Stuck thermostatic shower valve

[Steve Medlock]

This valve although only held in by O rings just doesn't seem to want to move with less force than it would take to pull the whole unit through the wall. Is there a puller or anything that would ease it out please?

 

[Spectric]

What is the make and model of the shower valve ? I gather you will have to replace the whole cartridge so have you tried getting some washing up liquid into it, then grip with decent mole grips and gently rock it as you pull adding more washing up liquid to help ease the o ring.

 

[Steve Medlock]

What is the make and model of the shower valve ? I gather you will have to replace the whole cartridge so have you tried getting some washing up liquid into it, then grip with decent mole grips and gently rock it as you pull adding more washing up liquid to help ease the o ring.

No idea on make Roy - it may be Crosswater but was in my son's house when he moved in. I'm going to have to wait until the replacement valve arrives before attacking it with mole grips.

 

[Spectric]

Are you in a hard water area ? That also makes a big difference when it comes to plumbing and heating .

 

[Steve Medlock]

Are you in a hard water area ? That also makes a big difference when it comes to plumbing and heating .

Yes, I've been cleaning up all the fittings in Oust de-scaler!

 

[Bingy man]

You could try removing the circlip on the spindle . Failing that There is only one way I’m aware of and that is gentle brute force , problem with brass is it’s quite soft even more so when it is old . As @Spectric says lime scale can make a huge difference but Getting any descaling liquid past the o rings is another. Personally I’d be prepared to replace the entire unit as you may not get spares . Removing the entire unit may help in getting it apart but if it doesn’t want to come apart you could easily damage the unit further - good luck .

 

[John Brown]

What are the two threaded holes? Could you block the bottom one and get some descaler in the top one? Some years back I had a problem with a scaled up shower valve, and I found the isolator valves and turned them off, sucked a bunch of water out by poking a flexible tube down from where the shower head fitted, then pumped in vinegar(with one of those cheap plastic reversible pumps, the same one I'd sucked the water out with).

 

[JAW911]

Beware - there will probably be an allen screw on the side of the valve holding it in place. After having pulled and pulled trying to remove a faulty valve (almost using both feet on the wall!) we then dig out the tiles to look in further detail and found the screw. It had been tiled in after installation.

 

[Jester129]

I think you'll end up making a 'feature' square of different tiles when you've smashed the surrounding tiles to take the whole lot out! Sorry to be the bringer of sad tidings! HTH.

 

[AndyMc]

No idea on make Roy - it may be Crosswater but was in my son's house when he moved in. I'm going to have to wait until the replacement valve arrives before attacking it with mole grips.

It does look like a Crosswater unit. If it's anything like mine you'll need to screw the two slotted copper screws immediately above and below the thermostatic valve all the way in to isolate the water flow. Then rock the unit per Spectric's advice. You could line a block of wood up against the unit and lever against it. You could also refit the screw that attaches to the centre of the valve and use that for a bit of extra grip. Make sure you have a replacement unit to hand as it's likely to snap in half as it comes out. Use plenty of silicon lubricant when fitting the replacement.

 

[HamsterJam]

I gather you will have to replace the whole cartridge

I have successfully dismantled and rebuilt a faulty (sticking) shower cartridge.
I think it was a Bristan

.

 

[Steve Medlock]

Thanks all - I now have the replacement valve and so can try a few of these things to get the old one out.

Steve.