If Something Goes Wrong...

[chrism027]

Hello,

I have a leaky shower head and am 99% sure it is the hot water cartridge that is causing the issue. I had a plumber "rebuild" the cartridge, but that fix only held for a couple months. Its time to just replace the cartridge.

I am confident I can remove the cartridge, take it to a plumbing supply store, and then install the new cartridge. However, the issue is that there is no local shut-off to the shower. So if I mess up, for whatever reason, I won't be able to turn on water to the entire house. Is there some sort of "plug" I can buy and stick in place of the hot water cartridge if it all goes wrong or if I have to special order the cartridge?

Nobody can tell what kind of cartridge I need by looking at this picture, can you? The house was built in 1931 - I believe the plumbing is original (galvanized steel).

Thanks for your help.

-Chris

 

[IFIXH20]

Looks like american standard but not 100% sure. Did he replace the seat & stem or just the stem ? You can remove the diverter stem (middle of the three handles) without turning off the water to your home. Take diverter and trim to a real plumbing supply store for a replacement. ( not the big box stores ). Verify the middle stem is the diverter before removing because the spout has a diverter.

 

[Mr_David]

what are the upper 2 handles? Do you have more than 1 shower head.
If they are hot/cold for shower head then why does lower group have a middle diverter? Odd configuration.

 

[chrism027]

It's actually not a diverter, I believe it used to be something with the drain, but does not do anything anymore.

My thinking is that it was originally just a tub and the shower head was added later.

The plumber did not replace the seat - just fixed the stem... temporarily.

The upper two handles are for shower head - bottom two are for tub.

The drip is now full out. Only way to turn hot water shower off is to turn off water to entire house.

Still wondering, if I remove the stem, is there something I can use to "plug" until I get a replacement? Because of no local shut off - when we want to use water anywhere in the house, the shower head is also on because of the broken stem.

I can't thank you enough for the replies. I really appreciate the help.

-Chris

 

[chrism027]

Update...

I pulled the stem out. And have identified the problem. I believe this purple "washer" is what the plumber replaced and its already in pieces. What would cause it to deteriorate so quickly? Is that common?

Replaced the washer and reinstalled the stem. Problem fixed... for now.

Thank-you for the help.

 

[Matt30]

Looks like a universal flat washer not designed for that application

 

[SHR]

The purple washer is probably the correct washer. The worn out seat in the faucet body is tearing new washers up immediately upon installation. This problem is not only common, it happens whenever a real plumber with faucet repair experience is not used to repair a leak. Your "plumber" did not know how to repair a standard leak. Remove and replace the seat then replace washer again and reinstall stem. Repair will last for another 10 years.