Bristan 1924 Shower valve. Temp tap is hard to turn down.

[richardindorset]

I've serviced the o-rings on the main cartridge to stop a dripping shower head but the temp control tap is still almost impossible to set to max cold.

The end stop is set correctly, the tap is just really hard to move. It moves in very slight increments.

The machanical tap moves fine.

Is this a stuffed thermostatic element? I don't want to wast £30 on one if its something else in the valve like the plastic thermostat holder valve part for example.

Cheers!

 

[footprints]

I have found some thermostatic showers need to adjust slightly before you can move them (trying to compress a wax capsule that has expanded) my old one always did this from new but the new one is fine.
If it has just started I would strip and grease with silicone grease, if that does not help I suppose a new thermostat cartridge would be the next move.

 

[Agile]

Are you quite sure that your temp control is really designed to give a completely cold shower?

I go to quite a lot of holiday accommodation and I am pretty sure that some I have seen are only intended to give a range of warm temperatures.

 

[richardindorset]

Are you quite sure that your temp control is really designed to give a completely cold shower?

I go to quite a lot of holiday accommodation and I am pretty sure that some I have seen are only intended to give a range of warm temperatures.

Well it does move, so you can get slightly less hot, it's just very hard. It moves in tiny increments. The valve is free to move. I think its the thermostatic cartrige thats not moving easily.

 

[Agile]

In hard water areas it is quite common for the inside of shower valves to get quite badly scaled up.

If that was the case then I would be cleaning the components in HCl at about 6% solution.

 

[MeldrewsMate]

Try greasing the threaded part that pushes the actuator in when selecting a colder temperature. It's similar to a tap mechanism, so make sure that the hexagonal guide is free of scale and moves smoothly too.