How To Adjust Water Temperature In Shower

Subsequently a long 24-hour interval of working on dwelling house improvements, there's nothing more satisfying than taking a nice hot shower.

Even so, that satisfaction can go abroad speedily when you creepo the shower faucet all the way over, and yous can't quite get the water temperature equally high equally you would like it. This article will discuss how to increase your shower'southward h2o temperature by adjusting the Delta shower valve. Although this commodity specifically focuses on the Delta a similar process can be followed on Moen, Koehler, or American Standard brands.

You can increment the water temperature for your shower valve by removing the handle with an Allen wrench and then using a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the limiter lock. Then pull the plastic limiter off and rotate it slightly clockwise to increment the hottest water setting. Be cautious and test the h2o before and later on to preclude potential scalding temperatures!

Throughout this article, nosotros will discuss the different aspects of the temperature controls that shower valves provide and the variations you may run into while modifying your ain. If y'all are a visual learner, check out my YouTube channel for video instructions for the whole procedure.

What Is A Shower Faucet Valve?

Shower faucet valves are mixing valves with pipage fittings that sit behind the wall of your shower. Every shower faucet valve works on the same principle of combining hot and common cold water to create a consistently warm shower experience without temperature fluctuations. These valves are likewise called "mixing valves" since they are responsible for mixing the cold and hot water lines into the desired h2o temperature equally set by the handle.

Regardless of what style of trim your shower has, the valve should function universally with two input pipes, one for hot h2o and one for cold. There should be ii output pipes, one for the showerhead and one for the bathtub spout.

Are All Delta Shower Valves The Same?

As a prominent manufacturer, Delta is ane of the best at maintaining the same blueprint for multiple years and identified by a valve "series." It is vital to remember that your shower faucet'south visual parts are referred to as the trim kit. While those may differ depending on the style yous get, the inner workings are frequently like depending on the age of your Delta valve. If you talk to a licensed plumber they would call this universal mixing valve the "rough-in valve."

One subscriber, Gheorghe, asked me what size Allen wrench I used to remove the shower handle. This is an excellent question because this is where sizes may differ slightly. I used a 7/64″ Allen wrench, but a 2.5 mm would also do the trick. While the Delta shower valves are universal and e'er use the same sizing for the actual device, the trim kits may require slightly different sizes.

Why Is The Water In My Shower Non Hot Enough?

Many showers don't get as hot as people would like considering the limiter is set to a lower temperature past default. This is to prevent the possibility of people (especially children) from injuring themselves with scalding h2o. This functionality is perfect for keeping people safety.

Delta manufactures their valves with an easily accessible limiter for the exact purpose of making these sorts of changes. This is so that you lot can enjoy a shower at the temperature you desire while keeping things safe for every person in your house. Part of why I created my YouTube channel and website is to inform people about these types of repairs that tin be rapidly done at home with a fleck of know-how.

How to Increase Water Temperature for a Delta Shower Valve

You tin savor a video walkthrough to get aslope this by checking out my YouTube channel if you would like.

Modifying the limiter to get a higher h2o temperature is non a complicated procedure to follow. Merely keep these instructions close at paw, and you lot'll take nice hot showers in no fourth dimension.

Stride 1

The best way to ensure that you go your shower to the appropriate temperature is to test the h2o with a thermometer. In my video, I measured it beforehand, and it came to effectually 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Knowing what temperature you start with will help you find the perfect setting.

Stride Ii

Remove the actual handle from your shower faucet. This step is where you may feel some difference from this guide depending on the kind of trim kit yous have in addition to the Delta valve series. If your trim kit has a handle like mine, in that location should exist an Allen wrench screw on the faucet'southward underside. If your shower handle uses a transparent knob like the kind found in older trim kits, you may need to use a flat caput screwdriver for popping off the front end screw cover.

Stride Iii

Once you've removed the handle through either method, y'all should then see a screw head protruding from the valve itself, with a white plastic component just behind it. Use your Phillips screwdriver to remove the silver adapter and lay it to the side.

At this point, you should see the small-scale plastic round plate that limits the movement of the valve and prevents it from getting besides hot. Remove the limiter, and you should see the threads or splines, every bit one subscriber pointed out.

Step Four

Rotate the limiter clockwise and place it back in its spot. The splines should line up with the grooves on the valve, and information technology should move into place without much struggle. Note that it will non rotate also far as the valve has an absolute hard limit that you tin't go beyond due to prophylactic concerns.

Footstep Five

Once y'all accept rotated the limiter, re-adhere the component y'all removed in step 3 and use your Phillips screwdriver to spiral it dorsum into place.

Before replacing the handle, y'all should accept this opportunity to measure the temperature of your water again. In my video, I aimed to reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a right spot to aim for but employ your ain discretion.

Footstep Half-dozen

Lastly, supplant the shower valve handle using the Allan wrench, or if information technology has a encompass, pop it dorsum into place, and you're done! Remember to advise anyone who might be using the shower that it may be hotter than before and to exist careful when setting the temperature to avert scalding themselves.

Potential Challenges

You may encounter a couple of challenges while you are adjusting your Delta shower valve h2o temperature. We take compiled answers for some of the common bug you might encounter with our subscribers' help. If you notice yourself with whatever questions of your own, please exit a comment on the video, and I volition do my all-time to assist!

A couple of subscribers mentioned that they were unable to remove the handle from their faucet. This issue can be due to a couple of unlike reasons: a buildup of mineral deposits that commonly show upwards as a light-green material on the within of the handle due to hard h2o or stripped threads inside the socket.

Light-green Colored Mineral Deposits

If you lot take excessively difficult water in your area, the best fashion to work effectually this result is by soaking the role of the handle where information technology connects to the shower (including the internal components) in vinegar. This will break downward the mineral deposits. After letting it soak for a while, you should exist able to remove the handle easily and continue with your temperature adjustment.

Stripped Threads

If your valve or handle has stripped threads preventing y'all from loosening it, you may demand to replace either your trim kit or the valve itself. Depending on which components you demand to supercede, this can cost anywhere from $100-$500, depending on where you lot alive and the costs of hiring a plumber.

Missing Piece

Some other subscriber, Faith, encountered an issue where their shower handle is missing the grey attachment piece that needs to be removed earlier accessing the limiter. This slice is an adapter that functions equally a mounting piece for your shower'due south handle to attach to the valve stem. If this component is missing, information technology tin can contribute to a lukewarm water problem and should exist hands replaceable by going to your local hardware store.

Practice I Need To Turn Off My Water Main?

It is likewise important to recognise that you can follow the steps to remove the handle and arrange your shower temperature without turning off your h2o supply. However, if you need to replace any part of the valve itself, you will demand to shut off your water for the duration of that replacement. If you lot are non an experienced plumber, information technology is strongly recommended that you hire one to replace a broken valve. It can exist a costly procedure to do incorrectly.

Determination

Equally you can see, adjusting the limiter on your Delta shower valve is an easy process once you lot understand what to expect for. Nobody should have to deal with lukewarm showers when it's this like shooting fish in a barrel to make the aligning. If y'all find yourself unhappy with the temperature of your shower, become a jump on it and save yourself from that kind of disappointment. Think to bank check out my YouTube channel for more tips and tricks for everyday home repairs and updates!