Q: My wife and I plan some aging-in-place changes to our home. One big upgrade in the bathroom will be a walk-in shower stall with grab bars and hand shower. Any other shower ideas we can add?
A: When removing a standard bathtub to install a walk-in shower, a new mixing valve usually needs to be roughed in, as well.
If you want to be trendy and pick up some additional aging-in-place, or AIP, features, check out the new digital electronic shower mixing valves. These push-button temperature control valves feature large LCD display screens along with built-in diverter controls.
Aside from easy fingertip operation, other AIP features can include high-temp limits, a pause feature and a second control option outside the shower stall. Eco-mode setups are also available for multi-zone showers.
Ed Del Grande: eadelg@cs.com. Ed Del Grande is a master plumber and contractor and is the author of the book “Ed Del Grande’s House Call.”