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.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1leaving the old valve in place
- 2having a plumber remove the valve and hook up straight cold water
- 3Leaving the tempering valve in place
- 4Checking if it feeds other fixtures like the bathtub
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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