Low Pressure at Tub/Shower

[Ed60062]

My daughter lives in a condo (out of state) and has hardly any water flow in the tub and shower. Her sink and kitchen pressure is OK and she says her neighbors don't have a problem. I'm thinking the problem might be with the tub valve since flow is OK elsewhere. Pipe is galvanized. Will appreciate any suggestions.

[Redwood]

Is the problem in both the tub spout and the shower?

The showerhead has a restrictor that may be plugged up with debris....

Unscrew the showerhead from the shower arm to see it...

[Ed60062]

Low Pressure at Tub/Shower

Thanks Redwood. Yes both shower and tub are extremely slow, which tells me the problem is not with the shower head being clogged. And she replaced the shower head recently. So it seems to me the solution is either replacing the valve or re-piping the apartment. Hopefully it is just the valve but do valves go bad in this way? Or is there something else we're overlooking?

[HayZee518]

if the valve was sweat soldered without loosening up the cartridges or completely removing them, molten solder could have clogged the orifices of the valve. or the composition that makes up the seal for the cartridges could have melted and destroyed itself.

[Redwood]

If you have Galvanized Pipes supplying the tub/shower valve there is a good possibility that rust scale buildup in the pipes has occluded the water path and is restricting the flow or, a piece of rust scale has broken loose and is lodged where it is blocking the flow.

If the fixture is a pressure balanced anti scald valve the balancing valve will match the pressure of the good side to that of the bad side so it is difficult to tell exactly which side is blocked.

You may be able to disassemble the valve and flush the debris out..

[Ed60062]

Thank you both. Looks like a job for a professional. Now we need to determine whether the valve and pipes belong to her or the condo association.

[Redwood]

You will probably find the valve is hers and the pipes are theirs leaving a lot of room for finger pointing.

[Ed60062]

Follow-Up

Here is the outcome: My wife and I went to a family event and to visit our daughter. My sister-in-law is a property manager with the same company that manages my daughter's condo building. I asked her about who owns the valve and the pipes. Her response was to call the management office and they will have the maintenance man rod out the drain 12 feet--if that doesn't solve the problem they will call in a plumber. I explained that the drain is fine, the problem is with the supply. She insisted they first have to rod out the drain. I could not convince her otherwise and I then said that was the stupidest thing I ever heard. She said she was insulted and walked away without another word the rest of the evening. I knew women were always right but now I know female property managers are doubly always right. I'll now write my letter of apology.

As it turned out I found the shut off valves in a panel behind the tub. There were three screws holding the cartridge in place so I removed the guts and went to a plumbing supply store where I got new parts for about $20.00. It now works perfect.

[HayZee518]

that'll teach ya to argue with a woman! they're NEVER wrong!

[Redwood]

Rodding the drain sounds pretty dumb to me too....

Should have let the Maint. guy come and see where that went...