Shower valve

Topic: Shower valve (Read 1536 times) previous topic - next topic

Shower valve

February 19, 2011, 09:02:33 pm

Hey,
Just a quick question. Ever since buying our FT it has been very hard to adjust the temperature of the shower. It is hot or cold and very very hard to get it in a comfortable temp range. Is this a common or normal problem ?

Regards, Mark

Re: Shower valve

Reply #1 – February 19, 2011, 09:33:15 pm

Quote from: Mark Zettek – February 19, 2011, 09:02:33 pm

Ever since buying our FT it has been very hard to adjust the temperature of the shower. It is hot or cold and very very hard to get it in a comfortable temp range. Is this a common or normal problem ?

Not sure what brand shower faucet you have. I have a Moen that rotates about 270 degrees from off to the full hot position. It is not possible to regulate the flow of water, only adjust between hot and cold or shut it off. I turn it to full hot and wait for hot water, then back off slowly until the correct temperature is reached and note the handle position. I usually turn it off and on a few times while I am in the shower, by just turning the handle rapidly between off and the noted position. I think a feature of that shower control is that it is supposed to compensate automatically for changes in water temperature, not sure how well it does that. I have a Moen in my house that looks the same as in the coach, but works differently. The handle rotates 360 degrees and with handle pointing left hot and right cold. Pointing up or down is usually close to the correct temperature. The handle pulls out to turn on the water and regulate the flow, and I wish the coach was like that too. I believe that Moen has stopped making the type that is in the house.

Re: Shower valve

Reply #2 – February 19, 2011, 09:48:54 pm

Jerry,
Mine looks like a clear ball type that you pull up on it to tern on the pressure and then rotate it to the left or right to adjust the temp.

Mark

Like the handle in this picture but I dont know the brand.

Re: Shower valve

Reply #3 – February 20, 2011, 12:56:29 pm

We use a small ball valve at the base of the shower head to temporarily turn water off or adjust flow during a shower. We got ours from rv water filters, rv water regulators, rv water pumps, rv water softeners, rv.

Our Moen controller does a fair job of regulating the temperature.

Re: Shower valve

Reply #4 – February 20, 2011, 01:22:11 pm

Quote from: Mark Zettek – February 19, 2011, 09:48:54 pm

Jerry,
Mine looks like a clear ball type that you pull up on it to tern on the pressure and then rotate it to the left or right to adjust the temp.

Mark

Like the handle in this picture but I dont know the brand.

Mark,
If the shower has not been used often and/or used with hard water the inner temperature compensating mechanism can become sticky with mineral deposits. Removal of the center piece of the valve and a soaking in white vinegar will clear it up. I have repaired many of the Symmon temptrol compensating valves as described. If the inner portion is difficult to get off an impact wrench works great.
Good luck,

Re: Shower valve

Reply #5 – February 20, 2011, 02:53:45 pm

Thanks JD and Rick,
I will try and clean the valve and see if that does the trick.

Regards, Mark

Re: Shower valve

Reply #6 – February 20, 2011, 08:15:05 pm

This is from the Symmons "maintenance" section

Q: Why can I get only all hot or all cold water out of the Temptrol shower valve?
A:
The pressure-balancing piston housed in the spindle has become blocked from free movement by foreign matter. Open the valve to the halfway position, remove the handle and firmly tap end of spindle (TA-10) with a plastic or wooden hammer. If the problem is not solved, remove the spindle assembly (TA-10) from valve. Click here for disassembly instructions. After spindle assembly has been removed from valve, tap the handle end against a solid object to free the piston. Soaking the entire piston assembly in household vinegar will also help free the piston. If this does not solve the problem replace with a new TA-10 spindle.

Maintenance

You probably have Aqua-Hot but if not and you have an Atwood propane hot water heater, there is a temperature compensating valve mounted on the rear of the water heater and it is also vulnerable to the same issue. It is a real pain in the neck to get to as you will have to pull the water heater.

Re: Shower valve

Reply #7 – February 20, 2011, 09:31:59 pm

Last summer I installed a "whole house" reverse osmosis water system in our coach. The RO water will help to keep water valves clean. A water softener system will supply similar advantages, except for better taste.

Advantages are: Good tasting water from any faucet in the coach.
The RO water seems to remove scale and deposits from the components of the water system.
Our kitchen sink valve used to leak and quit leaking with use. Could be more frequent use, or could be the cleansing effect of the water.
I pulled the drain plug on the water heater and saw no foreign material escape through the drain.
The system automatically stops filling when the fresh water tank is full.

Negative aspects are: It is a more complex system that includes several filters.
Filling is a slow process. It can take several hours to fill the fresh water tank.
We always use water from the fresh water tank, and all house water is supplied via the water pump. Our water pump is noisy, but that does remind us to conserve water.
To add 50 gallons of filtered water to the fresh water tank, we must also dispose of about 50 gallons of water that contains the waste water from the filtering process. At home, we dump it on the ground. At an RV park, we send it down the sewer drain.

Re: Shower valve

Reply #8 – February 21, 2011, 09:08:38 am

Hi Have the same problem in my 02 U320. Another item to consider if you have an AquaHot is the water tempering valve in the AquaHot. Mine cycled hot to cold to hot. Sometimes just exercising the valve to its extreme positions and then resetting helps. Before you this make sure you know its original position. Don't scald yourself. Lotsa luck!

Re: Shower valve

Reply #9 – February 21, 2011, 08:38:54 pm

I pulled my valve out today. It looks like a Delta design. It has two spring loaded seals and a few o-rings. No anti-scald valve at all. I guess the sensitivity is due to the high temp of the hot water in the coach. It just makes it hard to fine tune the water temperature. I guess I will have to live with it.

Thanks, Mark

Re: Shower valve

Reply #10 – February 23, 2011, 01:03:17 pm

After dewinterizing found that almost no water was getting through the hose to the shower head. Problem turned out to be sediment in the vacuum breaker at the base of the shower hose. Before finding the cause of the problem though I tried to remove the cartridge. It would not budge after removing the retaining clip, replacing the handle and pulling. Bought Moen's cartridge removal tool ($30) but never opened the bubble pack, so I was able to return it. I did find out from the plumbing supply that Moen has a lifetime warranty on the cartridge ($48). Don't know what caused me to remove the vacuum breaker just as I was ready to pull the cartridge, but I'm glad I did.

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Shower valve

February 19, 2011, 09:02:33 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #1 – February 19, 2011, 09:33:15 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #2 – February 19, 2011, 09:48:54 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #3 – February 20, 2011, 12:56:29 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #4 – February 20, 2011, 01:22:11 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #5 – February 20, 2011, 02:53:45 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #6 – February 20, 2011, 08:15:05 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #7 – February 20, 2011, 09:31:59 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #8 – February 21, 2011, 09:08:38 am

Re: Shower valve

Reply #9 – February 21, 2011, 08:38:54 pm

Re: Shower valve

Reply #10 – February 23, 2011, 01:03:17 pm

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