Water Flow At Both Faucet & Shower Head

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jerryb437

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Looking for a simple fix that may not exist, but here it goes anyway. Got a typical shower & faucet setup. Pull knob on the faucet. I hear people talk about having water flow at the faucet when in shower mode, but I'm having the reverse problem. When in faucet mode, I have water flow coming through the shower head. Thus, a wet head when tring to run water in the tub. I've installed a simple in-line cuttoff at the shower stem to choke off some of the water flow to no avail. Changing shower heads hasn't worked. Is there something else I can try, maybe a pressure valve at the stem instead of a cuttoff??
 

LLigetfa

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Odd that the in-line shut-off didn't work. Must be faulty. They are designed to be able to turn the shower on and off without messing with the temperature adjustment.

Generally how a diverter works is the piping to the shower is always open and simply choking off the tub spout creates enough pressure for the water to overcome gravity and take the alternate route. There could be some constriction in the tub spout or the diverter is not full open. I would start by removing the tub spout and see how well it flows out the stub pipe.

I wonder if someone didn't install the rough-in valve body upside down. Often, the shower outlet will have a smaller port than the tub spout outlet.
 
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Jimbo

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The take off to the tub may be improper. If pex or cpvc was used, you will have that problem. Also, if the house pressure is in excess of 80, it can also cause your symptoms.

delta-tub-spout-install.jpg
 
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hj

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The shower arm valves are usually designed so they do NOT turn off completely. That is so you cannot use it to turn the water on and off creating a hot/cold crossover in the faucet which would still be turned on. A plastic line to the spout, excessive copper tubing and fittings between the valve and the spout, or an inverted valve are the most likely causes. I have NEVER seen it happen because of excessive pressure, although I suppose it could under EXTREME high pressure.
 
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jerryb437

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I'll be tearing the wall out today so I'll let know. Could very well be a bad install on the rough-in.
Thanks Everbody
 

Terry

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It could also be an upside down valve. Make sure if it's marked for Shower, that it's pointed the right way.

The size of pipe to the tub spout needs to be full size, no PEX there.

k-304-r02.jpg
 
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Hillariusnguyen

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Odd that the in-line shut-off didn't work. Must be faulty. They are designed to be able to turn the shower on and off without messing with the temperature adjustment.

Generally how a diverter works is the piping to the shower is always open and simply choking off the tub spout creates enough pressure for the water to overcome gravity and take the alternate route. There could be some constriction in the tub spout or the diverter is not full open. I would start by removing the tub spout and see how well it flows out the stub pipe.

I wonder if someone didn't install the rough-in valve body upside down. Often, the shower outlet will have a smaller port than the tub spout outlet
 
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Hillariusnguyen

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It could also be an upside down valve. Make sure if it's marked for Shower, that it's pointed the right way.

The size of pipe to the tub spout needs to be full size, no PEX there.

What will be the result if a K304 is installed upside down?
Can it be reused?
 

Hillariusnguyen

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Looking for a simple fix that may not exist, but here it goes anyway. Got a typical shower & faucet setup. Pull knob on the faucet. I hear people talk about having water flow at the faucet when in shower mode, but I'm having the reverse problem. When in faucet mode, I have water flow coming through the shower head. Thus, a wet head when tring to run water in the tub. I've installed a simple in-line cuttoff at the shower stem to choke off some of the water flow to no avail. Changing shower heads hasn't worked. Is there something else I can try, maybe a pressure valve at the stem instead of a cuttoff??
I am having the same problem right now.
 
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