Poor flow out of bathtub/shower faucet

Users who are viewing this thread

bezoar

New Member
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Seattle, WA
I went to take a shower today (combo bathtub/shower with Moen Positemp valve single handle) and just a trickle came out the bathtub spout when turned on. Shower wouldn't even come on when I pulled the diverter. I replaced the Moen 1222 cartridge but it made no difference, still lousy flow. Hot or cold makes no difference. I pulled the cartridge out and ran the water without it and water sprayed all over the bathtub, so it seems the pipes aren't the problem. I cleaned out the shower head too but that didn't help. Do I need to have a plumber replace the valve? Unfortunately its Saturday night and we only have one shower. Any thing I can do to investigate the problem further? Thanks.
 

bezoar

New Member
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Seattle, WA
On further exam I'm not getting any hot water. Just a cold trickle if the handle is set for hot or cold.
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,771
Reaction score
1,191
Points
113
Location
New England
I'm not familiar with the exact workings of that valve, but it sounds like the spool valve (the thing that provides the pressure balance, anti-scald function) is stuck. On some, it is in the cartridge, on others, it is a separate, replaceable valve. If it was in the cartridge, replacing it should have fixed the problem. Since it didn't, I'm guessing, it is a separate valve. One of the pros would know, but you should be able to look online for the parts breakdown for your specific valve (it would be nice if you still had the documentation that came with it, but that seems to get tossed most of the time!). ALso, keep in mind that if both supplies aren't on, what you saw is normal...both the hot AND cold must be on for that kind of valve to work properly.
 

bezoar

New Member
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Seattle, WA
We bought the house 2 years ago and the shower has been working fine until now. Its a 40's home but at some point the piping was replaced with copper. Not sure how old the valve is. I suppose the hot supply could be blocked somewhere but it was hard to tell when the cartridge was out as the water was coming out so fast and spraying everywhere. The sink in the bathroom is still working fine though as is the hot water in the rest of the house.
 

bezoar

New Member
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Seattle, WA
This morning there is no flow with the cartridge out, so I'm guessing my pipes are frozen. Its been unusually cold here in Seattle (teens at night, 30 during day). The sink and toilet still work so it has to be inside the wall. I can see the feeder pipes to that bathroom from the attic and they appear OK, the hot water pipe is even lukewarm. The pipes run in an exterior wall and this house has no insulation. Would a portable heater to warm up the bathroom be effective or do you have to open up a wall to thaw the pipes? Why does this stuff always happen on the weekends?
 

bezoar

New Member
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Seattle, WA
Pipes were indeed frozen. Cranked the heat up and the used the portable heater in the bathroom and the water just came back on, both hot and cold at full pressure. Hopefully none of the pipes cracked but I guess I'll find that out eventually.
 

MikeQ

Member
Messages
101
Reaction score
1
Points
16
Location
Washington
Pipes were indeed frozen. Cranked the heat up and the used the portable heater in the bathroom and the water just came back on, both hot and cold at full pressure. Hopefully none of the pipes cracked but I guess I'll find that out eventually.

Good news for the homeowner, bad news for the pros, LOL!
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks