GROHE 35601000 Rapido Smartbox Universal Rough-In Box, Starlight Chrome

I love, love, love the finished product using these valve boxes. These boxes permit very good water rate of flow and a wide variety of install options in terms of how many fixtures attached. The boxes themselves were pretty straightforward to install....I had to get them set up for my plumber but once he got the idea it was easy...just plug the ports you don't need and that's about it. Only word of caution is the the valve assemblies and covers are very pricey. Wow...yes. But they work fantastic. Temperature control is spot-on-perfect and so easy to use. I have them set up with two functions, hand sprayer and rain shower head. You can use both or either independently...works so well. So no regrets, but make sure you price the contraption you'll be putting inside this box before you get them.

Love this type of water mixer. Pressure is good

This is a review of Grohe 35601000 Rapido Smartbox Universal Rough-In Box I am installing this shower control unit in my housekeeper’s bathroom (Figure-1). It is the GROHE 24110000 Grohtherm Single Function 2-Handle Thermostatic Trim, Starlight Chrome. In order to do that, I needed the corresponding rough-in box. This particular model works with several models of Grohe shower controls. Note: Unless you have some plumbing experience, and the right tools, I would recommend having a professional plumber install it for you. The Unit (Figure-2) The unit itself has: • 3 outlets 1/2-inch female • 2 inlets 1/2-inch female, for hot/cold water supply It fits into a hole with a diameter about 5.5 inches (13.9cm) Once the unit is through the wall, and properly mounted, you can attach the input water lines, and up to three output devices. The unit can be mounted on solid and dry walls (Figure-3). As you can see, I had to remove the drywall in her closet to get to the plumbing. I plan on installing a door there for easier access. I then cut an access hole into the shower, poked the unit through, and mounted it to the back with a piece of particle board. I have roughed-in the plumbing, but have not yet connected it In this image, you can see the unit coming into the shower (Figure-4). Okay, it looks pretty messy; however, the type of shower construction used on this old shower made it almost impossible to cut a perfectly round hole without damaging the surrounding tiles. The good news is that this rough-in box is very versatile and forgiving. Once I do of bit of retiling, and add the trim piece, you will never know. And, that is this end of this review, because it is all about the rough-in box; not the shower controls. But I will say this… It is designed in an almost intuitive way, and very well built. I take my hat off to the designers at Grohe. FYI: On the seller’s page is an excellent video on this product and its installation. Happy Plumbing.

It has to be installed Juuuust right. It takes awhile for adjustments in temperatures to actually reach the spray handle or tub filler. It’s nice to be able to stick out a toe and turn off the water by pushing a button. The individual buttons twist to adjust the flow rate, the large temperature adjuster is simple to twist but once you adjust the temperature be prepared to wait a minute or two for your adjustment to actually affect what’s coming out of the tub filler or the shower handle.

Installation is pretty straightforward and not very difficult. All that's needed are some wood screws to mount the box and 1/2" NPT adapters. In my case, I used PEX tubing adapters. Before you mount it, make sure you have your tile and wall board selected and measured. There is just over an inch of error when you mount it for where it needs to protrude beyond the finished wall. Once you have that, just screw in the adapters with some thread sealant, connect the plumbing, screw the box in, and turn on the water to check for leaks. After that, turn the water off and install the service stops to prevent your hot and cold from mixing if you're doing a remodel. Next, once the waterproofing on the wall is finished, it includes a membrane that you can thin set around this rough-in box. I'm really excited about Grohe's thermostatic shower control valve. It'll be a nice improvement over the track home quality products in the rest of the house.

I decided to go Grohe on my second bath remodel, my first one was Hansgrohe. Grohe seems to be way more sturdier and easier to install. Also, Hansgrohe unlike Grohe requires 3/4"NPT which is a slight pain especially when you have to transition to 1/2" PEX. German engineering in both cases is the top notch.

This rough-in box is needed if you are going to use a Grohe Grohtherm shower valve trim. It is physically larger than similar rough-in boxes from competing brands, so locating it between studs can be more of a challenge. But is fairly easy to install - once you figure out the installation instructions! It works well and I would have given it 5 stars if not for two things: it should come with integrated stops (they are optional to purchase to install in the trims), and the REALLY poor installation instructions. Like many European products the instructions are a series of diagrams with no text. And some of the diagrams are difficult to figure out. Grohe has on-line installation videos, but with no narration - similar problem. This resulted in me having to call Grohe tech support. Really annoying. But after you have installed one and learned the subtleties, subsequent ones should be easy.

It's perfect n work great

Good price for a quality product, with lots of instructions. We still had to watch the youtube video though.

super easy to install once you understand it they have instructions and videos on installing and works perfectly .

The valves that go into this smartbox are expensive, but AWESOME. This review is about the rough-in itself though, so here we go: Install brass threaded connections x5 for up to three outputs (you'll pick how many when you purchase the valve assembly). The assembly is adjustable to fit into multiple types of rough-in framing that you might put in. Your best bet is to make sure that this box is right in the middle between 2 studs. I used a piece of half-inch plywood to mount it to and attached that to the framing. Next is to sweat some copper onto a male thread that you will screw into the valve. Bring your supply lines down in such a way that they can be connected and soldered together with one final joint near the valve (but not too close). This box doesn't have any integrated shutoffs without disassembling the valve (that's a BIG minus in certain use cases), but I have a closet right behind my shower so added a shutoff in the ceiling of the closet. You need to make sure that the tile/shower wall is cut very carefully because there is not the wiggle room that you get with more traditional rough-ins, but that's fine. Pros: - Flexibility in where/how to mount this for new construction - Threaded connection makes the soldering job easier for both pro & diy installers - Works for up to three outlets simultaneously - Pretty well documented for how to set up (see cons though) Cons: - Grohe obviously didn't want to get a manual translated into multiple languages so they have a no-audio installation instruction video. This is super easy to follow - UNLESS and UNTIL you get stuck, then you have no other way to figure out how to make this thing work and will have to try your luck with phone support (I can't attest to how well their phone support works - I didn't need it) - This is a poor choice for a retrofit. Most brass rough in valves will be located very close to a stud and this simply won't be able to be shoe-horned into a tight space. You cannot solder directly to the unit, only mpt fittings work - The valve assemblies that connect to this are brilliant (but they are pricey and complicated in their own rights - make sure you do your homework to know the total cost) - Lack of shutoffs in the unit means that your code may either not permit the use of this valve or you'll have to add your own shutoff upstream or be satisfied with removing the valve and replacing the plugs in the supply inlet (I don't see this as a big con, but then, my local bldg code doesn't require a shutoff for a shower, that's a nice to have and my design easily accommodated a separate valve in the ceiling.) Overall, I found this to be a pretty easy product to work with on new construction and the finished product is more than worth any minor additional hassle related to the tolerance with the tiling and the 500-piece thermostatic valve assemblies (I'm exaggerating on # of pieces, but only slightly). I would absolutely not recommend it for a retrofit or bathroom refresh where framing cannot be moved. I wish I had used this for the master bath reno I completed before putting this in the basement shower.

A quality product by Grohe. Provide flexibility for your shower design. Arrived quickly.

This is a top drawer product. Easy to use. Extremely robust. Once installed, you are extremely confident in the life of this valve and the Grohe faucet.