Plumbers of the world

[dtclones]

For all you plumbers out there, I have a question. I have two showers in my house that I bought about two months ago. The one upstairs works just fine, no problems. The one in the finished area of my basement, however, doesn't ever get hotter than medium luke warm. You can take a shower in it and not freeze to death, but it's definitely now billowing with steam. I wouldn't think it's a problem with the water heater since every other sink/shower seems to get hot just fine. Can anyone give me a suggestion on how to take care of the situation? Is it just a matter of turning a valve or something or am I going to need to call someone?

 

[CykoAGR]

If the water in the rest of the house gets hot is not your water heater.

Did you install the shower yourself? If so could you have restricted the flow of the hot water somehow, perhaps a partially plugged pipe? It could be the mixer (area that determines the hot/cold water ratio with a single knob) is either not working correctly or is plugged etc. if you can I would take it apart and see what the deal is. As long as you feel comfortable soldering it back together its not a big deal. Plus it doesnt sound like you really have a lot to lose if you are not happy with the current temp.

If you had someone else do the install I would just call them to see if they will come out for free.

 

[dtclones]

If the water in the rest of the house gets hot is not your water heater.

Did you install the shower yourself? If so could you have restricted the flow of the hot water somehow, perhaps a partially plugged pipe? It could be the mixer (area that determines the hot/cold water ratio with a single knob) is either not working correctly or is plugged etc. if you can I would take it apart and see what the deal is. As long as you feel comfortable soldering it back together its not a big deal. Plus it doesnt sound like you really have a lot to lose if you are not happy with the current temp.

If you had someone else do the install I would just call them to see if they will come out for free.

No, I didn't do any of the work myself but I suspect the previous owner did a lot of the finishing in the basement himself. That would explain the less than professional flaws including the luke warm shower and a few other small things.

I had the same thought that it was some sort of a mixing valve malfunctioning. I'll take a look when I get home. Thanks for the input.

 

[CO4Cy]

If the shower is a long distance away from the rest of the hot water piping then you may be loosing that much heat in the long run of piping. Is the piping insulated? That may also impact the temperature of the water.

If it is the distance issue then the only solution is to add a recirc line and a small pump.

 

[dtclones]

If the shower is a long distance away from the rest of the hot water piping then you may be loosing that much heat in the long run of piping. Is the piping insulated? That may also impact the temperature of the water.

If it is the distance issue then the only solution is to add a recirc line and a small pump.

I kind of doubt that's the problem because the shower is all of about 15-20 feet away from the water heater. I realize that doesn't mean there's only 15-20 feet of pipe in between them but I'm pretty sure it's not much more than that. Plus my house isn't very big so there isn't much piping to begin with. Not sure about the insulation but that's something to check.

 

[CO4Cy]

I kind of doubt that's the problem because the shower is all of about 15-20 feet away from the water heater. I realize that doesn't mean there's only 15-20 feet of pipe in between them but I'm pretty sure it's not much more than that. Plus my house isn't very big so there isn't much piping to begin with. Not sure about the insulation but that's something to check.

In that case then looks like the shower valve. You can buy rebuild kits for the mixing valves so you dont have to totally replace them, FYI.

 

[bos]

Unite! Oh wait.

 

[dtclones]

In that case then looks like the shower valve. You can buy rebuild kits for the mixing valves so you dont have to totally replace them, FYI.

Alright then. Sounds like I have my first handyman task as a home owner.

 

[Wallruss64]

Is it a 1 handle or 2 handle. If its a 1 handle you probably just have the regulator in the wrong spot. Take the handle off with a hex wrench and check for a piece of moveable plastic. If you find one move it to the hot side a little more than it is. If its a 2 handle it might be a little bit more tricky than that.

 

[cyfan964]

Do you have galvanized pipes, copper, or pex?

 

[cyeah]

Alright then. Sounds like I have my first handyman task as a home owner.

Before you do that. Does the shower have a scald guard on it? If it does it is just a mixing problem. Basically some of the newer faucets have a mechanism that prevents scalding if a toilet flushes elsewhere in the house. If that is what you have you just need to make that adjustment.

Google the faucet type you have and see.

 

[Cylax51]

Before you do that. Does the shower have a scald guard on it? If it does it is just a mixing problem. Basically some of the newer faucets have a mechanism that prevents scalding if a toilet flushes elsewhere in the house. If that is what you have you just need to make that adjustment.

Google the faucet type you have and see.

this is the way I would go. Newer units, with the scald guard, have a restrition on the mixing valve that does not allow the water to go over 120 F. Open up the access and adjust the mixing valve to see if this is the issue. If not, then look it up online and see about a rebuild kit. Careful on the rebuild kits, the universal ones are infact, not universal.

 

[dtclones]

Before you do that. Does the shower have a scald guard on it? If it does it is just a mixing problem. Basically some of the newer faucets have a mechanism that prevents scalding if a toilet flushes elsewhere in the house. If that is what you have you just need to make that adjustment.

Google the faucet type you have and see.

Thanks. I'm guessing the faucet is less than a few years old so this is a possibility.

 

[dtclones]

Do you have galvanized pipes, copper, or pex?

I believe the pipes are copper.

 

[besserheimerphat]

When I put a new shower in our basement I was really surprised how easy it was to get parts - most of the big manufacturers (Kohler, Moen, etc) sell the parts and kits at regular hardware stores so once you know what you need you can pick it up that same day. The Menard's here in Marshalltown had a ton of stuff available right off the shelf so I didn't have to wait for an order through the mail. I agree with others on the scald-guard adjustment.