[homiefb]

Hey guys,
I got the standard shower knob setup, hot on the left, shower in the middle, and cold on the right. When the hot is turned on, it has to be turned a few times before the water actually comes out and then it seems like it doesn't have much pressure after a few more turns.

On the other hand, with the cold water it is kind of the opposite. I barely turn it on and the water is coming out faster and with more pressure.

It seems like the knobs are not calibrated or something. Any help would be extremely appreciated because plumbing, faucets is not my thing.

Thanks

homie

 

[gregzoll]

Crud and minerals clogging the hot water valve, is why you are getting lower flow on that side.

 

[Alan]

It might even be that your washer has come loose from your stem and is stuck against the seat. You'll have to turn off the water to the house and take apart the hot side valve to figure out what's going on.

 

[homiefb]

Thanks guys for all your help and input. I went ahead and replaced the seat and flat washer on both the hot and cold sides. It stopped a leak that had started right after I had made this post. Every thing seems to be working very well.
With a new seat and washer, the cold knob turns much better than before. It is not very hard to turn since the washer is the right size. I still do notice that I have lower flow on the hot side compared to the cold side. Now I just want to ask, should my next step is to replace the hot water valve? Now that is the part that I took off earlier to replace the washer on right?

homie

 

[Alan]

I suppose that depends on how much lower the flow is on the hot side.


You may have decreased flow if you only have a 1/2" line feeding the hot line throughout the entire house (this is common in older homes) Could even be a partially kinked piece of soft copper, or even a partial blockage if you have some galvanized somewhere that is closing up.