Basement Bathroom Problem

[sconova]

Hello:

I am new to the forum and look forward to being part of it. I have just plumbed my new basement bathroom to find out I have almost no water. I tapped off 1/2" pex feeding my utility sink which has lots of pressure and only 15' from the new basement shower. I used sharkbite slip tees on the 1/2" lines to allow me to tee off to the new bathroom. Along the bathroom lines I installed shutoff valves. Very straight forward. No kinks and no leaks. When I turned on the water I still have excellent pressure in my utility sink but barely a trickle of water to the shower neck (I took the head off to ensure the water could flow unimpeded). What could I possibly have done wrong? Thanks

Mike

 

[johnjh2o]

What type shower valve did you use? It sounds like the balancing spool may be frozen.

John

 

[mccmech]

Firstly, is the water fine at the toilet and or sink in the same bathroom? If so then you may have a clogged cartridge from when ya turned the water on to the bathroom. Another possibility is if the shower valve has integral stops they may not be open. Just my .02. Best of luck with your trouble-shooting.

 

[sconova]

Thanks to those trying to assist me with this issue. I have traced the problem back towards the source. I uncapped the hot/cold water lines for the sink which is 6' from where I tapped off the utility sink lines - the result was almost no water getting through. This now takes me back to the shut off valves (gate valves), I ensured they worked prior to installation. Inches from the shut-off valves I have the slip tees. The slip tees seem to be ok because there is a ton of pressure at the utility sink still. So the issue I am having lies between the outlet from the slip tees to the area of the shut off valves - any suggestions or did I do something wrong by using slip tees and shut-off valves so close together? Thanks!!

Mike

 

[sconova]

The type of valve in my last post was incorrect, I used a mini-ball valve. I wonder if this is my problem??

Mike

 

[phishfood]

What do you mean by "mini" ball valves? A full port ball valve has an opening the full diameter of the piping to which it is attached, do you have something different?

 

[sconova]

The mini-ball valve is a Dahl product and claims it is great for use with pex and as a shut-off valve.

 

[phishfood]

Click this link: http://www.dahlvalve.com/technical/default.aspx

The valve on the top left of the picture, is this what you installed in the lines feeding the bathroom?

 

[johnjh2o]

If that is what he used you found his problem.

John

 

[sconova]

Very similar to this product, just a bit different and brass in color. I have included a link below that shows a picture. I am guessing I used the wrong valve???? I will await your reply before I cut them out.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...R~0633655P/Dahl+Mini+Ball+Valve.jsp?locale=en

What would these be used for?

Thanks for all your info, you have been most helpful and I appreciate it. From Ottawa, Canada, my very best regards.

 

[phishfood]

To be honest, I am not sure just what valve you have inline. The link and picture I was referring to shows a supply stop valve, intended to supply either a sink or a toilet. The link you posted, I cannot tell what it is intended to supply water to.

The question I have (don't know if you can answer with certainty or not), do the valves you installed have an opening the same size as the pipe that supplies them?

The one I linked to has a 1/2" input, with a 3/8" output. This would be inadequate to supply a tub/shower valve. It is intended to supply either hot or cold water to a sink or toilet.

The valve you need for your application should have an opening at least 1/2" in diameter.

 

[sconova]

As an update I cut out the shut-off valves and ran a straight pipe off the slip tees and the result is almost no water. Still lots of pressure from the lines supplying the utility sink but nothing from the slip tees towards the new bathroom. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[sconova]

Well the mystery is solved. I took one of the shutoffs out and still had the problem. I then decided the issue must be with the slip tees. I had a plumber explain that if water was coming out the bottom then it had to be going out the side to the bathroom as there is no check valve in a slip tee. Well, I took the slip tees out and installed just a 1/2" tee for pex and sure enough, I have water pressure. No one can explain what stopped water from flowing out the side of the slip tee but my issue is resolved. I thought you all might want to hear about it in case you run into it again. All the best.

Mike

 

[phishfood]

Can you post a picture of one of these slip tees? I am curious as to what these are and how they might have caused your problem.

 

[johnjh2o]

Can you post a picture of one of these slip tees? I am curious as to what these are and how they might have caused your problem.

At one time we got a box of bad 1/2 swt tees. They had no stops in them. Before we caught them some were installed. What had happened was the tubing was pushed past the stop closing off the branch. Drove us nuts for quite awhile. Maybe happening with shark bites.

John

 

[sconova]

I have included a picture of the exact item that created my problem. I still don't understand how it occurred but since removing them my problem went away.

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...3215&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051

 

[phishfood]

I have included a picture of the exact item that created my problem. I still don't understand how it occurred but since removing them my problem went away.

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...3215&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051

I wonder if johnjh20 mightn't be on to something here.

Not having used those exact Sharkbite tees before, I am doing a bit of speculating. But they appear to be intended for use when installing a branch into a fixed run of piping, meaning that they might not have stops in the run of the tee. If that is correct, it is possible that the tee could be installed so that the piping inside of the tee could almost completely block off the water from getting to the branch of the tee.