Simplest route to fix thermostatic shower mixer plumbed in reverse

cybergibbons

I've recently moved into a new rented house, and one of the first things I noticed was that the shower upstairs was behaving like it was plumbed the wrong way round - i.e. the water is either hot or totally cold, with a instant switch between the two.

I took the shower face plate off, and despite the inlets AND pipes both being labelled, someone still plumbed it in the wrong way round.

I wouldn't be so bothered but it means the water temperature on the boiler needs turning up for washing up and down for showers.

I know how to fix it, and if it was my own placed I would do... but I can't see my landlord seeing it like that.

The main issues are, as in a lot of houses, there was no access panel or shut-off valves installed. So it would involve removing tiles and a section of plasterboard, plumbing it in correctly, and then making good.

There's unfortunately no other place in the house where the two pipes could just be swapped.

The valve itself is getting on a bit and is a cheap no-name to start with. Again, if I was doing it I would replace it at this time.

What would people say is the easiest and cheapest resolution to the problem? I'd quite like to get a quote and offer to split it with the landlord so he's more likely to get the work done.

andrew-b

Alot of shower valves can be fitted with the supplies either way round with minor modification to the valve body. If you can identify your shower valve that may help...perhaps post a picture as someone here may be able to identify it. Our Grohe shower valve the supplies can be reversed by simply turning the whole valve upside down, taking the control knobs off and screwing them back on the other way and swapping the side of the outlet to the shower head from what becomes the top to what becomes the bottom.

Either way it should be the landlords responsibility to sort it.

cybergibbons

Unfortunately there's not even enough space around the valve to be able to turn it round, but even then I don't think it is of the type where you can do this. I did take it apart to a certain extent to try to see if there was anyway of changing it round, and there doesn't appear to be.

On looking at it, the tiles aren't anything special - I think the easiest route would be to replace it with a surface mounted mixer.

ormus

the common mira type body can be turned upside down. just means the shower hose connects at the bottom. and the dial is upside down.

cybergibbons

Unfortunately my camera wasn't working when I took it apart. It's not marked anywhere I can see with a name.

It's a two knob mixer. The left hand is the flow, right the temperature. The flow knob goes into the body, and then using two gears, turns an independent valve for both the hot and cold.

The tempeature knob works by the knob being threaded to the body, and then pressing on a button to move the thermostatic valve.

The body is mainly brass. Hot and cold are marked with dabs of paint blue and red.

The outlet is on the right hand side, and comes out of the tiles about a foot away. It's got scald protection as well, judging by the instantaneous response when moving from hot to cold.