One of our Winter Haven, FL clients reached out to us asking about their shower, as it was not working properly and needed to be assessed. When we got there, we ended up discovering that they had a faulty shower valve that needed to be completely replaced.
Learn more about this recent shower valve replacement and why shower valves need to be replaced in order for your shower to function correctly.
Signs a Shower Valve May Need to Be Replaced
If you do not know what exactly a shower valve does, it essentially regulates the temperature of the water coming out of the showerhead. In other words, the shower valve works to ensure you do not get scalded by hot water, so it is an important piece of the shower. When the water never gets hot in the first place, the valve is not the problem and the tank is, which is water heater repair work.
It is not easy to access your shower valve, because it is usually installed behind drywall and the tile that covers it. A big indicator of a faulty shower valve is when the water temperature is slow to change. If you notice that turning the faucet from warm to cold takes a long time, the valve may need to be replaced. Another sign of a faulty valve would be sudden changes in water pressure when a toilet flushes or the dishwasher starts. If pressure is weak at every fixture in the house rather than just the shower, the supply piping is the suspect and whole-home repiping is the fix.
When shower valves do not work properly, they could also be leaking. A leak behind drywall can lead to mildew building up in the interior of your walls, which means you could be looking at extensive repair. Because the valve body is buried, we use electronic leak detection to find the wet area before opening tile, and our post on early leak detection tips covers the signs worth acting on. If the water has been running behind that wall long enough to soak the framing, our water damage restoration crew dries and treats it. Once everything is dry, our sister company True Builders handles the tile and cabinetry rebuild if the wall needs to be put back the way it was.
If your water temperature keeps fluctuating, you could have a faulty shower valve.
Adding in a New Shower Valve for Our Client
When we decided to add in a new valve, we had to decide which type was best for our client. There are generally two main kinds of shower valves: thermostatic and pressure-balancing.
A pressure-balancing valve works to make sure there is a good ratio of hot and cold water coming out of the shower. The valve adjusts to pressure changes and moves up and down based on how much water is coming out of the hot water and cold water pipes.
Thermostatic valves use some sort of material that is sensitive to heat and contracts and expands based on how much water is coming through the hot water pipe. Thermostatic valves tend to be pricier, but do tend to give more control over the shower temperature.
Another type of valve that may need to be installed is a transfer valve. For example, if you have a tub that also has a shower, this valve allows for water to move in between the tub faucet and the showerhead. The handle and trim on the outside are a separate job from the valve itself, and worn cartridges there are ordinary faucet repair.
For our client, we opted to install the more commonly used pressure-balancing valve as it was the quickest option to get them back into their standalone shower.
Hard water shortens the life of every valve in the house
Central Florida water is hard, and the scale it leaves behind is what seizes cartridges, clogs showerheads, and etches the glass. Our posts on how hard water could be harming your home, removing hard water stains from shower glass, and removing rust and mineral deposit stains cover the cleanup. A whole-home water softener is what stops it from coming back.
A shower that drains slowly or sends water back up is a different problem, and it is usually hair and soap in the branch line rather than the valve. That is a professional drain cleaning job, and our post on what it means when water comes up from the shower drain explains when it points at the main line instead.
Are you experiencing any issues with your shower temperature or water flow?
If your shower water flow or temperature is fluctuating, you could be experiencing issues with a faulty shower valve. Our client in Winter Haven is now enjoying a well-functioning shower with steady temperatures. We serve Lakeland, Plant City, and the rest of Central Florida too, and our 24/7 emergency plumbers are available when a valve fails at the worst possible time. Contact us today to set up an estimate on our shower valve replacement services at (863) 667-6364.
