What's new

Shower plumbing issue

bostoneo

The Chosen One
Rating - 100%
400   0   0
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
9,805
Location
Akron, Ohio
So my upstairs tub facet has been a bit drippy for a few months that I have noticed. It continues to drip after a shower has been taken and is one of those single lever deals for hot and cold water.

Had my plumber come over to look at it and he suggested replacing the cartridge as the rubber seals in the existing cartridge looked fine and there must be something wrong with the cartridge itself. So I nabbed an oem American standard replacement cartridge to put in, replaced it this evening and the darn tub facet still drips every 2 seconds after used; even after an hour.

Any clues here? I think replacing the cartridge would had been good enough as all the water is directed through it. At a loss.. maybe I need to replace the whole valve system itself, but that seems too extreme.
 
Rating - 100%
42   0   0
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
5,017
Location
Pennsy
I googled this, and this seems to be a very common issue. But I'm not realliy seeing a lot of sucess resolving this out there. Some say the pressure balancing unit could be your culprit. One comment said it took a few days to see results, which I thought was peculiar. Maybe they need a day to "seat" .

A decent faucett these days can easily run you $100 - uninstalled. So you might want to try the @Almi idea. Take the head completely off first, and see if the drip issue improves.
I've removed all the "stick shifters" out of this house. But still, when I shut off the shower, mine will drip out of the bottom spicket for like 1/2 a minute. 'Till the water from the overhead bleeds out.
 
Rating - 100%
62   0   0
Joined
Feb 4, 2015
Messages
2,863
While we're on the subject, stupid question - I need to clean or replace a couple of the rods that switch between bath and shower (diverters?) How do you get the faucet off? It seems like it should just unscrew but I don't wanna apply force if I'm not supposed to
 

bostoneo

The Chosen One
Rating - 100%
400   0   0
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
9,805
Location
Akron, Ohio
While we're on the subject, stupid question - I need to clean or replace a couple of the rods that switch between bath and shower (diverters?) How do you get the faucet off? It seems like it should just unscrew but I don't wanna apply force if I'm not supposed to
Some tub facets slide on and some screw on... if its a screw on, you just stick a thick screwdriver up its nose and turn counterclockwise to unscrew it. If its a slide on, theres a screw under the base against the shower wall I believe.
 
Rating - 100%
95   0   0
Joined
Oct 21, 2015
Messages
5,534
Location
Peyton, CO
While we're on the subject, stupid question - I need to clean or replace a couple of the rods that switch between bath and shower (diverters?) How do you get the faucet off? It seems like it should just unscrew but I don't wanna apply force if I'm not supposed to
The set screw on the one I installed when we remodeled had the set screw towards the end of the spout. Pretty safe bet that if you cant find a set screw somewhere on the bottom that it just unscrews.
 
Last edited:

bostoneo

The Chosen One
Rating - 100%
400   0   0
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
9,805
Location
Akron, Ohio
Could it be that you have junk in the shower head that is making the holes a little smaller so its slower to drain ?
If you think that is the case you can soak the head in vinegar to remove all of the build up.
I'll try that tonight, I know it has calcium on the showerhead. I cleaned the lever and sleeve in vinegar last night and boy does that work miracles after 10mins soaked and brushed off.

I also noticed this morning, 9hrs after any water was run in the shower, it was dripping once every 45seconds. So somehow water is either getting in through the cartridge still. Since its the single lever any water b/t the showerhead and tub facet I guess could slow drain. Guess we'll find out tonight! Only other thing could be the valve, which I really don't want done b/c he said he'd have to cut into drywall to get at since access panel is too low to get to the valve on the backside. Wonder why he cant go through the front...
 

kcmontie

Choppers, lanceros and cobs
Rating - 100%
27   0   0
Joined
Aug 8, 2016
Messages
2,075
Location
Long Beach CA
Only other thing could be the valve, which I really don't want done b/c he said he'd have to cut into drywall to get at since access panel is too low to get to the valve on the backside. Wonder why he cant go through the front...
this. had the same problem
 
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Joined
May 17, 2017
Messages
14
Location
Fredericksburg VA
I had the same problem with a single-lever Moen. Cleaned the housing, replaced the cartridge, springs, gaskets... and it still dripped about every 2 seconds. Infuriating.
So I removed the cartridge and inspected the housing, found some little bit of crud I missed... and I mean a REALLY small bit. I used CLR and a brass- bristle brush this time, and did a thorough job.
Apparently that silly little salt-grain bit of calcium was the culprit. Drip-free for six months now.
I hope your problem is a simple as that!
 

bostoneo

The Chosen One
Rating - 100%
400   0   0
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
9,805
Location
Akron, Ohio
I had the same problem with a single-lever Moen. Cleaned the housing, replaced the cartridge, springs, gaskets... and it still dripped about every 2 seconds. Infuriating.
So I removed the cartridge and inspected the housing, found some little bit of crud I missed... and I mean a REALLY small bit. I used CLR and a brass- bristle brush this time, and did a thorough job.
Apparently that silly little salt-grain bit of calcium was the culprit. Drip-free for six months now.
I hope your problem is a simple as that!
Bleh. I even replaced the cartridge all together and still had the issue. Grumble.
 

Jfire

BoM 9/9' 9/11' 8/12'
Rating - 100%
391   0   0
Joined
Sep 2, 2008
Messages
7,508
Location
Yorkville, IL
Get a water softener going forward. Or face this issue every couple years imo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Rating - 100%
62   0   0
Joined
Feb 4, 2015
Messages
2,863
Plumbing problems can be solved easily and at any risk with the help of the professionals. They know all the do's and dont's of the plumbing and are expert in dealing with the clogging and other plumbing repairs. A few days back, we faced the problem with our water heater. After the recommendation, we decided to consult water heater repair service NJ which proved to quit beneficial for us.
Lemme guess - a New Jersey plumber hires a Chinese advertising firm to increase their online presence, and this is the result?
 
Top