Hot Water in the Sink but not in the Shower

Renovations are puzzles. Sometimes you open something up, thinking you know what's wrong, and it turns out you have no idea what's going on.

That's what's happening with our hot water adventure in the main bathroom. We thought a scald guard feature might be set wrong inside the tub faucet, but after taking it apart, it doesn't look like there's a scald guard piece inside at all. So our next step is to replace the faucet cartridge, which you usually only do when there's a leak (and there isn't one). But it could be that mineral deposits have built up on the intake side for the hot water and are blocking the flow somehow. And no, I do not have magical powers of plumbing. I read all of this on the web by looking for people who had the same problem I did: hot water in the sink but not in the shower. It's amazing what you can find out online. So – the next step is to buy a cartridge!

In the same vein, the tub downstairs is dripping fast and furious, and now I know exactly what to do. Except renovations are puzzles. Sometimes you open something up, thinking you know what's wrong, and it turns out you have no idea what's going on.

(Photo: Cory Doctorow, boingboing)

Read Full Post »