shower planning | terms to know

SHOWERING DEVICE 

A general name for any component that produces a spray— showerhead, handshower, rainshower or a set of body sprays.

TRIM

The visible, decorative parts of your shower—examples include handles,  escutcheons and shower arms in different styles and finishes.

MIXING VALVE 

The part of your shower system that connects to your hot and cold water supply lines. This valve lets you blend, or mix, hot and cold water to select your preferred temperature. It will either send water directly to a showering device or a secondary valve (a volume control or transfer valve) that, in turn, directs water flow. Moen® offers four mixing valves: Smart Shower Digital Valve, ExactTemp®, M-CORE® and Posi-Temp®.

TRANSFER VALVE

The part of your shower system that directs water from a mixing valve to two or three different showering devices. A transfer valve with independent functionality allows you to operate only one of the connected showering devices at a time. Transfer valves with shared functionality allow you to operate each showering device individually or any two at the same time.

VOLUME CONTROL VALVE 

This valve lets you turn water flow on/off and adjust the volume (amount) of water going to a single showering device. Every showering device paired with an ExactTemp thermostatic mixing valve will require its own volume control valve.

THERMOSTATIC

Maintains precise temperature by continually adjusting the incoming mix of hot and cold water.

PRESSURE - BALANCING

Designed to balance the ratio of incoming hot and cold water to maintain temperature when there is a water pressure change that could come from flushing a toilet or starting the dishwasher. Pressure-balancing mechanisms are safety devices that protect against extreme water temperature changes by maintaining temperature within ±3.6ºF (±2ºC).

Source: Moen 2024 Shower Planning Guide ENG