Four plumbers haven't been able to solve. Help!

[DesperateHomeowner]

I'm getting hot water everywhere in the house but the master bedroom shower. Cold water works fine. The cartridge has been replaced. The water stops have been taken out and examined. One guy even took the valve body apart, inspected it and found no problems.

Any thoughts? I've spent a lot of money on plumbers and I am getting really desperate. The most recent plumber thinks there could be a clog in the PEX and is coming back tomorrow to try to blow out the line.

See picture attached.

Please help me. I can't believe this has puzzled everyone who looked at it.

 

[hj]

Do you not get ANY WATER on the hot side, or is it just NOT HOT?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[DesperateHomeowner]

Do you not get ANY WATER on the hot side, or is it just NOT HOT?

Thanks for the quick response. A trickle is coming out. The cold side blows out with tremendous force.

 

[Plumber69]

Would of been my first thought, can you cut and access panel in the back. Im assuming you mean with the hot side stop out there is no hot water coming out.

 

[Plumber69]

Would of been my first thought, can you cut and access panel in the back. Im assuming you mean with the hot side stop out there is no hot water coming out.

hot water coming out the stop with the stop removed

 

[DesperateHomeowner]

When the screw stop on the left (hot) is removed, hot water comes out of that hole (where the screw was) according to one of the plumbers.

 

[Plumber69]

When the screw stop on the left (hot) is removed, hot water comes out of that hole (where the screw was) according to one of the plumbers.

You explain it so much better then me.. It sounds like he gets a trickle. If he has pex, could be plugged with something. Why 3 plumbers couldn't figure it out?

 

[DesperateHomeowner]

So you think the plumber I have now (who is coming back today to blow out the line) is on the right track?

 

[Plumber69]

shut valve off at hwt, take hot shower stop off. Open lowest hot feed. Should hear it suck. May need 2 people

 

[Plumber69]

message me

 

[hj]

The problem is in the balancing spool under the hex head to the right.

 

[DesperateHomeowner]

First, thanks to everyone for all of your very helpful comments. This plumber (contradicting Thursday's plumber) says no water is coming through when the hot shower stop is removed. Therefore, he says it could not be the balancing spool. Does that sound right? He still believes there must be a clog in the PEX somewhere.

 

[Reach4]

just a thought for troubleshooting...

If there was some method to measure the expansion of the pex as it was pressurized, you could estimate the pressure. Drop the water pressure to zero. Note circumference or diameter. Pressurize the system. Note expansion. If no significant expansion, the blockage is before that point of measurement.

Would a digital caliper be sensitive enough? I don't know. Maybe I will test this out some day.

Of course this would not help if the pipe is hidden.

 

[OLD TIMER]

This is not complicated if your plumber knows how to use the process of elimination.

 

[DesperateHomeowner]

Old timer. I agree. Just like there are good doctors and bad doctors (and it is hard for the public to know the difference), there are good plumbers and bad plumbers. For someone like me, calling from the phone book, it is hard to know who is good and who is bad. I've apparently been cursed with four bad ones.

 

[DesperateHomeowner]

By the way, can anyone identify the valve body's manufacturer? I'm pretty sure it is Moen but I didn't build the house so I'm not sure. I assume we'll need to know that if the balancing spool (or any other parts) needs to be replaced.

 

[hj]

Delta scald-guard

 

[WorthFlorida]

Is this a new install or several years old when the problem started? Has anyone removed the cartridge and with the cold water shut off closed and the hot shutoff opened? If water doesn't blowout from the hot side then there is a block before the valve body. Is this all PEX and any copper sweat fittings? Are the the PEX couplings plastic or brass?

 

[DesperateHomeowner]

Problem solved. Thanks for all of your help. Apparently, according to the guy who fixed it, one of the plumbers got insulation in the pipe while putting in a new water heater in the attic. The insulation caused a clog.

 

[Terry]

Problem solved. Thanks for all of your help. Apparently, according to the guy who fixed it, one of the plumbers got insulation in the pipe while putting in a new water heater in the attic. The insulation caused a clog.

I followed a plumber that poked out the foam insulation with the copper line filling it with foam and then soldering it into a new tub valve. Same result. I had to cut and back flush the line.