hansgrohe Ecostat Modern Thermostatic Shower Valve Trim with Temperature Control and Diverter in Chrome, 04231000

This is the coolest thing we've added to our house in years. Our old shower hardware had separate hot and cold faucets. First the water would be cold, then it would be really hot, then we'd regulate it to the right temperature. But then as the cold water reached the house from the street, it would be cold again. The first five minutes of every shower was just trying to keep from being chilled or scalded. Now we just flip the switch and Mr. Hansgrohe regulates the temperature -- and does a much better job than we ever did. It takes 15 seconds for the shower to reach the right temp and then it just stays there. If someone flushes the toilet or runs water in the sink, the shower just adjusts. A lot of new showers use a technology called pressure-balancing which evens out the hot and cold extremes. But this faucet uses a better technology that actually has a mechanical thermostat imbedded in the diverter valve. The more advanced technology can be really expensive -- some brands and some Hansgrohe models can be $600-$900. This one is very reasonably priced but the the quality is extremely good. Controls are very simple and intuitive. The top lever goes clockwise 1/4 turn to turn on the shower. The bottom lever sets the temperature. My wife likes it a little hotter than I do, so when I get in the shower I just shift the lever a little bit clockwise, and when she gets in she does the opposite.

Thermostatic shower should be the modern standard for all shower trims because they actually control the water temperature and keep it consistent throughout the duration of your shower. In addition, it is very simple to use: the bottom knob sets the temperature, and the top knob control volume with integral diverter (controls where the water is coming from)—turn it left and water comes from the tub spout, turn it right and it diverts it to the shower head. It is very elegant and minimalist. The temperature always stays within one degree, as opposed to a pressure-balance valve which has a range of three degrees. A thermostatic shower valve also has temperature memory, so you can leave it at your preference and never fiddle with it again. Also, having the volume control separate from the temperature control is a huge luxury with only a marginally higher cost. And sure, a pressure-balance valve usually much cheaper than their thermostatic counterparts, however, if a contractor is only selling pressure-balance trims, seek a better one. My one caveat I have is that the pressure only changes in a very narrow margin at the beginning, maybe the first 1/10 of a turn, and reaches full pressure after that. It is still easy to control though.

Just read the manual on how to use and your great

Thermostatic shower valves rock. And this one is quite nice. Be sure to buy the Universal Box that it installs into. And be sure to read every page of the instructions before installing, because one optional step (making it possible to have the overhead shower and hand shower operate simultaneously) is out of order -- it's placed after the "you're finished" page. That's dumb, I had to have my handyman take the knob off again to perform the optional step (5 mins. wasted, no big deal), but everything else is great. It has detents at the 9:00, 12:00 and 3:00 positions, and at the 6:00 position if you enable the above simultaneous dual shower operation. If you use a plumber or handyman, be sure to test all desired operations and settings before s/he leaves.

This is a beautiful product. The whole assemble is beautifully engineered. However it works opposite what you would expect for hot to cold But we are now use to it and love the temperature controls and no we did not reverse the input lines as we called the company to confirm