Or at least knowledgeable home handypeople? I’m a total dork about stuff like this.
We live in a 25 year old house. If we screw up and flush the toilet in the back bathroom while someone is taking a shower in the same bathroom, we will scald them. All of the cold water seems to be diverted to the toilet and we get pure hot water out of the shower. I’m told that there is a simple, one-way valve or something like that which can be installed, but as I said, I’m a dork about this.
What’s the nature of the valve and where should it be installed? And should I risk trying it myself or call out a plumber and give him/her my daughter’s next college tuition payment to install it for me?
Not a plumber. Anti-scald shower valves are now pretty standard, though as this article makes clear, there are two different kinds – the ordinary kind, and the expensive kind. The ordinary kind should work, it seems to me, since it’s what most people have. Assuming your shower is reasonably standard (and given the age of your house, that’s a defensible assumption), replacing the shower valve should be no problem. A couple hundred bucks, maybe? “Shower valve” here just means the thing you use to adjust the temperature of the water. I’m guessing yours is an all-in-one arrangement, rather than separate taps.
You can get a very good anti-scald (and generally anti-freeze is part of the deal) shower valve for under $100. Problem is that there’s more than $100 in labor to change the things, mainly because they’re hidden inside a wall.
If you’re already thinking of a bathroom remodel, great. If not, depending on what’s on the other side of the wall behind the existing shower valve, it may be better to attack from behind. If it’s something like a closet - go in through the closet wall, rather than busting up the tub surround. If you’re careful, you can should be able to cut a rectangular piece of sheetrock out of the hypothetical closet wall and re-use it once the shower is finished, rather than simply bashing a hole with a hammer.
If you’re an avid do-it-yourselfer, and know how to sweat copper pipe inside a wall without burning the house down, go for it. (Assuming your plumbing is copper, rather than threaded steel)
If your do-it-yourselfing is limited to changing light bulbs and calling people saying “I think I need a new whatsis” call a plumber.
If you’re really lucky, such an “access door” is built into the back of the closet already. Like in my parents house.
But that’s more common in 50-75 year old houses, not 25. They had started cutting corners on house construction back then. (And are continuing to do so now.)
Sounds to me like there is a restriction to water flow which then means that supplies cannot be maintained for both the shower and toilet, or perhaps your water pressure is too low, amounts to the same thing really.
My guess is that the pipework that feeds both is on the same line.
You could try restricting the flow to the toilet, perhaps there is such a device already made, but I can’t say I’ve seen one in a cold water line.
Another way is to increase the pipe size up to the first user, but the most likely way is to seperate them and have differant lines running to each.
I’ve never heard of anyone doing this, nor have I ever done it…But what if you were to partially close the valve for the toilet. Seems to me that if it fills slower it won’t take as much water and therefore not get AS hot in the shower. The two main drawbacks I see though are the tank filling up much slower (duh) and unless you get the valve set just right, it’ll probably be loud. Of course I’m guessing this method won’t or it would be more commonly known.
No, there really should be no reason that this wouldn’t work. I would assume it is not done more often because the “taking shower + someone flush thing” just really doesn’t happen that often and it is not worth the slow tank fill to solve.
Thanks to everyone for the responses. I’m going to close down the input to the toilet about 50% to start out with. If that doesn’t work, I’m goin’ out for bids to install the anti-scald valve.