[newguy101]

Our upstairs shower has a hot water pressure issue. The issue is specific to hot water only (if I turn it all the way to cold, pressure is fine) and to the shower (the sink in that bathroom, as well as all of the other fixtures are fine).

Does this mean there is some sort of a blockage in the hot water line leading to the shower?

I have tried to do some googling, and came across someone else who had this issue, but their issue was for a 1930's house with corroded steel pipes. Our house was built in 1985.

Please help!!!

Andrew

 

[jmon]

It's more likely a problem with the shower valve cartdrige, as you say everything else is working fine. Easy fix. Do you know the brand.? Can you post a picture of the shower valve?

 

[jmon]

Sometimes sediment builds up in them and they need to be taken apart and cleaned. If that doesn't help, then the cartridge will need to be replaced.

 

[newguy101]

Phew I really hope you are right!!! From a little googling, that seems like a much easier fix.

Attached is a picture of the shower handle. Is the cartridge the same brand as the handle (Delta)?

 

[huesmann]

Has the shower always been this way, or did it become thus gradually? Do you have access to the supply valves—any chance you can just adjust those so the pressure at the shower handle is even?

 

[newguy101]

Has the shower always been this way, or did it become thus gradually? Do you have access to the supply valves—any chance you can just adjust those so the pressure at the shower handle is even?

No, it has not always been this way. We moved into the house 3 years ago. We started noticing the problem maybe a few months ago.

I do not have access to the supply valves for the shower.

 

[newguy101]

So I pulled out the old cartridge (RP212) and the springs and cap things (RP4993). Nothing appeared to be blocked, but just in case I ran to Lowe's and bought a new one and installed it. Unfortunately I still have the problem

Does that mean it's a blockage in the line?

 

[newguy101]

Just in case this makes things clearer, I've attached a picture of the cartridge and caps that I replaced, as well as a picture of the water lines coming into the valve.

 

[huesmann]

These look adjustable. Are they?

 

[newguy101]

These look adjustable. Are they?

Yes, they look adjustable to me, although I did not try to adjust them. Are those the supply valves that you mentioned in your earlier post? Sorry, I'm not very knowledgeable about this stuff. Should I open them more fully? I'm assuming that the more horizontally they are oriented, the more open they are?

 

[newguy101]

I'm bumping this thread because I'm still stuck... is the right thing to do to open up the hot water valve (I'm assuming it's a valve?) that huesmann circled in his post (post #9)?

 

[jmon]

Those are the hot and cold shut off valves for the shower. They look fully open, to verify this, turn them (ccw until they stop). Did you turn these off when you replaced the cartdrige??

another way you can check, turned them off (cw until stop), relieve any pressure, remove cartdrige, hold a bucket in front of valve and turn them on one at a time to see what kind of pressure you have for hot and cold.

If no pressure is in the hot water side and you used another hot water isolation valve somewhere else to shut the water off and it was the old gate valve style, that gate valve could be the problem.

 

[Chris616]

I think that the problem is the balancing spool. It is a device that balances the mix between hot and cold so that flushing the toilet doesn't scald the person taking a shower.

Detailed explanation here:
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/moentrol-3285-no-cold-water.8971/

Chris

 

[newguy101]

I did not use those valves when I replaced the cartridge. I used the shut off valve for the whole house. I will try messing with them tomorrow as you suggest. Thanks for the help!

 

[jmon]

Diagram. See item 19, screwdriver stop assembly.

Hope you get it figured out and fixed soon newguy.

 

[newguy101]

Diagram. See item 19, screwdriver stop assembly.

Hope you get it figured out and fixed soon newguy.

Thanks! Me too! Did you mean to attach a diagram?

 

[jmon]

Thanks! Me too! Did you mean to attach a diagram?

Just click on the link.


https://www.plumbingsupply.com/deltabathvalves.html

 

[ZTMAN]

A few things I would try, after you remove the cartridge flush the lines with the cartridge off.Any obstruction should get washed out.

Make sure you put a cup over the line so you don't get blasted.

Second, make sure you do not have the cartridge installed upside down.

Good luck

 

[TheEplumber]

I think that the problem is the balancing spool. It is a device that balances the mix between hot and cold so that flushing the toilet doesn't scald the person taking a shower.

Detailed explanation here:
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/moentrol-3285-no-cold-water.8971/

Chris

Seems how you have not touched the stops prior to the problem- or since the problem started, I'b be replacing or servicing the balancing spool like Chris suggested earlier.
It's located next to the cold screwdriver stop

 

[newguy101]

Solved. Thanks everyone for the help.

I first tried taking out the cartridge, and messing with the hot and cold shutoff valves to see if maybe the hot valve wasn't all the way turned on, or if turning it off and on would shake loose some sediment or something. This didn't seem to work. I got very little pressure from the hot side, and quite a bit from the cold side at first. Then suddenly I got almost no pressure (just a trickle) from the hot side.

I then pulled out the balancing spool. I expected to have a lot more trouble with this than I did, based on the very helpful experience detailed in the link that Chris616 posted in Post 13. However, it came out fairly easily. It also seemed to be very clean, and the inner core moved fairly easily within the spool. I then reached into the hole that the spool sits in, and did find one small piece of something that I couldn't identify. It was about the size of a fingernail clipping.

Anyways, I put it all back together, and now the hot water pressure is excellent. Thanks everyone for the help!! I'm pretty sure you can't get a plumber to come to your house where I live for less than $250, so you guys saved me at least that much (and probably more).