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Showers are fundamentally a very simple appliance designed to contain water and a person or two and to drain spent water into the sewer system. Of course, from those basics, a world of possibilities has been developed. Showers are made in many different types, sizes, shapes, colors, and configurations.
Showers may be built-in or prefabricated.
Built-in showers are essentially small rooms with walls of tile, stone, or some other waterproof material and a glass door that slides or swings open. The floor may be a one-piece unit made of plastic or some type of solid-surfacing material; commonly, the floor is tile with a pan that’s flashed and hot-mopped using methods similar to those used on a flat roof. |
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Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
Prefabricated showers are made from fiberglass-reinforced acrylic or fiberglass and come in a wide range of colors and styles.
Some are made as single, one-piece units that are installed during construction and others are made as modular units consisting of a base and three walls.
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| Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
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Showers may be installed in one of three ways: as a single unit, a modular set, or custom-built-in.
A shower drain is made of several parts. Beneath the removable strainer cover in the shower floor, the drain leads to an under-floor trap that connects to a drain line and the waste/vent stack.
It’s critical that the shower pan at the base not leak over time, as this will rot the floor, so some type of waterproofing system is employed during construction. |
| Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
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Though grout can be repaired and you can re-caulk joints, if the shower pan is leaking, you’ll need to have it repaired by a tile installer or roofing contractor. Contact your homeowner’s insurance company to find out if repairing the damage is covered.
To check the shower pan for leaks, remove the shower drain screen and plug the drain with an expandable plug, available at home improvement centers. Fill the shower floor with water to 1 inch from the top and mark the water line. Wait a few minutes. If the water level goes down and wetness shows up beneath the shower, the pan is leaking. |
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| Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
The Shower
A shower is built into a bathroom that is used for washing the body. An alternative to a bathtub, a shower is designed to allow a person to step in, close the door or curtain and stand upright.
Turn knobs on the wall to receive hot and cold running water flowing down like rain from a faucet or shower head located on the wall above the standing person's head.
The water continues to flow over the person as she washes her body, and the used water collects at the bottom of the shower, flowing out the centrally located drain and into the sewer. Showers can be made of fiberglass, glass, stone, acrylic or tile. |
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| Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
| If you still cannot get the sink unclogged just call your local Mr Drain Plumber ® and the expert will unclog your sink in less than minutes. |
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The Water's Path { Shower Valve }
When the knobs are turned in a shower, water is pumped through the pipes. The water is pressurized, beginning from a water main located in the front of your house (or from a fresh water well), through a water meter (if from city water not well water), and piped into a water heater in your house. The water breaks off into two separate hot and cold pipes at the water heater. The cold water bypasses the water heater and goes directly to the cold water shower line, the hot water from the water heater is dispatched into the hot water shower line as that knob is turned. The hot and cold shower knobs are adjusted until the person in the shower achieves optimum flow and desired temperature. The drain of a shower collects the water. There are vent pipes near the drainage lines that send sewer gases out of the pipes up through the roof to maintain air pressure for the soiled water to continue to flow down and out. |
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| Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
The Diverter
Some shower assemblies are not separate but instead located high up on the wall of a standard bathtub. When the hot and cold knobs are turned on, and water is flowing from the bathtub faucet, the knobs are adjusted until the correct temperature is reached.
Then a diverter must be turned to stop the water from flowing out of the tub faucet, and instead sending the water up the pipe to the shower head. The diverter is usually located on the tub faucet itself, or on the shower assembly. |
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| Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
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How Shower Valve Works Importance of the Valve
When taking a shower, the shower valve is the plumbing component that lets you turn the water on and off while being able to adjust water temperature to meet your needs. Depending on the way that your shower is set up, you may have a single valve which regulates both the water pressure and the temperature, or you may have more than one valve to allow you a bit more control over the temperature and pressure. If your shower has a single handle for turning the water on and off, as well as controlling the temperature then you are operating with a single valve. If you have two or more handles that allow you to adjust hot and cold water independently, you most likely have at least two shower valves.
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Single-Handle Valves
If your shower has a single handle then you also have a single valve that is controlled by that handle. The valve will have two water lines coming into it, with one being filled with hot water and the other with cold. Turning the handle will adjust the valve, letting water in from one or both of the water lines. Most single-handle showers allow the cold water access when the valve is first opened, with hot water being added to the cold as the valve is opened further. Continuing to turn the handle will open the valve even more, allowing you to add more hot water to the mix and make the shower water warmer. When the valve is opened as far as it will go then the cold water line will be blocked almost completely so that only hot water is coming through the line.
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Two or More Handle Valves If your shower has two or more handles then you almost certainly have at least two valves. Your shower will have separate handles for hot and cold water, with each handle controlling a valve that has a single water line attached to it. You can control the temperature of the shower water by adjusting the amount of hot and cold water that you allow to come through the different lines, turning the handles of each until you reach the water temperature that you desire. Though not common, you may have a third handle which controls the water pressure and can turn the shower off completely; if you do, then it has a valve behind it that is fed by the water lines controlled by the other two handles.
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| Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
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- Homeowners installing a new shower may not realize that they have a choice of shower valves. Thermostatic and pressure balance valves offer homeowners choice and control.
- Homeowners remodeling or installing a new shower may not realize that there are two accepted systems of shower controls used today.
- Both have qualities to offer a homeowner, and one may benefit the user of the shower being planned more than the other.
- Understanding the two systems and their attributes can help a homeowner make the right choice of shower valve.
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Shower Valve “Diverter” Repairs.
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Clogged Shower Drain A blocked or clogged drain is a pain, but it doesn't mean that you need to call a plumber. Most clogged drains can be easily cleared by using things that are around the house or just a few inexpensive tools.
All drains have a similar construction. At the bottom of the drainpipe is a curved section of pipe called a trap. Under sinks this trap is shaped like an "U", while most bathtubs have a slightly different shaped trap called a "P" trap, since it's shaped like the letter "P". The curves in the trap are there to "trap" some water in the drain line, and prevent sewer gases from coming up the pipe and smelling up the house. Over time, however, the traps will sometimes get blocked with things like cooking grease or food particles (in kitchen drains) or hair and soap scum (in bathroom sinks).Slow running drains are partially blocked, and drains that don't drain at all are obviously totally blocked. |
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- But there is no surprises Mr Drain Plumbers® are always available 24-Hours 7 Days a week to clean any clogged shower drain.
- Your local plumber is only 45 minutes away.
- Call today to schedule an appointment.
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Keeping Connected with the Technology: At Mr Drain Plumbing ® we stay at the peak where the technology plays a very important role in our daily life. Whether it’s a very ordinary single handle faucet or a touch screen electronic faucet we know when and how to make your dream come true with a faucet of tomorrows touch.
Like other latest electronics in your kitchen we at Mr Drain Plumbing ® are proud to say that we can get your Shower matched with any electronic appliance in your kitchen like your touch screen refrigerator, a touch screen stove or a blue lighted hood or in your bath room at Mr Drain Plumbing ® we keep your Shower up dated. Call your local Mr Drain Plumber ® today and ask the touch screen faucets we carry. We promise for your comfort. |
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| Copyright 2010 Mr Drain® Plumbing |
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