 2600RB and hope what's behind that wall.
Click to expand...

Been on the road but finally grabbed a picture of it. Not saying you should do this, just how I did it in a hurry before leaving on our Alaska trip. I had 1/2" PVC laying around and it worked but if you want just a bit more room in the cavity, 3/4" would have been ideal for our setup. Again, if you buy a premade standoff, I think that would work great if you don't mind it sticking out a bit further. You can look at the products on Amazon to get the dimensions to see what might work for you. And to answer your question, yes our lines going to the shower faucet are pex. But there are plenty of vinyl/pex combination lines in our RV as well.
IMG_1954.jpeg
 
I’m pretty sure these type of faucets are the same on cruise ships. They work the same way. I never gave it a thought for my rv shower. Something to consider.
 
Riverbug said:
Been on the road but finally grabbed a picture of it. Not saying you should do this, just how I did it in a hurry before leaving on our Alaska trip. I had 1/2" PVC laying around and it worked but if you want just a bit more room in the cavity, 3/4" would have been ideal for our setup. Again, if you buy a premade standoff, I think that would work great if you don't mind it sticking out a bit further. You can look at the products on Amazon to get the dimensions to see what might work for you. And to answer your question, yes our lines going to the shower faucet are pex. But there are plenty of vinyl/pex combination lines in our RV as well.
View attachment 51931
Click to expand...

I'm trying to figure what you mean by a premade standoff and your reference to the 1/2 and 3/4 PVC. Thanks!
 
Here's the Bezel/Stand Off I'm referring to. It sticks out 1 3/4 inches. The PVC (or whatever material you use if you choose to take my approach) is 1/2" thick which fits but the 90 degree water line connectors inside the wall touch the back wall. An additional 1/4" if you use 3/4" material will give it just a bit more room. The bezel would work better if you don't mind the faucet sticking out another inch into the shower space. The faucet itself sticks out further than our original faucet too, so all that added up to it sticking too far out into the shower space for me.

https://www.amazon.com/RecPro-Fauce...prefix=rv+shower+stand+of,aps,198&sr=8-1&th=1
 
Riverbug said:
Here's the Bezel/Stand Off I'm referring to. It sticks out 1 3/4 inches. The PVC (or whatever material you use if you choose to take my approach) is 1/2" thick which fits but the 90 degree water line connectors inside the wall touch the back wall. An additional 1/4" if you use 3/4" material will give it just a bit more room. The bezel would work better if you don't mind the faucet sticking out another inch into the shower space. The faucet itself sticks out further than our original faucet too, so all that added up to it sticking too far out into the shower space for me.

https://www.amazon.com/RecPro-Fauce...prefix=rv+shower+stand+of,aps,198&sr=8-1&th=1
Click to expand...

Thank you. I measured ours and the standoff looks like it will work.

Having poked around a little I've noted that some people add some support behind the thin shower wall for the mounting screws to grip and hold since it seems the unit weight can be a factor in mounting. Easy mod for the supports.

Thank you again for posting this!
 
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