Many of us have experienced the “no hot water” scenarios in our showers and that can be caused because of several issues but why in the world would there be no cold water in your shower?

The reasons your shower may not have cold water could be because of a problem with the shutoff valve in the main water supply OR a problem with the pressure balancing valve in the faucet of the shower.

Although this issue doesn’t happen often, it does happen and it can be dangerous because very hot water could easily scald your skin, especially if you are an older peron.

So, let’s go through the steps of how to troubleshoot and fix this problem.

Step One – Find The Cause

The first step is to identify what is the cause.

  1. Check the faucets throughout your home. If you are NOT getting cold water from the other faucets than the problem is more than likely your shutoff valve in the main water supply
  2. Check the shutoff valve to make sure that it’s ON. If it’s been turned off for some reason – turn it back on.
  3. If the shutoff valve is turned on then we recommend that you contact a plumber to assess the issue as to why your house is not getting any cold water.
  4. If you ARE getting cold water from other faucets throughout your home then the problem is more than likely the pressure balancing valve in the faucet of your shower. This means that you will have to replace that part in your shower’s faucet.

Step Two – Replacing The Pressure Balance Valve

If you are NOT a DIY type of person we strongly recommend that you call in a professional plumber to do this job.

Tools Needed are:

  • Phillips screwdriver
  • Flathead screwdriver
  • Cartridge puller
  • Allen wrenches
  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Locking pliers
  • Plumber’s grease
  • A new shower cartridge

Follow these steps below – we caution you to take photos throughout the process so that you have some visuals of where things go when you re-assemble.

  1. Turn off the water supply to the shower.
  2. Cover the drain in the shower (in case any small screws or parts fall onto the shower floor)
  3. Use a screwdriver or allen wrench to remove the shower handle and any covers.
  4. Remove all the parts that are in the faucet.
  5. Clean all the parts, removing any debris.
  6. Use your needle-nose pliers to remove the retainer clip (if there is one)
  7. Use the cartridge puller to remove the cartridge or you may just be able to pull it out (depends on the manufacturer of your faucet)
  8. Install the new cartridge and make sure to use Plumber’s grease when installing it.
  9. Replace all the other faucet parts (make sure to check your photos for visuals)
  10. Turn the water supply back on.
  11. Test it out and you should now have cold and hot water.

Again, if these steps seem daunting to you, we recommend that you contact a professional plumber to do the job for you.

If you are having problems with getting cold water in your shower or bathtub, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.