Delta Jetted Shower - install problems . . .

Hello,

First time post-er here... Looking for some specific help, and can't quite find it anywhere. Your help is much appreciated! So here's my deal:

I've hired a contractor to remodel our bathroom. It was fairly straight forward, really. I purchased a Delta 1824 Innovations Jetted Shower system (1 shower head, 2 jets fixed by handle) that is installed in a tiled shower enclosure. It's been completely installed for nearly 2 months now, and neither the plumber nor my GC can't figure out why it's not working. Here's what I can tell:

- BIGGEST ISSUE: there is no control changing the water direction from the jets to the shower head. Water only comes out both, and fairly weak. NOT enough to take a shower...
- the diverter handle is upside down (this is the handle between the jets)
- hot and cold are backwards

My GC tells me that he (and not the plumber) replaced the 'diverter valve' but it didn't correct the issue. It didn't change anything! I don't really trust that he is doing his fair share of due diligence in trying to rectify the problem. Neither do I think he is telling the plumber what the problem is either, so the plumber doesn't really know what's going on. I would call the plumber myself if I knew his number. I also would get another plumber just to look at the setup, but that would mean even more money and my GC is literally tapping me out of funds... So I'm stuck.

Is this a problem that anyone has ever seen before? Is there a solution to this without having to rip out the labor intensive tile work?

FYI, here's a few things about our fairly standard setup, in case you are wondering:
- this is a new shower, there was nothing there before
- the shower has never worked correctly. But looks pretty damn sharp!
- this bathroom is on the 2nd floor, all new copper going to the shower
- water heater is in basement
- all shutoff valves are wide open (including the new valves in the bath in question).
- website: http://www.deltafaucet.com/bath/details/1824-74.html

You've got a big mess going on there, it's time to pay someone else to fix their mistakes, or start busting your GC's head to get him to do what you paid him to do! I assume you have a contract? If you are paying good money, then you ought to have something to show for it, and you should take this guy to court if that's what it takes! 2 months after installation and the unit still isn't working correctly? That is a joke, and he should have been forced to open up the walls under warranty and replace the unit and redo the finishing under warranty if that's what it takes. Didn't he or the plumber test the unit? It's your $$$, you should demand to speak to the plumber.

Anyways, the first thing you should do is call Delta yourself and get the ball rolling by explaining the problem to them. You say this was a new installation with copper? Who knows, maybe they loaded up joints with so much solder that it is causing a blockage. 0.5" copper is adequate for your installation, so there shouldn't be a pressure problem because of undersized piping. Maybe you have a defective unit from the factory. Simplest thing you can do is remove your cartridge and turn on the water and see what kind of pressure you have with hot and cold going full blast. The fact that your diverter isn't working means something isn't right. But it could be something as simple as them leaving the filter screens in place and now they are blocked, or the cartridge is clogged.

I agree - a big mess... and it's just sitting there looking all pretty for us to ... well, look at.

I think it's time for me to rip open the handles and see what's going on. I think the cartridge and diverter are installed rotated 180* off (is that possible? or do they only go in one way?). Also going to look for any blocked screens / filters / etc...

Can I turn the water back on without having the cartridge or diverter valve in? what would happen, just make a huge mess inside the wall? That would suck..., but if it just comes jetting out into the shower area, no big deal.

Thanks!

WHen the cartridge is out and you turn the water back on, it will flow out of the body...depends on how it is positioned, but it could go all over the place, including inside the wall. Now, if the body sticks out into the shower, it will just spray out there.

JIm - thanks for the notes... I never turned the water on without the cartridge or the valve. Guess I'm too much of a chicken for having water spray all over or possibly down the inside of the wall (it was iffy just looking at it, so I didn't want to chance it...)

Ok - so I rotated the cartridge and the diverter valve. Now the hot/cold sides are correct (rotated 90* clockwise) and the diverter handle is going the right direction (rotated 180*). I also looked at everything pretty closely - nothing is blocked or plugged. All seems fairly new and clean. oh yeah, surprise! It is new, brand new! Hardly used! LOL

Well, after reading the instructions and lots of online info from Delta, checking and double checking - any suggestions as to why the water is still coming out both the head and jets with no control? Rotating this valve didn't even seem to make a difference..

Thanks again!

You need to call Delta and speak to someone in person, as well as get in touch with the actual installer.

I advised you to remove the cartridge and run the valve so that you could visually verify that you actually have full pressure getting to the valve. As long as you have a shower curtain or shower doors, you won't flood your bathroom, and you can control the flow with the valve shutoffs you say you have. And I don't see why you would get water behind the walls, the valve body should be sticking out from the wall.

Rotating your cartridge isn't going to solve your diverter valve issue.

Fixed!

a) the shower head was severly clogged with gunk (I think that's the technical term). Cleared it out and now the shower head has full power.
b) the valve stem was missing a seat spring between it and the rough in valve. It was still sitting (in a crumpled wrapper) in the box. Such a small thing made a huge HUGE HUGE difference.

Thanks for all the help, guys!