Seems we are both learning together. Wouldn't repairing the main valve accomplish the same?
Multiple Shower Issues
- Thread starter Ferdinand
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Nope. This main valve is only for temperature control. It blends the hot and cold inlet water feeds. Shutting the flow on or off is controlled individually by those three triangle shaped valves.
Dual function valves do exist that turn on/off the water flow as well as controlling the temperature. But this isn't one of them.
I went ahead and, using those hex-key fittings, closed the "stop" valves on both sides of the main valve. That successfully closed off the water flow.
I opened all three of the triangle-shaped valves to allow the water to dribble and drain from the shower head, bathtub spout, and side jets. Then I pulled the cartridge from the main valve.
Oh ya. It's done alright. Check these photos. Not only is it all kacked up with hard well water deposits and/or too much salt from the water softener system, but it's also cracked! And look at all the debris left in the valve bore.
Great job so far!
Is that a hex slot at the base of that valve? If so, that will be a replaceable seat. May be worth it to unscrew and replace.
Progress update:
We now know for certain that #1 and #2 in this photo are handy "stop" valves which, when screwed in tight, separately stop the water flowing to the central temperature control valve coming from either the hot and/or cold water inlet pipes.
We now know for certain that #1 and #2 in this photo are handy "stop" valves which, when screwed in tight, separately stop the water flowing to the central temperature control valve coming from either the hot and/or cold water inlet pipes.
And, having successfully identified the valve type as manufactured by Grohe, I now know that #3 and #4 are "Grohe - 1411700M Filtered Non-Return Valves" as pictured below.
I figured, what with all the debris accumulated in the main valve, those filters obviously aren't doing a good job, so they probably also need to be replaced.
I figured, what with all the debris accumulated in the main valve, those filters obviously aren't doing a good job, so they probably also need to be replaced.
Inside the valve housing, water is piped in from the right side, through the "stop" valve (which is closed now), then enters the chamber for the filter from the right side and exits through the back over to the main temperature control valve.
The same thing happens over on the opposite side of the valve housing. I'm not sure which side is hot or cold now because, with the flow stopped, all of the valve body has gone cold.
The same thing happens over on the opposite side of the valve housing. I'm not sure which side is hot or cold now because, with the flow stopped, all of the valve body has gone cold.
The filter on this side, which appears to be in good enough shape, evidently has been doing it's job.
There's a little pile of mineral deposits settled on the bottom of the valve bore.
So why is the central control valve so corrupted with debris? Let's go look at the other filter valve (#3)...
There's a little pile of mineral deposits settled on the bottom of the valve bore.
So why is the central control valve so corrupted with debris? Let's go look at the other filter valve (#3)...
You can see the O-Ring on the loose foot portion in the very back.
Circled in red is the missing bit that was marked with red arrows in a previous photo. It's only pressed in there held by it's own O-Ring (not visible here). I'm hoping it shouldn't be all that difficult to pull out.
However, I'm stuck now, as I will need to fabricate some sort of hook tool to reach in there and grab it so I can pull it out.
I'll have another cup of coffee now while I think about that...
Circled in red is the missing bit that was marked with red arrows in a previous photo. It's only pressed in there held by it's own O-Ring (not visible here). I'm hoping it shouldn't be all that difficult to pull out.
However, I'm stuck now, as I will need to fabricate some sort of hook tool to reach in there and grab it so I can pull it out.
I'll have another cup of coffee now while I think about that...
Well #@$%! That thing is a #@$%*! (Rhymes with itch, and starts with an angry large B).
I was hoping to get a hook behind it to pull it out. But no such luck. There's not enough room to fit anything substantial behind it. Plus, the backside of this ring is cone-shaped in order to provide a seat for the rubber O-ring on the foot valve. There's no edge to grab a hold of.
Here's what it looks like on the good one that pulled out easily. The spring-loaded foot valve fits into a cone-shaped recess on the bottom of this filter assembly. The valve, plus everything between the arrows, is firmly stuck in the bottom of the bore. Grrrrrrrr.
I was hoping to get a hook behind it to pull it out. But no such luck. There's not enough room to fit anything substantial behind it. Plus, the backside of this ring is cone-shaped in order to provide a seat for the rubber O-ring on the foot valve. There's no edge to grab a hold of.
Here's what it looks like on the good one that pulled out easily. The spring-loaded foot valve fits into a cone-shaped recess on the bottom of this filter assembly. The valve, plus everything between the arrows, is firmly stuck in the bottom of the bore. Grrrrrrrr.
After a couple of hours sawing away with a small file, and blisters on my finger tips, I brought out the power tools and went at it with my Dremel.
Victory!
I was very careful not to saw completely through the ring, for fear of damaging the surface of the main valve housing. That would have been a disaster!
When I cut the ring down thin enough, I gave it a whack with a small chisel hoping to split the ring. Instead, that just drove it even further down into the valve bore. D'oh!
But it turns out that actually helped. Because now the bit that I was trying to saw through was clear of the all-important mating face on the inner surface of the valve bore. Now I could go to town on it with my Dremel tool with no fear of chewing into the main valve body.
Tada! It's out!
Victory!
I was very careful not to saw completely through the ring, for fear of damaging the surface of the main valve housing. That would have been a disaster!
When I cut the ring down thin enough, I gave it a whack with a small chisel hoping to split the ring. Instead, that just drove it even further down into the valve bore. D'oh!
But it turns out that actually helped. Because now the bit that I was trying to saw through was clear of the all-important mating face on the inner surface of the valve bore. Now I could go to town on it with my Dremel tool with no fear of chewing into the main valve body.
Tada! It's out!
