I have a rental even though my income is not all that great. Which makes vacancies particularly stressful, but thats beside the point.
This rental was cursed as it were with a Mixet shower faucet. The plumbing is decent, 1960s which is practically new in my city.
However that crazy Mixet faucet handle. Its very unusual.... you twist to the left to turn on the water, then turn the plastic "washer" behind it to set temperature, then twist to the right to turn off the water. So unusual I have to print instructions above the shower for tenants. You wouldn't think, but thats beside the point again.
Anyway somewhere along the line, a tenant just couldn't follow instructions... and cranked the spin knob too far and stripped the brass axle, making it very difficult to work ever after.
I tried various solutions like screwing a metal handle on with side screws but they kept twisting that off. Finally, I ordered a replacement cartridge online as you can't find them anywhere in hardware stores anymore, apparently.
It appears all you had to do was pull the old cartridge out, and swap it and push the new one in. Then the new cartridge would have an undamaged axle for the knob, and could use another Mixet(tm) plastic knob. Which I also ordered. Easy as can be.
Oh no, I never get off that easy.
In their wisdom, Brasscraft- assumedly the only maker of Mixet- sent me an identical cartridge. But the rubber washer near the end was thicker than the old one. Because of this, it could not be pushed into the pipe thread socket. My pardons for using any incorrect terminology.
Boy was I screwed.
Here I had a vacancy I urgently needed to fill, and no working shower which made it unrentable. I tried getting the washer off the old cartridge. The screw broke off, rusted. No good.
Finally, I used silicone cartridge grease, got a lot of it on the cartridge, used heavy gloves and got it pushed in despite the fatter washer. thank god, it worked.
When I turn to the left, the water turns on.
Washer in back sets temperature
When I turn to the right, water turns off.
Only now, something weird happens, that did not happen with the old cartridge. Even though as I said they were identical, other than the thickness of that rubber washer near the end.
For the first 15-20 seconds or so after turning on the water now, water comes out the shower head. But a little water also dribbles out of the handle itself.
Luckily it comes directly into the shower, and nothing goes behind in the wall or between, I've checked.
After about 20 seconds, that stops, and it runs normally.
If I turn the faucet off and back on immediately after that, it does not dribble out of the handle.
If I leave it off until the next day, and then twist on the water, it dribbles again out of the handle while the showerhead is working, for about 20 seconds until it stops, and works normally.
What in the world kind of physics is involved here, is beyond me. What could be happening. to cause this?
It seems as if its not a problem, because as I said the dribbling goes into the shower and that as far as I can see is harmless, and it stops after running a little while every time.
But since its a rental, and I won't be there... and the tenant might not tell me if there are problems that might cause water damage. I just need to know if this is a problem, or if its not something to worry about.
Anyone have an idea what could cause this?
This rental was cursed as it were with a Mixet shower faucet. The plumbing is decent, 1960s which is practically new in my city.
However that crazy Mixet faucet handle. Its very unusual.... you twist to the left to turn on the water, then turn the plastic "washer" behind it to set temperature, then twist to the right to turn off the water. So unusual I have to print instructions above the shower for tenants. You wouldn't think, but thats beside the point again.
Anyway somewhere along the line, a tenant just couldn't follow instructions... and cranked the spin knob too far and stripped the brass axle, making it very difficult to work ever after.
I tried various solutions like screwing a metal handle on with side screws but they kept twisting that off. Finally, I ordered a replacement cartridge online as you can't find them anywhere in hardware stores anymore, apparently.
It appears all you had to do was pull the old cartridge out, and swap it and push the new one in. Then the new cartridge would have an undamaged axle for the knob, and could use another Mixet(tm) plastic knob. Which I also ordered. Easy as can be.
Oh no, I never get off that easy.
In their wisdom, Brasscraft- assumedly the only maker of Mixet- sent me an identical cartridge. But the rubber washer near the end was thicker than the old one. Because of this, it could not be pushed into the pipe thread socket. My pardons for using any incorrect terminology.
Boy was I screwed.
Here I had a vacancy I urgently needed to fill, and no working shower which made it unrentable. I tried getting the washer off the old cartridge. The screw broke off, rusted. No good.
Finally, I used silicone cartridge grease, got a lot of it on the cartridge, used heavy gloves and got it pushed in despite the fatter washer. thank god, it worked.
When I turn to the left, the water turns on.
Washer in back sets temperature
When I turn to the right, water turns off.
Only now, something weird happens, that did not happen with the old cartridge. Even though as I said they were identical, other than the thickness of that rubber washer near the end.
For the first 15-20 seconds or so after turning on the water now, water comes out the shower head. But a little water also dribbles out of the handle itself.
Luckily it comes directly into the shower, and nothing goes behind in the wall or between, I've checked.
After about 20 seconds, that stops, and it runs normally.
If I turn the faucet off and back on immediately after that, it does not dribble out of the handle.
If I leave it off until the next day, and then twist on the water, it dribbles again out of the handle while the showerhead is working, for about 20 seconds until it stops, and works normally.
What in the world kind of physics is involved here, is beyond me. What could be happening. to cause this?
It seems as if its not a problem, because as I said the dribbling goes into the shower and that as far as I can see is harmless, and it stops after running a little while every time.
But since its a rental, and I won't be there... and the tenant might not tell me if there are problems that might cause water damage. I just need to know if this is a problem, or if its not something to worry about.
Anyone have an idea what could cause this?
