It worked! My husband and I had initially called a plumber who wanted to replace the entire shower unit, stating they don't repair the American Standard brand. They wanted over $1000.00. We told them nope. Found your video, replaced the part and it worked. Thank you so much!
That’s so good that you saved your money instead of paying a plumber! A very inexpensive part to replace! I recently had a 2nd shower that this happened to and I knew exactly which part needed replacing. Thanks for sharing your story and nice work doing the job yourself!
It worked like a charm! Thank you for saving $$$. I would have paid at least $125 with the home warranty company and a wait time of over a week. Thanks again!
So glad you saved time and money doing this repair yourself. Actually pretty easy to do. I had a 2nd pressure balance unit go bad and I knew exactly what the problem was when it happened in my other bathroom.
I have a Kingston Brass shower unit, but your video was detailed enough to help me forge ahead. BTW, good call on suggesting to take special precautions not to drop the screws behind the wall. Thanks!!!
Oh whoa! I guess she didn’t believe you could do the repair! So glad you fixed your shower successfully! Great job doing it yourself! Thanks for watching!
Excellent video!! It was the only video that showed it was the pressure balancing part that was the issue and not the valve. Thanks a bunch. Saved me time, money and headaches!
I had the exact same issue with my American Standard shower handle. It started with a hammering sound and ultimately led to scalding hot or freezing cold water. Thanks for posting this video,
My shower controls when set in the middle between hot and cold would make the water pulse and the pipes would "bang" in the walls. This trick solved the problem. Paid $23 at home depot for the part that was in stock as well. Took me longer to drive to depot than it did to do the job. Thanks for sharing, the video was great. TH-cam comes thru again!
Excellent! Glad you got your shower faucet fixed! Yeah when I saw those little openings on the new pressure balance unit I immediately thought about my paint can opener. It’s like the perfect tool for this! Thanks for watching!
You’re welcome! So glad my faucet repair video was helpful! These parts are readily available at Lowes and Home Depot. I’m sure you’ll have no problem with this!
I had a slow leak from my downspout. As I watched the video and removed the trim I found one screw that holds the in place was loose. Tightened the screw and the drip stopped. Tanks for the video. ❤
Absolutely fantastic video! The use of the paint can opener is a massive tip! I sort of figured I could do this after watching someone else, but finding your video gives me the confidence that I can do this. thanks indeed!
Your video is amazing. All needed info was sweet and to the point. Thank you so much for your help. Shower now works again in less than 30 minutes of work, including watching the video.
You’re welcome! I’m really glad my video on how to replace the pressure balance unit on the shower helped! Nice work! And I’m glad you were able to do it quickly. I recently had to do this on another American Standard shower valve in another bathroom. I immediately recognized the problem and swapped out the defective part.
Incredibly helpful! Thank you! I replaced both the balancing unit and the cartridge. My symptom was a sudden lack of water. I suspect the old cartridge was fine, but it wasn't worth putting it back together and then taking it back apart again if I was wrong!
Excellent video. The step by step instructions are very easy to follow. Definitely appreciate the effort digitalcamproducer made to make so easy to understand. Thanks.
You’re welcome! Glad my shower faucet tutorial was helpful! Part of the reason I make my videos so detailed is because I may have to refer back to it myself someday. That way I can see exactly how I performed the repair. Thanks for watching!
Nice work! You look like a hero now! I recently had to do this repair in one of my other bathrooms. I immediately knew what the problem was this time. Thanks for watching!
Great Video, I appreciate you a ton. I had a handy man that left my shower dripping and I believe replacing these parts would fix the water leak. THANK YOU!
Great video thank you. Clear to follow and fixed the water hammer issues. However I have noted the shower handle has become very stiff, so I am hoping I do not have to replace the shower cartridge. Highly recommend Delta products in future as they stand by their life time warranty, replacing cartridges and parts.
Excellent! Really glad you were able to save money by doing the repair yourself! It’s definitely a nice feeling not needing to rely on a repairman! Thanks for watching!
Great video! I'm having the same issue with one of my showers (only getting scalding hot water) and this vid was a fantastic walk-through and clearly explained. Using the paint can opener was a genius move! Thank you for taking the time to make and post this video!
Ok soo I was checking everywhere and seen this clicked on it and it was exactly what I was looking for good 👍 info really helped my situation on my shower still in a bind but I know the part Number now
That’s great! I’m glad my video helped! I just had the same problem on another shower faucet and this time I knew exactly what I needed to do to fix it. Thanks for watching!
Very well done. How to videos should not have a lot of blah blah blah. You got great detailed shots of the work. Anyone should be able to follow this and then DO IT. Great work here!
Thanks for posting this, I did the original install when I purchased my home in 2007. but could not remember how that set screw was inserted or the Allen wrench size, found those details in the comments below, looked at HDepot & that part is 70 bucks, so I'm cleaning it up & greasing the o rings with vaseline & back in it's going. I can buy a new whole replacement for about the same, but it ain't gonna happen
Some towns/cities flush fire hydrants in the spring and when they do it releases a lot of rust and small pebble like contaminates that end up in our homes plumbing. This can attribute to issues with your faucets and bath/shower valves. Even a home with a well can get sand and small grains of pebbles that do this too. Just FYI to pinpoint some things that happen to cause issues similar to this.
This video is very helpful, thank you. One thing, I am getting stuck at finding the pathway in the allen wrench hole. My allen key keeps hitting metal right away. I have it turned up, too. The initial issue was that the handle will not turn right. Your video has it up and RIGHT -- does it need to be that way to get the allen wrench in? if anyone else is hitting metal or unable to to turn the handle right, would love to hear
By now you’ve probably solved your problem. But the faucet handle can be turned in any direction. Turn it to where you can access the set screw opening easily. Finding the angle of the set screw with an Allen wrench can be tricky though. But you will be able to do it after a few tries.
In your opinion, is it wise to turn the water back on before installing the outer plate so that you can see if there are any leaks before concealing everything? I'm paranoid about doing the repair and then having a leak behind the wall that I can't see. Thanks for your help. This is a great video!
As a mechanic, ive been showering in hotish water every day thats starting to dry my skin. Sooooo I'll be checking this out soon. Getting ready to replace my s22 ultra back glass screen tomorrow as well. 😂 when ur a mechanic, ur also a plumber, electronic tech, hvac tech, construction worker, etc
Update, turns out all i needed was to move the black little gear piece that adjusts how hot or cold the water gets. It came off when the handle fell off. (Been using vice grips for a year, on the valve) finally bought a new shower knob and its shining 😂
i bought a new cartridge set and installed it, but the water pressure was only a little better .. i tested the water with no valve in and it was strong coming out, but not too strong after installation
I have the exact same mode. I've taken out the set screw but the handle still won't come off. It's not even loosened. Still turns and moves like normal
Sorry you’re having issues removing the handle! That set screw should be the only thing holding it on. Maybe there’s corrosion inside making it stuck there. You could use a screwdriver handle and tap the base of the valve handle to see if you can loosen it up. Hope you find a way to get it off! Thanks for watching!
Hi! Do you know your model number by chance? I have the same handle and just need to replace the trim around it as it has cracked but cannot find the model number for the replacement part as it is very old.
There might be a problem in this video. I'm not sure. Do you notice that the old one had two green inserts and no black rubber rings around them. 3:14 The new ones do have rubber rings. And when you look inside the brass valve body, where the pressure balancing valve goes, there are two black rings inside from the old valve 3:36. I think you have to remove those two black rings because the new pressure balancing valve has them. They just seem to get stuck when you remove it. Am I mistaken?
You are correct. One other viewer noticed the old black rings still inside the pipe in the wall. After being made aware of that I rewatched my video and saw that. I think what happened was that I was too busy with getting the shots and I didn’t see the rubber rings still inside the back of the fixture. So I removed the valve and pressure balance unit at a later time and removed those gaskets that weren’t supposed to be in there. The new pressure balance unit already has them.
@@digitalcamproducer I took the old one apart and inside it was a mess. The rubber diaphragm had almost completely disintegrated. Furthermore, although the ceramic valve looks okay, The intake o-ring, which is not a standard round shape, was pretty disintegrated on the hot water side. I guess the rubber that they are using doesn't do that great in hot water. Luckily the American Standand warranty service sent me both the pressure balancer and the valve, without any challenges. They also sent me a new spout/diverter. I have to solder a new pipe to install the spout, that's my remaining piece of the project.
In my shower I was only getting hot water so I needed to change the pressure balance unit. I didn’t know anything about this before I made the repair. But the pressure balance unit was the problem. If you changed the cartridge and you still only get hot water… then the pressure balance unit is what you need to look at next. Hope this helps!
Actually please remove the old O-rings! I think when I was shooting this video I had too many other things on my mind and didn’t even see them at the time. After other people had commented about this same thing I opened up my shower valve and removed the old O-rings. Thanks for watching!
Just one note I thought I’d add: American Standard has a lifetime warrantee for their parts. If you know the model of your shower they will ship you the parts at no charge, you need to know the model of your shower control as there are different pressure balancers depending on your model.
Thanks for the tip! A while ago I made a repair video on a leaky kitchen faucet before and another commenter also told me that Delta has free replacement parts as well! However on my shower I needed it repaired right away so I went to Lowes for the part. Thanks for watching!
Sorry I didn't read this before buying a new one at HD. Incidentally, none of the AS replacement parts come with screws and the screws are very difficult to find so be extra careful in removing them. Also the brass retaining ring is not included in the packaging and is not available in HD. Be forwarned.
Absolutely. They shipped me the replacements. Seems like the hot water degrades the rubber diaphragm and the seal in the pressure balancer. I took mine apart afterwards and it was in very rough shape
Sorry I don’t have an answer for you about the Allen wrench size. I don’t really know. I just tried different sizes until I found one that fit. Hope you find one that works or ask to borrow a friend/neighbor’s wrenches to see if they have one you can use.
Yes! If the pressure balance unit is ok you can just replace the valve cartridge. I’m not a plumbing expert but that’s what I’d do. Only replace the part with that issue in this situation. Hope this helps!
@@digitalcamproducer Thank You! My main issue is that my faucet valve is calcified, and I don't feel like dissassembling the valve components to soak them in CLR.
Will this fix water pressure issue? My cartridge looks the same, I get almost zero water pressure to the shower, but everything else in the house works fine.
Hmmm! It’s hard to tell what to do without seeing your faucet handle. I’m definitely not an expert in plumbing and pretty much all the faucets I’ve seen have the small set screw underneath. There’s got to be a way to get that off. Sorry I’m not more help on this! Thanks for watching!
I’m not 100% sure about this but I would say the replacement of the pressure balance unit would probably fix your no hot water problem. The pressure balance unit regulates the distribution of hot and cold water so it would probably solve your problem. However do you have hot water in other places in your home? Check to see if the water heater is working just in case. As you saw in my video, replacing a pressure balance unit isn’t difficult to do. Plus the part is available at Lowes if you need one now. Hope this helps!
@@digitalcamproducer yes we do. It worked perfectly fine the day before. No issues moving from hot to cold and then the next day I couldn't get it to turn hot. Thanks so much! I'll order it now!
Oh! I didn’t know the issue was with the knob! If that’s the case it might be a problem with the valve which the knob is directly attached to. The valve is the part that comes out after the handle is removed. But I can’t imagine what made it stop moving to the left all of a sudden. I didn’t have all the information in the when I initially replied. So the pressure balance unit may not be the problem. That part is too far back in the wall to affect the movement of the knob.
Are they all the same part number for this brand? I order mines and the metal part I think is the retaining unit doesn't fit on the new part I ordered...what do I do.? Please help..
I’m not exactly sure but I would think that any of the American Standard shower fixtures made in last 20 years would use the same part. I’m not an expert at this. The only way that I found out what I needed was to take it out and visually confirm it. Sorry I’m not more help!
In my shower when you turn the shower all the way to hot it only gets warm and never super hot, so is the problem the pressure balance unit or the faucet cartridge?
Great video! Will swapping this help with low pressure on the tub and shower? This is the only bathroom with low pressure and all of the valves are open all the way. Thanks again!
I’m not exactly sure if changing the pressure balance unit will help increase the water pressure on your tub and shower. It’s possible this could help. But on mine I was having non-existent cold water and water pressure was not affected on my shower. I’m not an expert in plumbing this was just my DIY on fixing my water temperature problem. If you have the same fixtures in your other bathroom maybe you can swap out the pressure balance units to see if anything changes. However you’re doing twice the work to test it out. Sorry I’m not more helpful!
I did this last August and for some reason 3 mths later it started leaking, damaged the ceiling below. I have another unit coming from American Standard again, still don't understand why it leaked. Hoping for better results.
@@digitalcamproducer Yes, re did it and the leak is worse. Parts are scheduled to arrive from American Standard on Tuesday, fingers crossed. I did this process yrs ago and it worked, I think this may just be a lemon, thx.
great comprehensive video! I should have see this before I took out my valve pressure balancing unit (especially how it looked a lot easier with a paint can opener!). One note. When you removed the OLD pressure balancing unit there were NO rubber rings at the end if it, as the two (2) rubber rings were still inside the metal frame/cavity. The NEW pressure balancing unit had its two (2) rubber rings on it at the end. This made me think when you installed the NEW pressure balancing unit you would have had an extra set in the wall. Is that the intention and does that provide a better seal?
You’re very observant! I rewatched my video and it barely showed those rubber rings! You’re right that there were 2 rubber rings in the wall. I think I saw them when I installed the new pressure balance unit but assumed they were supposed to be in the wall. For some reason I still have my old pressure balance unit around and just looked at the back. And sure enough there were no rubber rings on it. So the ones in the wall probably came off when I pulled the old unit out? I’m not entirely sure? But I haven’t had any problems with my shower since I put the new one in. I think at the time I assumed those gaskets in the wall were supposed to be there. Now I have to look at other videos and see if I can tell what other people did! Thanks for watching!
Awesome video. Great details and very helpful! But how do you ID the replacement unit if you only have the old pressure balancing unit. Is there a part number somewhere?
I didn’t have a part number when I replaced my pressure balance unit. I took the old one with me to Lowes and just compared it through the packaging. I think I showed the part number in the video when I got the shot of the new one. That’s how I found the right part.
To be honest I didn’t know about the pressure balance unit until I opened up my shower fixture. I thought there was only a valve in there. It’s possible that much older fixtures didn’t have them but I can’t be sure. I’m just a regular guy that fixes things as they break. And I’m definitely not a plumber! But replacing the pressure balance unit in my shower fixed my problem.
I dont expect a reply, but how the hell were you able to so easily locate the set screw? I had to get in there with a flashlight to see if I was actually turning the screw or rubbing metal. I guess everything looks easy until you gotta do it yourself.
Each manufacturer will have a different pressure balancing unit. You’ll need to know the brand of shower valve you have installed in your bathroom. Best way to tell is to take yours out and compare with pictures on online stores or go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and physically compare what you have with what’s in the store. By the way if you don’t have a shut off specifically for your shower then you’ll have to have the water shut off for your whole house until you get your shower valve reassembled. Hope this helps!
My American standard unit doesn't have have a separate replacement balancing cartridge, it's all one unit, must be an early version. The mixture cartridge replacement unit swapped out easily but it looks like I have to change the whole faucet. Good times.
Sounds like it’s gonna be a bit more work for you to solve your faucet issue. Yeah never fun when it turns out to be a bigger task than when you first started out.
good video, my current issue is when i turn handle all the way to full hot the water is slightly hot (enough to shower) if you move the handle back and forth enough the full hot comes eventually, do you think this is the balancing unit or just the pressure balance cartridge. thx
I’m definitely not an expert on shower plumbing but to me it seems like an issue with the pressure balance unit. However, when your full hot comes back on is it extremely hot and scalding? Mine was 100% hot to cause pain no matter what position I set the valve to.
@@digitalcamproducer thx, well since i posted i have replaced the cartridge, but my prob is still present, so i have now ordered the balancing unit (that has to be the culprit here) right now as i wait im still able to shower but as mentioned i have to move the handle around full hot then half way or close then full hot etc, the full hot eventually comes. if my shower handle is all the way up to full hot, obviously too hot to shower but as per normal situations you just back off the handle (about half way or bit more) there's nothing more to replace, so im pretty confident the bal unit will solve the problem here, thx again
I hope someone can help... my little girl broke the handle. I had switched out the shower head because the hose ripped and right after that the tub handle became hard to turn on and off. After a few uses it totally stopped working and the water was stuck in the on position with the handle just moving but not controlling on/off or water temp. I shut the pipe off in the basement because I couldn't get it off. I was able to unscrew the handle part but I don't know what to do next. It's not a leak issue or temp issue and that's the only videos I'm finding. Can someone please help?
Sorry for the late response! Your comment was added about 2 weeks ago so I’m sure you found a solution or got a plumber to help by now. But it sounds like it’s a valve problem. The part attached to the front of the pressure balance unit. If you replace the valve it will probably fix you let problem! Hope you got it working!
@@digitalcamproducer hey thank you! I've been blessed to have two bathrooms so we just haven't used that one. I was thinking today it was the valve thank you for the confirmation!
Can anybody help me I have this system but all I’m getting is super hot or medium hot …. But I can’t get cold unless I turn on the bathroom sink faucet hot water on then the shower gets cold
Hope you found a way to remove your faucet handle. I’ve not run into a handle that didn’t have the set screw so I’m not sure how those come off. Hopefully you got it figured out!
I would add a step at 3:37 --briefly turn the water back on. It will shoot into the shower but also clear anything which might have caused the blockage in the firs place.
Hmmm! I think another commenter also couldn’t locate the set screw! It’s been a couple of weeks since you left this comment but hopefully you were able to get the handle off!
Great informative video. I am only having a drip, every 12 seconds(I can be anal sometimes😊). Are there just o rings or seals I can replace, or replace the whole unit? Thank you again.
On the pressure balance unit it comes with 2 o-rings attached to the back of it. I’m not a plumbing expert but it you’re having a slow drip then I think you might need to replace the shower cartridge instead. That’s the first part I removed in the video. The part that the handle attaches directly to. All these parts are available at Lowes and Home Depot. Hope this helps!
Someone else mentioned the old O rings as well. I actually didn’t notice it at the time I shot this. Sometimes I have a lot going on when shooting these repair videos and forgot about the rings. I had the old O rings still in there for months and didn’t have a problem. But I eventually opened it back up and removed the old rings just so it’s a proper installation. So definitely remove the old rings! Hope this helps!
It worked! My husband and I had initially called a plumber who wanted to replace the entire shower unit, stating they don't repair the American Standard brand. They wanted over $1000.00. We told them nope. Found your video, replaced the part and it worked. Thank you so much!
That’s so good that you saved your money instead of paying a plumber! A very inexpensive part to replace! I recently had a 2nd shower that this happened to and I knew exactly which part needed replacing. Thanks for sharing your story and nice work doing the job yourself!
It worked like a charm! Thank you for saving $$$. I would have paid at least $125 with the home warranty company and a wait time of over a week. Thanks again!
So glad you saved time and money doing this repair yourself. Actually pretty easy to do. I had a 2nd pressure balance unit go bad and I knew exactly what the problem was when it happened in my other bathroom.
You saved my Christmas and $1000. Thank you.
I struggled to find a video that dealt with my specific issue until I stumbled on yours. Thanks so much for this helpful tutorial!
You’re welcome! Glad my video helped solve your faucet issue!
I have a Kingston Brass shower unit, but your video was detailed enough to help me forge ahead. BTW, good call on suggesting to take special precautions not to drop the screws behind the wall. Thanks!!!
Excellent! I’m glad my instructions helped even though you had a different shower unit. Nice work!
Thanks you! My wife literally stood next to me tapping her foot while I did this. Crazy! You helped me not to hear a load of complaints. 😁
Oh whoa! I guess she didn’t believe you could do the repair! So glad you fixed your shower successfully! Great job doing it yourself! Thanks for watching!
Yea, that's all of us husbands...mine grimaces and smirks, too.
Excellent video!! It was the only video that showed it was the pressure balancing part that was the issue and not the valve. Thanks a bunch. Saved me time, money and headaches!
Thank you for your video. It helped me out on my shower faucet issue, thanks.
I had the exact same issue with my American Standard shower handle. It started with a hammering sound and ultimately led to scalding hot or freezing cold water. Thanks for posting this video,
You’re welcome! I’m really glad my video was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Best one I've seen! Thanks so much for this. Concise yet complete. Great video.
You’re welcome! Glad my shower repair tutorial was helpful! Thanks for watching!
My shower controls when set in the middle between hot and cold would make the water pulse and the pipes would "bang" in the walls. This trick solved the problem. Paid $23 at home depot for the part that was in stock as well. Took me longer to drive to depot than it did to do the job. Thanks for sharing, the video was great. TH-cam comes thru again!
Excellent! So glad you got your plumbing problem fixed! Plus the satisfaction of saving money by doing it yourself! Thanks for watching!
@digitalcamproducer no doubt about it, always feels that much better when you can fix it yourself!
This video was a huge help, had same issue with my American Standard, paint can opener was a game changer. Thank you
Excellent! Glad you got your shower faucet fixed! Yeah when I saw those little openings on the new pressure balance unit I immediately thought about my paint can opener. It’s like the perfect tool for this! Thanks for watching!
Outstanding video!! Thank you taking the time to post. Off I go to purchase replacement parts. Thanks!!!
You’re welcome! So glad my faucet repair video was helpful! These parts are readily available at Lowes and Home Depot. I’m sure you’ll have no problem with this!
Thank you so much for being a Professor at TH-cam University! Much appreciated tutorial
Thank you for showing me exactly how to remove the back cartridge. I knew it came out.
You’re welcome! Using paint can tool really helps to remove the pressure balance unit in the back. Glad my video helped! Thanks for watching!
I had a slow leak from my downspout. As I watched the video and removed the trim I found one screw that holds the in place was loose. Tightened the screw and the drip stopped. Tanks for the video. ❤
That is good to hear! Glad you fixed your problem by just tightening a loose screw. The easiest kind of DIY! Thanks for watching!
Absolutely fantastic video! The use of the paint can opener is a massive tip! I sort of figured I could do this after watching someone else, but finding your video gives me the confidence that I can do this. thanks indeed!
Your video is amazing. All needed info was sweet and to the point. Thank you so much for your help. Shower now works again in less than 30 minutes of work, including watching the video.
You’re welcome! I’m really glad my video on how to replace the pressure balance unit on the shower helped! Nice work! And I’m glad you were able to do it quickly. I recently had to do this on another American Standard shower valve in another bathroom. I immediately recognized the problem and swapped out the defective part.
Incredibly helpful! Thank you! I replaced both the balancing unit and the cartridge. My symptom was a sudden lack of water. I suspect the old cartridge was fine, but it wasn't worth putting it back together and then taking it back apart again if I was wrong!
Excellent video. The step by step instructions are very easy to follow. Definitely appreciate the effort digitalcamproducer made to make so easy to understand. Thanks.
You’re welcome! Glad my shower faucet tutorial was helpful! Part of the reason I make my videos so detailed is because I may have to refer back to it myself someday. That way I can see exactly how I performed the repair. Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much you just save me a bunch of headaches. Thank you for your video.
Excellent video, helped me save my face with my wife😊
Nice work! You look like a hero now! I recently had to do this repair in one of my other bathrooms. I immediately knew what the problem was this time. Thanks for watching!
Great Video, I appreciate you a ton. I had a handy man that left my shower dripping and I believe replacing these parts would fix the water leak. THANK YOU!
It worked, the leak was stopped and it only took minutes.
Excellent! I’m glad my shower faucet tutorial helped you get your leak fixed! Nice work!
Very informative and clear, great camerawork and tips to avoid mistakes.
You’re welcome! Glad my shower repair video was helpful!
Great video thank you. Clear to follow and fixed the water hammer issues. However I have noted the shower handle has become very stiff, so I am hoping I do not have to replace the shower cartridge. Highly recommend Delta products in future as they stand by their life time warranty, replacing cartridges and parts.
Glad my video helped! Not sure why your shower handle has become stiff. Maybe the front cartridge needs replacing as you mentioned.
Found your video as I had the exact same problem! Got it fixed! Thank you!
You’re welcome! So glad my shower repair tutorial helped! Nice work! Thanks for watching!
Very helpful. I had the same issues, bought the parts myself and went all out Bob Vila in the bathroom and saved myself some cash. 👍🏽
Excellent! Really glad you were able to save money by doing the repair yourself! It’s definitely a nice feeling not needing to rely on a repairman! Thanks for watching!
Great video! I'm having the same issue with one of my showers (only getting scalding hot water) and this vid was a fantastic walk-through and clearly explained. Using the paint can opener was a genius move! Thank you for taking the time to make and post this video!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you were able to get your shower fixed! Thanks for watching!
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Great video. Lots of helpful hints, like using the paint can opener to remove the cartridge.
Glad you enjoyed my shower repair tutorial! Yeah that paint can opener came in very handy on this one! Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for your video
Glad it was helpful!
Ok soo I was checking everywhere and seen this clicked on it and it was exactly what I was looking for good 👍 info really helped my situation on my shower still in a bind but I know the part Number now
That’s great! I’m glad my video helped! I just had the same problem on another shower faucet and this time I knew exactly what I needed to do to fix it. Thanks for watching!
Very well done. How to videos should not have a lot of blah blah blah. You got great detailed shots of the work. Anyone should be able to follow this and then DO IT. Great work here!
Excellent video - Thank you
You’re welcome! Glad my shower repair video was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Super useful, great video, thanks.
Thanks for posting this, I did the original install when I purchased my home in 2007. but could not remember how that set screw was inserted or the Allen wrench size, found those details in the comments below, looked at HDepot & that part is 70 bucks, so I'm cleaning it up & greasing the o rings with vaseline & back in it's going. I can buy a new whole replacement for about the same, but it ain't gonna happen
Nice! Really glad my shower faucet tutorial was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the help!
Some towns/cities flush fire hydrants in the spring and when they do it releases a lot of rust and small pebble like contaminates that end up in our homes plumbing. This can attribute to issues with your faucets and bath/shower valves. Even a home with a well can get sand and small grains of pebbles that do this too. Just FYI to pinpoint some things that happen to cause issues similar to this.
This video is very helpful, thank you. One thing, I am getting stuck at finding the pathway in the allen wrench hole. My allen key keeps hitting metal right away. I have it turned up, too. The initial issue was that the handle will not turn right. Your video has it up and RIGHT -- does it need to be that way to get the allen wrench in? if anyone else is hitting metal or unable to to turn the handle right, would love to hear
By now you’ve probably solved your problem. But the faucet handle can be turned in any direction. Turn it to where you can access the set screw opening easily. Finding the angle of the set screw with an Allen wrench can be tricky though. But you will be able to do it after a few tries.
In your opinion, is it wise to turn the water back on before installing the outer plate so that you can see if there are any leaks before concealing everything?
I'm paranoid about doing the repair and then having a leak behind the wall that I can't see.
Thanks for your help. This is a great video!
I think it would be ok to turn the water back on before you put the outer cover on. That piece is just for looks! Hope this helps!
As a mechanic, ive been showering in hotish water every day thats starting to dry my skin. Sooooo I'll be checking this out soon. Getting ready to replace my s22 ultra back glass screen tomorrow as well. 😂 when ur a mechanic, ur also a plumber, electronic tech, hvac tech, construction worker, etc
Update, turns out all i needed was to move the black little gear piece that adjusts how hot or cold the water gets. It came off when the handle fell off. (Been using vice grips for a year, on the valve) finally bought a new shower knob and its shining 😂
Awesome video, thank you very much!!
Thank you sir, exactly what I need.
i bought a new cartridge set and installed it, but the water pressure was only a little better .. i tested the water with no valve in and it was strong coming out, but not too strong after installation
EXELLENT SOLID VIDEO.
So glad my shower repair video was helpful!
I have the exact same mode. I've taken out the set screw but the handle still won't come off. It's not even loosened. Still turns and moves like normal
Sorry you’re having issues removing the handle! That set screw should be the only thing holding it on. Maybe there’s corrosion inside making it stuck there. You could use a screwdriver handle and tap the base of the valve handle to see if you can loosen it up. Hope you find a way to get it off! Thanks for watching!
@@digitalcamproducer I'll give that a try. Thanks for the response!
what is the size of the allen key that you use to take handle off
Hi! Do you know your model number by chance? I have the same handle and just need to replace the trim around it as it has cracked but cannot find the model number for the replacement part as it is very old.
I actually don’t know the model number of the faucet. My plumber installed 3 of these but have no idea of the model number.
Thank you for your video it help me out
You’re welcome! Glad you were able to get your shower faucet repaired! Thanks for watching!
There might be a problem in this video. I'm not sure. Do you notice that the old one had two green inserts and no black rubber rings around them. 3:14 The new ones do have rubber rings. And when you look inside the brass valve body, where the pressure balancing valve goes, there are two black rings inside from the old valve 3:36. I think you have to remove those two black rings because the new pressure balancing valve has them. They just seem to get stuck when you remove it. Am I mistaken?
You are correct. One other viewer noticed the old black rings still inside the pipe in the wall. After being made aware of that I rewatched my video and saw that. I think what happened was that I was too busy with getting the shots and I didn’t see the rubber rings still inside the back of the fixture. So I removed the valve and pressure balance unit at a later time and removed those gaskets that weren’t supposed to be in there. The new pressure balance unit already has them.
@@digitalcamproducer I took the old one apart and inside it was a mess. The rubber diaphragm had almost completely disintegrated. Furthermore, although the ceramic valve looks okay, The intake o-ring, which is not a standard round shape, was pretty disintegrated on the hot water side. I guess the rubber that they are using doesn't do that great in hot water. Luckily the American Standand warranty service sent me both the pressure balancer and the valve, without any challenges. They also sent me a new spout/diverter. I have to solder a new pipe to install the spout, that's my remaining piece of the project.
I change my cartouche and i only have hot water with any ajust in red plastic ? I need to change te peace of presure?
In my shower I was only getting hot water so I needed to change the pressure balance unit. I didn’t know anything about this before I made the repair. But the pressure balance unit was the problem. If you changed the cartridge and you still only get hot water… then the pressure balance unit is what you need to look at next. Hope this helps!
I noticed you didn’t remove the previous orings is it normal to leave it ?
Actually please remove the old O-rings! I think when I was shooting this video I had too many other things on my mind and didn’t even see them at the time. After other people had commented about this same thing I opened up my shower valve and removed the old O-rings. Thanks for watching!
@@digitalcamproducerI also was wondering the same , do you know what size or spec are the o-rings ?
Just one note I thought I’d add: American Standard has a lifetime warrantee for their parts. If you know the model of your shower they will ship you the parts at no charge, you need to know the model of your shower control as there are different pressure balancers depending on your model.
Thanks for the tip! A while ago I made a repair video on a leaky kitchen faucet before and another commenter also told me that Delta has free replacement parts as well! However on my shower I needed it repaired right away so I went to Lowes for the part. Thanks for watching!
Sorry I didn't read this before buying a new one at HD. Incidentally, none of the AS replacement parts come with screws and the screws are very difficult to find so be extra careful in removing them. Also the brass retaining ring is not included in the packaging and is not available in HD. Be forwarned.
Absolutely. They shipped me the replacements. Seems like the hot water degrades the rubber diaphragm and the seal in the pressure balancer. I took mine apart afterwards and it was in very rough shape
How do I find out what model I have?
Great video, thanks !!!
You’re welcome! Glad my shower valve repair tutorial was helpful! Thanks for watching!
What size Allen wrench do I need to remove the handle? I tried the ones I have, but seem to work.
Sorry I don’t have an answer for you about the Allen wrench size. I don’t really know. I just tried different sizes until I found one that fit. Hope you find one that works or ask to borrow a friend/neighbor’s wrenches to see if they have one you can use.
I used a size 2.5 for mine!
What size Allen ranch did you use?
2.5 mm and you have to open faucet when taking the screw off.
If my pressure balancing unit works fine, can I just replace the valve cartridge? Is it best to replace both?
Yes! If the pressure balance unit is ok you can just replace the valve cartridge. I’m not a plumbing expert but that’s what I’d do. Only replace the part with that issue in this situation. Hope this helps!
@@digitalcamproducer Thank You! My main issue is that my faucet valve is calcified, and I don't feel like dissassembling the valve components to soak them in CLR.
Can I use a different pressure balance unit if the original is no longer available?
Is there a trick on removing the front chrome valve i took out the set screw but i can't seem to remove it
Thank you so much!!!
You’re welcome! Glad my shower repair tutorial was helpful!
Will this fix water pressure issue? My cartridge looks the same, I get almost zero water pressure to the shower, but everything else in the house works fine.
My handle only has a hole on the front of it. Not the top or bottom if that makes sense. How do I get it off?
Hmmm! It’s hard to tell what to do without seeing your faucet handle. I’m definitely not an expert in plumbing and pretty much all the faucets I’ve seen have the small set screw underneath. There’s got to be a way to get that off. Sorry I’m not more help on this! Thanks for watching!
So would this repair also fix the faucet not turning to hot? Ours won't turn hot any longer, just lukewarm or cold
I’m not 100% sure about this but I would say the replacement of the pressure balance unit would probably fix your no hot water problem. The pressure balance unit regulates the distribution of hot and cold water so it would probably solve your problem. However do you have hot water in other places in your home? Check to see if the water heater is working just in case. As you saw in my video, replacing a pressure balance unit isn’t difficult to do. Plus the part is available at Lowes if you need one now. Hope this helps!
@@digitalcamproducer yes we do. It worked perfectly fine the day before. No issues moving from hot to cold and then the next day I couldn't get it to turn hot. Thanks so much! I'll order it now!
I am unable to physically turn the tub faucet to the left. It won't budge past the middle
Oh! I didn’t know the issue was with the knob! If that’s the case it might be a problem with the valve which the knob is directly attached to. The valve is the part that comes out after the handle is removed. But I can’t imagine what made it stop moving to the left all of a sudden. I didn’t have all the information in the when I initially replied. So the pressure balance unit may not be the problem. That part is too far back in the wall to affect the movement of the knob.
What if cap is not coming out..??
Are they all the same part number for this brand? I order mines and the metal part I think is the retaining unit doesn't fit on the new part I ordered...what do I do.? Please help..
I’m not exactly sure but I would think that any of the American Standard shower fixtures made in last 20 years would use the same part. I’m not an expert at this. The only way that I found out what I needed was to take it out and visually confirm it. Sorry I’m not more help!
In my shower when you turn the shower all the way to hot it only gets warm and never super hot, so is the problem the pressure balance unit or the faucet cartridge?
Great video! Will swapping this help with low pressure on the tub and shower? This is the only bathroom with low pressure and all of the valves are open all the way. Thanks again!
I’m not exactly sure if changing the pressure balance unit will help increase the water pressure on your tub and shower. It’s possible this could help. But on mine I was having non-existent cold water and water pressure was not affected on my shower. I’m not an expert in plumbing this was just my DIY on fixing my water temperature problem. If you have the same fixtures in your other bathroom maybe you can swap out the pressure balance units to see if anything changes. However you’re doing twice the work to test it out. Sorry I’m not more helpful!
I did this last August and for some reason 3 mths later it started leaking, damaged the ceiling below. I have another unit coming from American Standard again, still don't understand why it leaked. Hoping for better results.
Sorry you had a leak from this! Maybe the pressure balance unit wasn’t seated properly? Check the seals. Hopefully when you redid it the leak is gone.
@@digitalcamproducer Yes, re did it and the leak is worse. Parts are scheduled to arrive from American Standard on Tuesday, fingers crossed. I did this process yrs ago and it worked, I think this may just be a lemon, thx.
what keeps water from entering the cartridge cover and draining into the wall?
great comprehensive video! I should have see this before I took out my valve pressure balancing unit (especially how it looked a lot easier with a paint can opener!). One note. When you removed the OLD pressure balancing unit there were NO rubber rings at the end if it, as the two (2) rubber rings were still inside the metal frame/cavity. The NEW pressure balancing unit had its two (2) rubber rings on it at the end. This made me think when you installed the NEW pressure balancing unit you would have had an extra set in the wall. Is that the intention and does that provide a better seal?
You’re very observant! I rewatched my video and it barely showed those rubber rings! You’re right that there were 2 rubber rings in the wall. I think I saw them when I installed the new pressure balance unit but assumed they were supposed to be in the wall. For some reason I still have my old pressure balance unit around and just looked at the back. And sure enough there were no rubber rings on it. So the ones in the wall probably came off when I pulled the old unit out? I’m not entirely sure? But I haven’t had any problems with my shower since I put the new one in. I think at the time I assumed those gaskets in the wall were supposed to be there. Now I have to look at other videos and see if I can tell what other people did! Thanks for watching!
Awesome video. Great details and very helpful! But how do you ID the replacement unit if you only have the old pressure balancing unit. Is there a part number somewhere?
I didn’t have a part number when I replaced my pressure balance unit. I took the old one with me to Lowes and just compared it through the packaging. I think I showed the part number in the video when I got the shot of the new one. That’s how I found the right part.
Is this a standard part on all shower units?
To be honest I didn’t know about the pressure balance unit until I opened up my shower fixture. I thought there was only a valve in there. It’s possible that much older fixtures didn’t have them but I can’t be sure. I’m just a regular guy that fixes things as they break. And I’m definitely not a plumber! But replacing the pressure balance unit in my shower fixed my problem.
I dont expect a reply, but how the hell were you able to so easily locate the set screw? I had to get in there with a flashlight to see if I was actually turning the screw or rubbing metal. I guess everything looks easy until you gotta do it yourself.
What size is the allen wrench?
is the Shower Valve Pressure Balancing Unit universal? I need to fix mine asap. Just getting hot water
Each manufacturer will have a different pressure balancing unit. You’ll need to know the brand of shower valve you have installed in your bathroom. Best way to tell is to take yours out and compare with pictures on online stores or go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and physically compare what you have with what’s in the store. By the way if you don’t have a shut off specifically for your shower then you’ll have to have the water shut off for your whole house until you get your shower valve reassembled. Hope this helps!
My American standard unit doesn't have have a separate replacement balancing cartridge, it's all one unit, must be an early version. The mixture cartridge replacement unit swapped out easily but it looks like I have to change the whole faucet. Good times.
Sounds like it’s gonna be a bit more work for you to solve your faucet issue. Yeah never fun when it turns out to be a bigger task than when you first started out.
@digitalcamproducer might have a workaround, but I replaced the mixer cartridge anyway and it seems to be working. Go figure.
good video, my current issue is when i turn handle all the way to full hot the water is slightly hot (enough to shower) if you move the handle back and forth enough the full hot comes eventually, do you think this is the balancing unit or just the pressure balance cartridge. thx
I’m definitely not an expert on shower plumbing but to me it seems like an issue with the pressure balance unit. However, when your full hot comes back on is it extremely hot and scalding? Mine was 100% hot to cause pain no matter what position I set the valve to.
@@digitalcamproducer thx, well since i posted i have replaced the cartridge, but my prob is still present, so i have now ordered the balancing unit (that has to be the culprit here) right now as i wait im still able to shower but as mentioned i have to move the handle around full hot then half way or close then full hot etc, the full hot eventually comes. if my shower handle is all the way up to full hot, obviously too hot to shower but as per normal situations you just back off the handle (about half way or bit more) there's nothing more to replace, so im pretty confident the bal unit will solve the problem here, thx again
@@digitalcamproducer and yeah when the full hot comes back on its 100% hot. but i just back off the handle and its fine
@@digitalcamproducer replaced balancing unit today and......success 👍👍
Do you HAVE to turn off your water pipes for this?
Yes! You will need to shut off the water to your house before you do this repair.
@@digitalcamproducer okay then. Thank you.
Is it necessary to grease any of the O rings?
I hope someone can help... my little girl broke the handle. I had switched out the shower head because the hose ripped and right after that the tub handle became hard to turn on and off. After a few uses it totally stopped working and the water was stuck in the on position with the handle just moving but not controlling on/off or water temp. I shut the pipe off in the basement because I couldn't get it off. I was able to unscrew the handle part but I don't know what to do next. It's not a leak issue or temp issue and that's the only videos I'm finding. Can someone please help?
Sorry for the late response! Your comment was added about 2 weeks ago so I’m sure you found a solution or got a plumber to help by now. But it sounds like it’s a valve problem. The part attached to the front of the pressure balance unit. If you replace the valve it will probably fix you let problem! Hope you got it working!
@@digitalcamproducer hey thank you! I've been blessed to have two bathrooms so we just haven't used that one. I was thinking today it was the valve thank you for the confirmation!
Is it possible to pre set so it doesn’t turn all the way to hot?
Wait why shut off the main when you can (theoretically?) turn off the water at the shower?
I removed the set screw and the handle still won’t come off
What size should the allen wrench be??
It's 3/32. It was the third smallest key in my hex key set.
Can anybody help me I have this system but all I’m getting is super hot or medium hot …. But I can’t get cold unless I turn on the bathroom sink faucet hot water on then the shower gets cold
Looks easy
Thanks
What size allen wrench?
I'm at 1:15 and mine does not have a hole......oh my god.
Hope you found a way to remove your faucet handle. I’ve not run into a handle that didn’t have the set screw so I’m not sure how those come off. Hopefully you got it figured out!
What size alen wrench
I have the same question.
I would add a step at 3:37 --briefly turn the water back on. It will shoot into the shower but also clear anything which might have caused the blockage in the firs place.
Mi e has NO screw. I've looked at hundreds of videos.....
Hmmm! I think another commenter also couldn’t locate the set screw! It’s been a couple of weeks since you left this comment but hopefully you were able to get the handle off!
@@digitalcamproducer yeah, I grinder the thing off. I hate plumbing so much.
Great informative video. I am only having a drip, every 12 seconds(I can be anal sometimes😊). Are there just o rings or seals I can replace, or replace the whole unit? Thank you again.
On the pressure balance unit it comes with 2 o-rings attached to the back of it. I’m not a plumbing expert but it you’re having a slow drip then I think you might need to replace the shower cartridge instead. That’s the first part I removed in the video. The part that the handle attaches directly to. All these parts are available at Lowes and Home Depot. Hope this helps!
Helps very much, thank you!
Try it when is old & all full of calcium deposits!
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I noticed that you didn’t remove the old rings, would that cause any issues?
Someone else mentioned the old O rings as well. I actually didn’t notice it at the time I shot this. Sometimes I have a lot going on when shooting these repair videos and forgot about the rings. I had the old O rings still in there for months and didn’t have a problem. But I eventually opened it back up and removed the old rings just so it’s a proper installation. So definitely remove the old rings! Hope this helps!