Shower Upgrades

[jbsmith]

I recently added a shower slide bar and changed out the shower faucet in our trailer. When I re-installed the faucet, I flipped it over upside down so the hose exits from the bottom. The faucet now turns off by pushing down on the handles, instead of pulling up. It's also much easier for our little one to use, not to mention the shower head can be brought down to his level.

You can purchase factory replacement faucets and associated accessories from DuraFaucet (http://www.durafaucet.com/). I've had great luck ordering from them and they're super fast to process and ship your order.

Here are some pics of the installation. Edit: Note that I cut the slide rod using a tubing cutter so that it fit where I wanted it on the wall.

[f6bits]

I like the slide bar. Good for adjusting height *and* angle. Thanks for the DuraFaucet link. I’ve never heard of them and have been looking for a classy tub/shower faucet replacement.

[Hunter757]

Very nice! I like the slide adjustment to. Did you need to install an braces behind it or were you able to find a stud to mount?
The kids will love it :thumbsup:

[jbsmith]

Did you need to install an braces behind it or were you able to find a stud to mount?

Yes. I lucked out and found a stud with a stud finder "approximately" where I wanted it. However, I bought a few wall anchors just in case. Each of the slide bar brackets has holes for three screws.

The factory shower head bracket was simply screwed into the tub surround and 1/4" paneling. I had to fill the holes from the factory bracket and hose holder with almond colored silicone sealant.

[No K or I]

How hard was it to flip the shower faucet upside down? I want to do the same thing. Seems ridiculous that Keystone mounted them so the hose attached on the top, creating a sharp downward bend and a hose that gets in the way.

[jbsmith]

Replacing the faucet was relatively easy. Ensure the water is off and that you have drained the faucet and removed the shower hose. On mine there are four screws holding the plastic mounting box to the surround. With the four screws removed, gently pull the mounting box from the surround, the clear silicon should separate easily. The water lines in our 331MKS are not very long, but had enough slack to pull a few inches out of the hole. Unscrew the PEX fittings from the faucet. On the back of the faucet you should see two plastic retaining nuts loosen to remove the faucet. After removing the faucet from the mounting box, I suggest cleaning the surface of the mounting box with alcohol and applying a bead of silicone caulk around the underside of the faucet. Flip the faucet and reinstall...reattaching the supply lines was the hardest part. You'll want to do a leak check BEFORE mounting the assembly. Insert the four screws and snug them to the surround, but do NOT overtighten or they will strip the thin plastic surround. Using a high quality 100% silicone caulk, seal around the mounting box but leave a small gap at the bottom to let any water that might (hopefully not) accumulate in mounting box. If you're messy with caulking, you can mask off the area with blue painters tape for a nice edge, just remove it before the caulk dries completely.

[No K or I]

Thanks jbsmith! Very detailed reply. Thank you. Not sure how I am going to like the faucet handles pointed down though.

[jbsmith]

I guess it depends on the faucet. The replacement model that I used is "on" with the handles up..."off" when horizontal. It seems more natural to me to push the handles down to turn off the water...and is more like my home faucet. YMMV

[dmullen]

I like it! here did you get the bracket that slides up and down on the bar? I'm wondering if my Oxygenics shower head can work the same way if I add the bar.

Never mind, found it on the Dura Faucet site...thanks for the link!

[Tdecoursey]

I would be interested in knowing how you take the sliding bar for the shower head off.

[jbsmith]

I would be interested in knowing how you take the sliding bar for the shower head off.

The top and bottom bracket has a cover that either slides or snaps over the mounting plate, I don’t recall exactly how. Regardless, the tube is captured between the two brackets when secured to the wall. Search Amazon for model DF-SA300CL-SN or ASIN B0090WRP6G. — jbs

[Weldon]

The top and bottom bracket has a cover that either slides or snaps over the mounting plate, I don’t recall exactly how. Regardless, the tube is captured between the two brackets when secured to the wall. Search Amazon for model DF-SA300CL-SN or ASIN B0090WRP6G. — jbs

I'm impressed that you replied to a question someone asked you 10.5 yes after you posted the thread! That may be a record...

[Mic]

I would be interested in knowing how you take the sliding bar for the shower head off.

should be an escutcheons at each end covering mounting screws

[bobbecky]

On our rig, it came with a slider bar. I did replace the screws with stainless steel screws because the non stainless ones started rusting which caused rust marks to drip don the wall. This is how the screws were accessed on ours:

[Mr. Crowley]

I'm impressed that you replied to a question someone asked you 10.5 yes after you posted the thread! That may be a record...

He replied only a couple hours later in the same day.

[lunge motorsport]

Swapping the cold valve stem to the hot and vice versa will correct the reversed rotation of the handles in a typical house hold faucet. This may hold true for this shower valve as well...The caveat would be if the stems use different bonnet thread rotation.
Good luck