Is the HL-40 type cartridge shower faucet really reversible? How exactly?

[Brucebc]

Hi! I've seen this type of pressure balance shower cartridge discussed on these forums a few times, and more than once someone has mentioned that they are reversible. I'd love for this to be true but can't see how.

I have a shower (signature hardware) that comes on hot first and then goes cold, and this setup really confuses the tankless water heater which does not fire and stay fired reliably. I will go under the house and reverse the lines if I have to, but first I'd prefer to reverse the cartridge if this is possible. But the cartridge and the valve seat are asymmetrical, so it can't be just turned over like kohler, delta etc.

Does it need to be disassembled to reverse it? Or is it just not reversible? Thanks!

 

[Terry]

Do you have a faucet model number that we can look up?
Any pictures?

Her are the instructions for some of that brand.

4 Back to back installation

If the hot and cold inlets are reversed (hot on right and cold on left), remove the screw, inverter, sleeve, and bonnet from the valve body (D) with reversed supply connections. Rotate cartridge 180°, so H appear on the right. Install the cartridge making sure that the key is fully engaged with the slot in the valve body (D). Slide bonnet over the cartridge and thread onto the body. Hand tighten securely. Reassemble sleeve, inverter and screw. If you are not making a reverse or back to back installation, skip the step, continue with the step 5.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Brucebc]

Terry, thank you for this info! All the hardware is Signature. My valve looks like this one: https://www.signaturehardware.com/pressure-balance-tub-and-shower-rough-in-valve.html and has this cartridge https://www.ceramiccartridge-tw.com/product-JH02BJ-JH02BJ.html in it.

My question is: since the valve's seat and the cartridge are asymmetrical, I can't turn the cartridge upside down, so if hot and cold are reversible, maybe I have to somehow disassemble the vale and swap parts around or something? I couldn't find anything online about that yet....

 

[Terry]

I would at least try it to see if their instructions are correct.

 

[Brucebc]

If the instructions are saying just unseat the cartridge, rotate 180deg, reseat? Not that I can see. This really looks to me like a setup designed to only work one way. See attached. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Terry]

The blue seal stays on the cartridge.
I'm betting it will reverse. Most plumbers will reverse the second back to back rough, and then flip the cartridge when they trim out the faucet.
I'm betting coffee on this.

 

[Brucebc]

I really appreciate your helping me think through this. Thanks for the tip on the seal, I'll pry it out. Is there any other way to accomplish reverse cold and hot besides rotating the cartridge?

Because the double D is offset up and down, and the locating tabs and their holes are only on the top:

 

[Terry]

It either fits or it doesn't fit. There is room for the part that seals to move up and down.

 

[Brucebc]

You must have developed deep zen working these forums

I finally clicked on what you were trying to get me to understand: that there is no seat in valve body, the blue gasket is just stuck to a flat surface, and if I peel it off, stick it back in the cartridge, and flip it, there should be plenty of room in the valve body design.

I took it all apart again and of course it was just like you said. And now, water heater works right for the first time in who knows how long (just bought the place and they said it was messed up; got a plumbing estimate of a couple hundred bucks, for what with your help was under two mins of work).

Thanks for the patience and guidance!