Any plumbers in here?

My shower has been slowly getting clogged on the hot water side. Cold water rushes out at full power, but the hot water is 1/4 the pressure. In the sink right next to the shower hot water has full pressure. Im guessing the valve inside the shower is blocked with minerals, etc. My question is can it be serviced from the front by removing the plate? Or do I have to knock out from behind to access the valve and clear the obstruction?.

If its easy to fix I will do it myself and buy another flashlight, if not I will call a pro.

Thanks ahead of time.

opps wrong id sorry

i am not a plumber , and dont play one on tv, but i do play one at home, when nobodys lookin.

most of the valves (i have seen) can be, disassembled from the front without having to tear the wall/sink/frame/tub down.

but, you didnt even mention what type it was?
Is it a 2 valve system? or a swinging/twisting around single, or a lift up single? is it one of them thermally controled no burn ones, they have adjusters?

Pull the plate , do it, i know you can /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif and watch out VERY carefully for that brass stuff, if there is slotted rings to remove, without a good tool you can really shred the brass and copper.
so if you dont have the exact tool, and it doesnt give easily with the cruddy tool your using, then get a tool to do it.
ok so i will just say dont ask me how to do it with a hammer and a screwdriver, because the TOOL would have worked without damaging stuff. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

use well fitted sockets, or box end wrenches, i wont tell you how to put big claw marks in it with a monkey wrench either or how to round off a brass nut /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif.

use well fitted screwdrivers, i wont tell you how to mess up a brass screw with a swiss army knife /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

beware that not all threads in this world are "right handed" stuff that would unscrew with normal operations , might have reverse threads. of course they always put reverse threads in just to mix up us amatures /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

once you get inside, if the blockage is back in the holes to far, break it up with something then run a blast of water across it.

replace any rubber used when your in there, even if it works today, that might already be what is stopping proper operation.

if a plumber can do it, then i can, and when i get done i will have the tool TOO /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif now getting good PARTS, that is the hard part /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif.

anyways there is some extra tips from a moran who has ruined about anything , but still got it to work better than ever /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

VidPro, I like your "unique" training directions/style! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I worked plumbing up until about a year ago as I was putting myself through school, but that was new construction not much service work.

You can access the valve by removing the faceplate. I am not sure that you will find your problem in there but it is worth a try, because it you don't find it in there... it's time to start cutting drywall.

What type of valve is it? Who made it? Delta makes the easiest to service valve I have worked with.

What vidPro said /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif except that I've never lived in a house where I could service the valves from the front /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif In the 2 cases that I've had to work on them I had to cut through the wall behind them to get to the important parts. In both cases however the house was designed to allow access to them by putting the access inside a linen closet or other place where a hole in the wall can be easily patched with a piece of plywood to allow easier access in the future.

Which brings me to a funny story /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif The shower valve in our last house was sticky, it didn't like to turn to adjust the temp. So my dad was visiting and made himself useful by spraying WD-40 around the valve stem. This nicely loosened up whatever was causing it to block, but had other problems /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My wife was in there taking a bath the day after my dad left and whet to push in the handle to turn the water off, and it just pushed itself right back out again turning the water back on!!! You couldn't turn it off! You'd push it in and it would just come back on again. LOL! I had to prop a 2x4 against it for the next few days to keep the water off until I could open it up and clean it out.

So, whatever you do, don't spray WD-40 in there, it will make it TOO smooth /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

VidPro's comments about using the correct tools are probably the most important. Have a look through some of the DIY books at your local library or hardware store. I purchased all the valve stem pullers and such while replacing drippy valves at the previous house. It was impossible to do without them. They are not that expensive and you'll really mess things up just attacking them with a pair of pliers. Possibly to the point of ruining the fixture itself and having to have the whole thing replaced when you tear the threads.

If you have a single handle faucet (like Delta)—I, once, have had one of the little rubber valve seats get deformed and slow the water down. If it is a regular twist valve, you may wish to take it apart and look.

Usually, you should be able to service the valve seats and washers from the front. However, if you need to replace the valves (for example, the seats are too worn/pitted and you cannot use a tool to replace them), you will need to cut walls.

What kind of pipes do you have? If they are copper (some homes may even have plastic), you are generally OK there.

If they are galvanized iron pipes, you are heading towards problems. Eventually, they will close down with rust and minerals--as well as leak. Hot water will usually fail first. The only true fix is to replace them.

We just have replaced a 4 unit 50 year old apartment building's galvanized water and sewer lines because of leaks (even in the sewer lines) and poor water pressure.

It is also possible that you have a copper piping system but, somewhere, an iron nipple or fitting was used because it was handy. If this is the case, the only fix is to replace the part(s) with copper or brass.

Lastly, it is possible the clog is in the hot water heater… You said that the sink flows well—but does the shower have a natural greater flow rate then the sink? If so, you may just be seeing the problem there first. Is there a bath tub you can check the flow at too?

-Bill

Its a single handle lever type handle, with copper pipes. The flow rate of the shower hot water is about half of the sink flow.
I will try to check out what I can do from the front plate. Definitely will use the right tools, I've messed up enough things by using all in one tools. Thanks for the replys.