Scalding Hot Water

If there’s anything worse than a cold shower, it’s one that is scalding hot! If you find your shower only sprays hot water, no matter how hard you turn the handle, it’s time to investigate the inner workings of your shower. No cold water in the shower may indicate defective parts within the shower faucet. If you have a single-lever control in your shower, you likely need to replace the cartridge that houses the pressure-balancing valve.
If that sounds like an overwhelming task, worry not because the friendly team at Sackett Plumbing is here to walk you through the replacement process.  However, Sackett's team of professionals is always available if you’d rather save yourself the hassle by letting the pros handle the job.

First thing, it’s important to determine whether the issue is only in one shower or more. If the entire home has no cold water , it’s possible a shutoff valve in the main water supply line has been turned off accidentally. If that is the case, you can simply turn the valve back on and your showers should work as normal.
However, if you determine the other faucets in the home do have cold water, the issue is likely a defective pressure-balancing valve and you will either need to replace the valve cartridge yourself or call a professional plumber to get the job done.

A faucet’s pressure-balancing valve serves two purposes:

1. To regulate the water pressure
2. To regulate the ratio of hot and cold water flowing from the faucet or showerhead

As time goes by, mineral buildup or corrosion can inhibit the effectiveness of the cartridge. This is especially a problem if the shower isn’t in use on a regular basis. The process for replacing the valve cartridge isn't very difficult; however, it can take time as you need to disassemble the faucet. Most homeowners find the hardest part of the job is removing the old cartridge. The good news is, at any point in the process, you can always call on the experts at Sackett Plumbing if you’d rather let trained technicians take the job from here.

Before you begin the removal and installation of the shower cartridge, you will need to buy a new one at your nearby hardware store. It’s important to choose the right style to get a good fit. Bring the old cartridge with you to the store to get the perfect replacement piece. While at the store, you will also need to purchase a cartridge puller as well.

Now that you have your new cartridge you can begin the process of changing it out with these 10 steps:

1. Shut-off the water supply to the shower.
2. Cover the drain in the shower with a cloth to block it completely, which will prevent small components from falling into the drain as you work.
3. Remove the shower handle and any metal covers by removing the screws. Hold the handle in place and lift it off the stem; you may need to tap on the handle to encourage it to come off.
4. Snap a photo of the internal parts of the faucet to provide a quick reference during the reassembly process.
5. Remove all parts inside the faucet structure.
6. Dissolve any existing build-up with a commercial cleaning solution.
7. Use the needle-nose pliers to pull out the retainer clip.
8. Use the cartridge puller to remove the cartridge.
9. Install the new cartridge using the plumber’s grease or silicone product.
10. Reinstall all faucet parts including the valve stem and retainer clip, looking back on the photo you took to guide you.

Once you have installed your new cartridge its time to turn back on the water and test it out to ensure you once again have cold and hot water.

If you would rather save time and frustration call our team of professionals. We would be happy to take care of the problem for you.
Sackett Plumbing Inc 239-454-4504

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