Shower Problem
Lately, we’re having a problem with the shower in our spare bathroom, which we renovated about a year and a half ago. The shower will only stay on for a short while before the water then goes back through the faucet. If you pull the diverter, it will stay on for just a short period,…
Lately, we’re having a problem with the shower in our spare bathroom, which we renovated about a year and a half ago. The shower will only stay on for a short while before the water then goes back through the faucet. If you pull the diverter, it will stay on for just a short period, and then go back down after a minute or so. When we did the renovation, we left the old shower head on, which we liked very much, and got a new shower valve and trim set. When I called the manufacturer, they say it’s a problem with the shower head and the flow restrictor, so they can’t help. I know nothing about plumbing, but was looking for some input before I go and have the shower head replaced. Does this sound right, or could it be an issue with the shower valve/diverter, or something else?
Thanks a lot for any recommendations-
Andy
How is the pressure when you run the tub? Does it seem like you have diminished pressure lately? If so, it could be that you have a partially clogged shower body. If the pressure drops too much, it could cause the diverter to slowly “let go” and then eventually stop from the shower all together. If this is the case, some newer showers have built in screens on the hot and cold water side that can be taken out and cleaned.
Wow- mine is Restoration Hardware as well. The shower head that was left by the previous owner is Gracious Home. I doubt that my contractor removed the flow restrictor (it’s always been powerful), but I guess it’s a possibility. I’ll check and see if it’s there, clean it if it is, and replace it if it’s not. Thanks for the feedback.
I had the EXACT same problem with a Restoration Hardware shower body. Turns out it was caused by the fact that my plumber had REMOVED the flow restrictor from the shower head (also Restoration Hardware). I put the flow restrictor back in and presto – it worked perfectly. I suspect that adding a flow restricor to the shower head will resolve the problem. Seems counter intuitive – I know.
And if you’ve got the new-fangled kind which requires an icon so you figure it out, you’re out of luck…the one I just installed needs the shower water to be almost at full volume or it reverts to faucet.
If you can dismantle it, there’s probably a spring somewhere which pops it back to faucet mode…which can be re-jiggered to be less strong.
Try unscrewing the shower head and taking out the flow restrictor…it’s usually a small round washer with a screen attached to it or a piece of plastic with holes. it may actually just be clogged.
If you have the old-style diverter where you pull the rod up from the tub filler, those go too and are easily replaced. There are two styles, one for a pipe nipple that ends about 1″ proud of the tile and one for a nipple that extends about 2-3″ from the tile.