Shower

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Start here if you already know what piece you need. Shower heads come in fixed, rain, and recessed styles, handshowers mount on a hook, a bar, or pair with a fixed head, and exposed shower systems bring the valve and head together in one full visible-pipe setup. Not sure which valve you need instead? That's covered next.

Pressure Balance vs. Thermostatic vs. Diverter, in Plain Terms

These three get confused constantly, and picking the wrong one is a common renovation headache. A pressure balance valve keeps water temperature steady by balancing hot and cold pressure, it's the standard choice for most bathrooms and what most codes require for at least one control in the shower. A thermostatic valve goes a step further, letting you set and hold an exact temperature, usually the right call when you're running multiple outlets, a head and a handshower, at once. Volume control is different still, a separate handle that turns flow on and off to one outlet without touching temperature, useful when you're running two heads and want to control each independently. A diverter isn't a temperature control at all, it's what switches water flow between outlets, tub spout to shower head, for example, and if you're troubleshooting an existing setup rather than starting fresh, our full guide to diverter valves covers common issues and how to tell what you're actually dealing with.

If you're only running one outlet at a time, pressure balance is usually enough and the more common code requirement. If you want to run a handshower and rain head together, or want to set and hold an exact temperature, thermostatic is worth the upgrade. Still not sure which one fits your setup? Browse the full Shower Valves collection to compare everything in one place.