Help me convince my landlord there IS a problem with our shower.

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LLigetfa

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Ja, old fashioned single hose laundry hookups or Y adapters could be to blame if used improperly. Also, they sell aftermarket shutoffs that you place inline with the showerhead, the point being that the shower can be paused while lathering up. The better ones deliberately dribble a small amount through so that you don't use it as a long term off valve, leaving the hot and cold open for crossover.

It still is not clear if there is in fact a crossover. The OP's statements in that regard are contradictory. People can be pig-headed sometimes when they feel they are right and focus only on the "evidence" that support their assumptions. We don't get to hear the landlord's side of it.
 

hj

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The "hot tap" will ONLY deliver the maximum temperature from the water heater> YOU have to adjust it by adding cold water. IF the shower will NOT add cold water to reduce the temperature, the pressure balancing unit is inactive, and as stated many times previously, it needs to be replaced.
 

LLigetfa

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Trying to put the puzzle pieces together by reading between the lines... if in fact cold water is being blended in properly to reduce the temperature of the water, but it gets scalding hot when the toilet is flushed, then you most likely have a supply problem. A properly working anti-scald pressure balance spool should reduce the flow of hot water to compensate for the reduced flow of cold water. The anti-scald feature may or may not be present on the lavatory taps.

One way to at least reduce if not completely mitigate the problem of the toilet hogging all of the cold water, is to partially close the supply cock feeding the toilet. It will cause the toilet to fill more slowly, leaving more available flow for the other fixtures.
 

Koa

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One of the advantages of renting is that figuring these kind of things out is the landlord's responsibility. Inform the landlord in writing he needs to fix the scalding water from the cold tap immediately or you will have plumbers come in, figure it out and fix it and deduct it from your rent.

You should get a copy of your local landlord/tenant code and read it so you know what rights you have. It's also probably online.
 

greenteamochi

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I have one more question. Would any of the issues you guys presented here cause the water usage to go up? I am interested if we can tell anything by asking the landlord if water usage has increased recently.

Ja, old fashioned single hose laundry hookups or Y adapters could be to blame if used improperly. Also, they sell aftermarket shutoffs that you place inline with the showerhead, the point being that the shower can be paused while lathering up. The better ones deliberately dribble a small amount through so that you don't use it as a long term off valve, leaving the hot and cold open for crossover.

It still is not clear if there is in fact a crossover. The OP's statements in that regard are contradictory. People can be pig-headed sometimes when they feel they are right and focus only on the "evidence" that support their assumptions. We don't get to hear the landlord's side of it.

LOL I don't know why you would jump to that assumption. I'm clearly trying to figure out what the issue could be so that I can give him some tips if he decides to pursue it, which he isn't. His side of the story is "Mine does that too". That's it. When I asked "Recently though?" he said "no". My husband and I know this started happening recently however. Everything I've said is factual. I don't know anything about plumbing, but if it's contradictory then maybe there are more than one issue here. I have no idea. Believe me, the trouble this has caused is something I'd rather not deal with. Any further drama caused is unwanted.

One of the advantages of renting is that figuring these kind of things out is the landlord's responsibility. Inform the landlord in writing he needs to fix the scalding water from the cold tap immediately or you will have plumbers come in, figure it out and fix it and deduct it from your rent.

You should get a copy of your local landlord/tenant code and read it so you know what rights you have. It's also probably online.

Thanks for your advice koa. Some other emergency and long-term unresolved issues came up, so this is the least of my worries right now unfortunately. =( One day at a time is all I can do right now.
 

hj

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I don not know how to state this any plainer. IF THE SHOWER GOES FROM MODERATE TO HOT WHEN A TOILET IS FLUSHED, THE BALANCING SPOOL IN THE VALVE IS STUCK AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. Sink faucets WILL get scalding hot water if the water heater thermostat is turned too high, but there is NOTHING in the faucet to reduce the temperature, other than mixing cold water with it.
 
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