Should I remove an old mixing valve during a renovation?
Old mixing valves take up valuable space and complicate plumbing layouts, leaving renovators unsure whether to cap them off and switch to a direct single supply or simply leave them in place. Tackling this removal requires altering copper pipes and handling dual-to-single outlet conversions, which makes homeowners weigh the effort of a DIY fix against the risk of future leaks.
Core Friction Pattern
Analysis of 2 peer accounts across online developer and community forums reveals that “Should I remove an old mixing valve during a renovation?” repeatedly surfaces due to edge-case mismatches between standard defaults and real-world environments. Standard troubleshooting frequently falls short, compelling practitioners to develop custom workarounds.
+3 alternative community-tested workarounds cataloged below.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Should I remove an old mixing valve during a renovation?
- 1leaving the old valve in placeDid this help you?
- 2having a plumber remove the valve and hook up straight cold waterDid this help you?
- 3Leaving the tempering valve in placeDid this help you?
- 4Checking if it feeds other fixtures like the bathtubDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am renovating this bathroom so toilet is out, and we have to patch drywall elsewhere anyway. Would you recommend having the valve removed at this point and just hooking up straight cold? Or just leaving it alone and assume it'll continue to be fine?”source ↗
“Is this something that can be removed? It takes up a lot of room under the vanity.”source ↗
“Can this be a DIY job? Is it possible to remove it, switch the valves from dual outlet back to single outlet (for the sink), and then put a stopper on the copper outlet pipe?”source ↗
Where this came up
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