Lukewarm Shower Problem
Kate Knight, who lives in Brentwood NH eighty miles south southeast of my house, has a problem with her new shower valve. Let her describe it:
"Recently we had a new valve put in our shower which is bigger than our last one coupled with a water saver shower head. We also moved our toilet and put a washer dryer in there (don't know if that's relevant).
The guys did a great job. But now our shower doesn't get hot. So they came over and said we need to turn the water heater up to 135 F because the valve is bigger in the shower. Is there any other way to make the shower hot again? I'm nervous my kids might get scalded in their shower."
And since I'm a master plumber as well as a builder, I've got her answer!
Kate, almost every modern shower valve comes with built-in technology with respect to anti-scalding. Most valves need to be adjusted in the field to deliver the right temperature of hot water the customer wants. The factory settings often assume a hotter temperature than what is actually in the customer's home.
I'm shocked that your installers didn't know this and gave you bad advice about raising the temperature of your hot water. Do NOT do that. Your instincts were correct.
I'd go online - or hopefully the installers gave them to you - and get the WRITTEN installation instructions for that shower valve. They should give you step-by-step directions how to take off the decorative cover and get access to the adjustment screws that will allow you to get the right hot water you want in the shower.
Let me know what happens.
Reference: January 18, 2015 Weekend Newsletter
Tim
Good luck with the kidney stones. As we get older things happen. Next week I go in for endoscope since I have acid reflux. GERD. Many friends do too. I am taking pills to prevent acid but alternative doctors say it is because we have less acid, not more that food stays higher up the GI tract and and causes problems since it isn't digested properly to go down - so we should take plant enzymes to help no change the stomach PH and get rid of what little acid we have. Question is who's theory is right?
At the risk of wandering off topic...
For a few years, I used Prilosec, the "proton blocker" that reduces stomach acid. The stuff reduces irritation in the esophagus, not by preventing reflux, but by neutralizing acid, with unpleasant consequences requiring continual awareness of one's proximity to the bathroom. Stomach acid kills bacteria; neutralize the acid, and pay a price. GERD is not a stomach acid problem; it is a problem with the sphincter that closes the top of the stomach, preventing reflux. When that muscle weakens, it doesn't close, so acid backs up. The only true remedy is surgery to shrink the opening. Pick your problem. I'm trying to adjust my diet, but I'm too weak-willed to give up evening snacks and assorted goodies.
I just don't think surgery is the only solution to the GERD problem. I have found if I balance foods that are acidic with those that are alkaline, I don't have the problem (however, I really like veggies, so this is fairly easy for me). There are web sites that offer lists of both kinds of foods. You can find them by googling "acidic foods." I have also been told that drinking a combination of vinegar and water (honey can be added) before a possible acidic meal is an effective remedy. The anti-acid meds neutralize ALL of the acid in your system, including the acid you need to retain. I will go to great lengths to avoid surgery.
Tim
Got a new shower put in. A year later no water came out. After having two plumbers in and spending hundreds of dollars, we found out that the original plumber put on a galvanized shower assembly cap instead of a brass cap. The galvanized cap caused a chemical reaction that blocked water flow. A brass cap is non-reactive. We had to cut through the Sheetrock to get access to the cap. I should have been concerned when the original plumber told me to run the rarely used guest shower to clean it out from disuse. He must have known what would happen. The brass cap is only a few cents more to put in. My plumber was too lazy to go get the right cap and might of used the one he had, a galvanized one.
Tim, I'm so glad you posted this one. We have the exact problem with a newly renovated bathroom. It's a moen with a one handled tub faucet with a push button on the middle. The hot water simply doesn't get hot enough when cranked all the way. I had turned up the water temp higher and there is still no change and the other faucets are steaming. I've contacted the installers who left us no info on it (&$!!) and they just aren't quick at returning our calls, I'm going to have do my own research and get it adjusted myself. Thanks for the info!
Pat, It's CAVEMAN simple to make the adjustment. Go to the Moen website and locate the pdf file of WRITTEN Installation Instructions for your faucet. It will tell you how to adjust it. VERY VERY easy once you take off the decorative trim piece in the shower that hides the adjustment screws.
I don't know about these adjustment screws on Moen shower valves, the only screw type part I am aware of is the Posi-temp pressure balance ones, don't adjust these slotted screws (they are called stop valves)! There is a more basic version which does not have the stop valves.
I have installed 66 (at last count) Moen shower valves here at the resort over the last 4 years, there are of three different styles and all three have white nylon serrated rings called the stop tube kit, you pull the first ring out, rotate it and reinstall. Turn it anti-clockwise (to the left for you youngsters) to increase temperature, when it is at the 12 o'clock (straight up) it is at maximum hot temperature.
Here at the resort we set them to the max as the water heaters are all set to 120 degrees.
I hope this clarifies the procedure.
Geoff
Algonquin Park, Canada
http://www.arowhonpines.ca
Same thing happened to me. The plumber later was at my house to do work in another bathroom. He showed me how to adjust the shower faucet temperature. Why don't they do this when they do the job in the first place? I have a lot of problems like this with a variety of contractors. They want to get in and out as fast as possible and charge as much as they can. I have learned to avoid contractors who rip off by charging for two or three jobs when they are there only an hour. Thank God I am selling my house at 80 years of age and will not have to deal with this anymore - like pay $160 just to have my gutters cleaned and not even tell me when they are coming so I can make sure they are doing what I asked and when they show up without my detailed instructions!!!
Joseph- you sure nailed it. I don't want to name this contractor, but they took a whole year before they could even start as they are so booked up. Anyway, they barely left any info and now trying to get them back for adjustments or a faucet manual is extremely difficult. We need to get them back to fix a crack that formed in the sink bowl. What ever happened to customer service?
These contractor problems are the inevitable result of the single family house type of living. There is no way to make it more efficient. In Europe most families live in apartments or multi-story buildings that allow for some degree of central control that promotes efficiency. Here multi-family housing is only for the poor, and consequently it is very poorly constructed. We made our own beds, so now we have to lie in them.
I have to disagree with you. I know of MANY multi-family structures that are WELL BUILT. They are all over the USA. Go to Miami, LA, NYC, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, etc.
What is the "proper" temperature to set your hot water heater to?
I hear 120F 125F 130F? I was told that not too cool because legionnaires disease will incubate. My system is a little bizarre. The water heater is set at 140F and it flows into a mixing valve with a turn-able thimble I have set at 125F as a compromise. The piping goes directly at 140F to the washing machine and dishwasher and the tempered water goes to showers and sinks ( places with a human operated valve). My plumber says this is safe but skirts around the building code. What do you think?
140F is the minimum setting to be safe from Legionnaires disease.
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Good luck on going back in the hospital for your kidney issue.....will be praying for you......
The picture you posted is beautiful.....
Hi, This is the honey do man.
I've installed several of these valves and just now am having a problem with a customers shower that is not hot enough. I just now read the instructions again and I did all that it says to adjust the temp. it is set at maximum and she still has luke warm water so I turned up her furnace to produce hotter water and it helped but the other sinks are pretty hot.
my question for y'all is what are the Tap Assembly screws for, are they adjustable, do I leave those alone? It doesn't address them in the instructions.
Thanks, Marc
Marc, when you called the faucet manufacturer's 800 Help Line, what did they tell you? When you went to the plumbing supply house - NOT a home center - what did the guys on the counter tell you to do? They sell the faucets and usually know exactly how they work.
I've dealt with the pain of two kidney stones in my life and have a fear of another attack soon. The doctors did not release me from the hospital after the last attack until the end of the third day.
Good luck with your new procedure next month, I know what you are dealing with.
Good luck with your scheduled procedure Tim, hope the procedure is successful.
I had a new replacement hot water heater installed in my RV recently and now the water coming out of the faucets is almost 160 degrees. I Called the manufacture and the service rep told me the water heater must have been installed incorrectly.
Next I have to expos the plumbing connections to look for a mixing valve.