Shower runs hot/cold/hot/cold

[makemlaff]

Hi everyone - new here! Be gentle! I'm going to probably have a lot of questions since I'm recently divorced and just bought my own house. I'm excited about having my own place and am looking forward to fixing it up just the way I want it. I'm a DIY kinda gal.

Anyway...

I can't seem to get my shower to a comfortable temperature - it's either boiling hot or freezing cold, with very little in between. Also, if perchance I DO get it to a comfortable temperature (RARE!), it never stays that way; it either gets cold or hot, causing me either way to do a flying leap out of the shower.

I have tried numerous searches on the internet and have turned up no answers that are easily understandable to me, since most answers assume a knowledge of plumbing that I simply don't have yet. Can someone explain to me in plain English what could possibly be causing my hot/cold issues, and if it's something I can fix?

I'm a smart, handy chick - but I'm also thrifty and if I can fix it myself, I'd prefer to do it that way.

Thanks!

[The Builder]

Do you have a scaled control faucet? Scroll through the forum, I believe this has been answered, or you may see posts similar to yours.

[HayZee518]

the variables are many - we need to see what you have. does your hot water system have a continuous loop? does your hot water come directly off the water heater? Is there a tempering valve on the shower/bathtub? Is there a whole house tempering valve? Is your hot water off a tankless heater?

[makemlaff]

Ha - see, I don't even know the answers to most of those questions. I'm pretty sure I don't have a tankless system; I have a gas hot water heater that looks pretty standard and big and traditional.

Jeez, I don't even know what to look for regarding the other questions. Can I take a picture and put it up somewhere here so you can see what kind of setup I have re: the water heater system I have? Is that even possible?

And as far as having a tempering valve in the shower, I have no idea how to even begin to figure out if it has one. The house is 17 years old and I'm thinking that maybe something like a tempering valve would be standard issue in newer homes (i.e., homes < 20 years old) to prevent scald injuries, etc.

I realize that I'm being very frustrating with my lack of knowledge, and I'm sorry for that... but I'm hoping to learn from you all and eventually not be quite so clueless.

[HayZee518]

Hot water

Look at this diagram and tell us what you have

[makemlaff]

OK - sorry for taking so long with this - but I believe I've got a setup like the one on the top right hand side of the diagram.

[HayZee518]

assuming it is the upper right diagram, you'll need to look at the shower valve itself. single handle shower/bath valves have a built in no scald feature. DELTA, AMERICAN STANDARD, MOEN, PRICE-PFIZER are all different but basically the same in function.

[makemlaff]

Yeah, it's a single-handle thing - and I think it's original to the house (17 yrs. old) so it's probably the anti-scald gone bad.

Are they complicated to take apart/replace, or should I just call it a job for a pro and call a plumber?

[HayZee518]

call a pro. there is helps all over the place but there are terms even I don't know what they are.

[Redwood]

Do you have a scaled control faucet? Scroll through the forum, I believe this has been answered, or you may see posts similar to yours.

Please enlighten me!
I have no idea what a "Scaled Control Faucet" is...

[Redwood]

Makemlaff,
Your problem could be in a wide range of places ranging from a water heater problem, tempering valve problem if present, a hot cold cross connection, or a problem with the shower mixer.

A pro would probably be your quickest solution, but even then I've seen some get stumped.