No, not a prostate problem. I have a shower that was installed about a year ago. The plumbing supplying the the shower is all new copper – all they way out to the main at the street. When turned all the way cold the shower has a strong flow of water. When turned halfway between Hot and Cold it has a very weak stream. To test it I pulled the shower head out and pointed it straight up towards the ceiling. With only cold water the shower shoots up about 3-1/2″. When turned halfway between cold and hot it shoot up about 12″-18″.
The shower has on of those pressure equalizing valves, I think they call them. Must be the valve, right? Anybody have experience with these valves going bad so quickly.
Shower fixtures are some fancy-smancy brand, European I think, purchased from Home Expo.
Thanks,
Mike K
Aurora, IL
Replies
I had the same problem. It was debris in the mixing valve (Grohe). I was able to take the valve out from inside the shower and clean it.
Mudslinger's got it,
you have a bit of saw dust in the intake to the hot behind the valve. Pull the valve core out and flush the line a little clean and re-install.
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
Some of the valves have screens, if so clean them. Some have little plastic backcheck valves where debris can get caught also.
Rich
Your headless test has different results than your head on test????????????
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
Though I live in a high hard water area, I have a softener. Even so, the pressure balancing unit seems to go every few years, due to calcium build up, I'm sure. Eventually I can't get hot water. Replacing the unit solves the probem. I soak the old ones in vinegar and they're ready to take the place of the clogged ones. Unit is a A/S Amaris. I've become very good at servicing it to the point of my plumber suggesting that I should avoid his labor and call costs by doing it myself. Not bad advice, since we've had consecutive below zero days and the attendent frozen pipes.
Thanks for the suggestions.Are pressure balancing valves now a code requirement? Seems like a maintenance issue I don't need.
Yes & no.
Any public shower must have them, but not private residences.
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
Bill, I cannot speak for certain on this as I am not a licensed plumber or inspector. B
But I believe and have been led to this belief by those who are licensed or inspectors that in Ore. it is code that the valve has to be a balancing valve. Maybe non-scald ?.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Some areas may require them, I thought this area did until a couple of years ago when I put in a two handled tub & shower valve & I asked the inspector & he told me only for "public".
I haven't recieved my 2006 code book yet so that might have changed as well.
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein