Shower water not so hot but the rest of the house water is

[Patirck]

I have a shower with a single valve - the more you turn it the hotter the temperature gets. It is about 12 years old now and it seems that the water temperature in the shower is getting colder and colder. The sink next to it gets plenty hot as does the kitchen sink. I know this is some sort of "balanced" valve to ensure that scalding won't occur if someone flushes a toilet while the shower is on.

Do these things wear out or get clogged up with crap? Is there a way to repair it? Is repairing it a waste of time and I just need to have it replaced?

We replaced the plumbing at the same time this valve was installed - all new copper about 12 years ago. We have very hard crappy water and I know we have had our dishwasher repaired because the scale stuff had built up so much.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[SlowDrip]

It is probable that the pressure balance spool is failing. Depending on the make and model this can either be built into the cartridge assembly, or be a separate piece on the valve housing.

Shut your water off, and remove the handle from the shower, then carefully dissasemble it until you can get the cartridge out. Snap a picture of the cartridge and post it here, and we will have a better idea of what is going on.

If you want to go a bit further, take off the decorative plate and snap a picture of the valve in the wall as well. More info never helps.

A cartridge replacement is usually a very simple task.

 

[tempritespokane]

Sounds like a bad cartridge. This is usually the first thing to check in a situation like this.