Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - shower problems in new home

Ive just bought this home 4 months ago (12 year old home) and i have a problem with the shower in both my bathrooms, both bathrooms have a delta single handle tub/shower faucet with a push in diverter. In the master bathroom when you turn the water on there is a stream of water coming out of the shower head also. now when you turn on the shower, there is still a stream of water coming out of the spout and then about a minute later youl heard a loud knocking or vibration sound for about a few seconds then the sound goes away. when the sound started the diverter use to "pop out", i guess i fixed that when i replaced it. In the hall bathroom when you turn the water on there is a stream of water coming out of the shower head also, then when you turn on the shower there is a stream of water coming out of the spout and then a minute later you get that knocking/vibrating sound, sometimes it goes away and then sometimes you have to turn the knob (change temp) and itll go away. I have replaced the diverter and seat and springs in both bathrooms, please help. thanks.

If you replaced all know parts then thats all you can do, sorry you have this problem.


Are you sure you used used genuine delta repair parts only?

i bought the parts at home depot, dont know if there genuine parts or not.
also the delta site, says to replace the ball assembly, but i dont see how a stainless steel ball can "wear out".

thanks.

There not known to wear, but what the heck, might as well try it, last resort is to open and replace these valves with a good set of new ones.

I'd install either Moen or American Standard brands.

Is there any way you could take a picture of the assembly you have. We could then figure out what type it is and offer a better course of action. Pictures will have to be uploaded to another site and then a link provided here.

Just read Plumber2000's post. Its not so much the steel ball that wears out but the seal surrounding the ball. Did you have a model # when you got the parts or were they universal repair parts that fit a variety of different models?
Good luck and post back

You might also check the pressure on the house, make sure it's not too high.

majakdragon, you want a pic of the assembly thats inside the wall, i can probably take a pic. also the parts i got, i beleive there for a variety of models, it said on the box there for delta and peerless faucets. also, plumber2000, where or how do i check the water pressure?

thanks.

Get a pressure gage at HD it screws onto an outside bib, if you see it at 80 or over thats way high, high pressures can cause problems with valves and such.

i went to hd and they said they didnt have a pressure guage :confused: . ill go to my local hardware store tomorrow and get one. i got some pics of the assembly and all, but i have nowhere to upload them too. perhaps i can email them or something. thanks.

i got the pics loaded, here they are.
http://photos.yahoo.com/ds199

this diagram may also help as well
http://deltacom.deltafaucet.com/media/Product_Tech_Docs/Parts_Diagram/622_635_636_641_642_5985.pdf

thanks.

All you can do is check the pressure and rebuild the valves.

if the pressure is too high, what will i have to do to bring it down?

thanks.

You will need to install a pressure reducing valve on the main water line.

i hope thats not the problem, that sounds complicated and expensive to do.

Not really, but thats easy for me to say, it depends on where you live and what type of pipe you have in the ground or basement of house.

There simple to install and there less the $60 for the PRV and a few other parts.

im guessing its pvc, i have several pipes coming out of the ground for access and its pvc, also my house is on a slab, no basement or anything.

If PVC then it gets real simple, if you need one we can talk you though the install.

I think I found the model of faucet you have. From what I could find out it appears to be a 636 model. The diverter should have nothing to do with the water control(steel ball). From your discription of whats happening it sounds like the diverter is not fully seating to divert the water fully. Possibly the generic diverter used is not long enough to fully seat or doesn't quite seal. The Delta tech sheets show nothing that internally interfere with the diverter operation. Possibly the plastic(cover under the chrome escutcheon plate) seal that protects the drywall is not seating fully and preventing the diverter from seating fully.

there is no plastic cover under the escutcheon plate. i have a fiberglass tub/shower, so i guess it wasnt needed?? so the diverter is in as far as itll go, but it could be still to short or just no good, maybe.

i finally got around to getting a water pressure guage today and i hooked it up to the outside spout, and it read 115 psi!! If 80 is high, this must be real bad, do i need to install a pressure reducing valve; if so, how do i do it?
please help.

You need a prv installed, 1st dig out a good 2' of line in front of the meter, when you get this dug out, check the size of the pipe and come back to let us know, we will tell you the next step.

im guessing the prv needs to be installed on the house side of the meter (so i can turn the water off to install it), but i have a couple of questions, when the house was built, why wasnt one installed then, unless the pressure was right and then went up, but i dont see how that could be, when a house is built they dont check for things like that?

If there is one there, which maybe there could be, and if there is one there it could be bad and just needs to be replaced, it could be buried in fount of the meter, house side of it, if there. just replace it, if not install one.

Here is a test to do put gage under pressure, now go in house and turn on a faucet, recheck gage with faucet running, now turn on 2nd faucet leave it running, check gage with 2 faucets running, if you see a major drop in the gage with 2 faucet open then suspect there is a PRV on th line already, if you see no major drop then you probably don't have a prv already.

i hooked the guage up turned on the water and turn the water on 2 faucets and it dropped from 120 to 105 psi. so im guessing there isnt one installed already, ill be tomorrow before i can dig up the yard, all its doing is raining today.

Yea don't sound like there is one already there, let us know when you need more help.