Review on Speakman SM 1400 P BN Pressure Balance Diverter by Sandi Alexander

To replace the leaky internals and outdated exterior of the Speakman Sentinel Mark II (Sentinel Mark 2) we took a chance and created this valve and fairing Bought . In short, while it worked, the insides are not an identical replacement. The pad is plastic, although the main lever is metal. For the price I expect more metal. Overall, as long as it lasts, as long as this device is from the late 60's or early 70's I would give it 4 stars. Full version : I recently bought a house built in the mid 60's and had a leaking Spickman valve. The hot spot behind the plumbing wasn't enough to install a new valve and it wasn't very comfortable ripping the tile off the shower wall. I read on the Speakman website that the internals are the same design, but there were no detailed diagrams of how the new valves fit into the brass body. Obsessively comparing the image of this valve to the old one seemed to fit about the same design. and measurements. When removing the old valve from the wall, the mechanism for opening and closing the hot/cold air valves broke and the o-ring around the front and back of the valve deteriorated due to disuse. It is cheaper to buy a completely new item. When I see the 60's/70's and the new block side by side I can say they match, they are the same in more important ways but first the o-rings on the back. The new hot and cold valves are round, the old valve had rounded rectangular seats. As a precaution, I filled the recesses in the old brass body with paste, but it turned out that the round valves are only slightly smaller in diameter than the square ones, so they are quite well sealed. Another small but important difference, the scald protection on the upper arm is not the same mechanism on the new valve as on the old valve. As a result, they don't fit perfectly, but there is slight play in the connector, which is still a flattened (keyed) shank. Additional tile work was required to install this unit. Fortunately, unlike its older counterpart, the SM-1400-P comes with a large round plastic spacer with some foam rubber on either side to seal the pad to the wall without leaking. For grouting I'll cover with sealant. The bezel kit includes a plastic guide/template for correct hole size and orientation in the wall. This valve works well and the rosette feels solid despite the thick plastic. The anti-burn lever on top acts like a trick that always gets set at noon, but the old part had it, so I wanted to be consistent. in the locking coils accessible from the front with the decorative panel removed. Great feature for new installations. The old valves did not have this function. Other perfunctory criticism: Most bathroom fixtures and plumbing are chrome plated and shiny, stick with that if you don't already have a polished nickel. The polished nickel plastic edge of this item will show fingerprints. This is annoying because none of my devices show this behavior, but none of them get wet regularly either. There doesn't seem to be a way to align the Speakman logo like it does in the photo, it's just a little off level. despite shaft seal alignment as described. Oddly enough, the company name is on a rotating arm, so the name should be read at an angle when the device is turned on. Very picky, of course, but it seemed to me that this was an opportunity for design. Maybe the pipes in my old house aren't quite straight. This light's fun temperature images are well placed when the shower exit is on the left, but imagine you're entering the shower on the right and want to turn on the water to heat it up. before you go inside. The lever at least partially obscures the view of the temperature setting. The Sentinel Mark II was oriented in a different direction. Revain is amazing this part was broken and leaking not to mention the shut off valves so the water in the house had to be shut off. I ordered a replacement part with Prime delivery 2 days. There was a mix-up with the carrier and the package ended up between Tennessee and Illinois. Revane didn't want to wait 8 days for the part to be delivered and the next day they sent another crew by plane. It ended up taking 4 days to arrive and 2 different Revain representatives called but they got it right. This company is amazing. With such a small profit margin, they always do the right thing with their customers. For that alone, Revain should get five stars, but this is a product review, not a company review.