Over the last few months I have noticed that my shower is not producing hot water the way that it used to. The sink tap gives out hot water, just not the shower anymore. I have noticed that when I flush the toilet there is an added burst of pressure from the shower. Do you have any idea what this could be?

Hi Chris,
What's the brand name of your shower valve? One handle or two knobs? How old? When you flush the toilet there's a drop in the cold water volume pressure that makes the warn water hoter. Is that what you mean? Cheers, Tom

Hi tom,

The make of the shower valve is a Pisa - Bristan. Unfortunately I do not know how old it is only that the previous owners put a different shower head on as they got a combi and wanted more of a power shower. The pressure that you said about the toilet is what I was trying to get at. The shower itself has one handle to turn on/off and in front of that, the temperature gage. Do you think that it is to do with my pressure? The hot taps on the sink as I said or very hot, the bath is warm-ish, and the shower is luke warm. Do you think the change of shower head could have anything to do with it?

Thanks, Chris

Actually the procedure is much the same for most brands and types of faucets. Shut off the water. If that means shutting off the inlet to the hot water tank, don't leave it that way without shutting the gas or electricity off and leaving a hot water tap open. Pry of the cap with the ''H'' on it, remove the screw, and then the knob. That should reveal a nut. Remove it, and you should be able to pull the insides out. A second person then works well, one holding a towel over the faucet, while the other gives a quick shot of the water being back on. Look over what you took out. If it has a rubber washer on it, replace it. If it looks hopelessly clogged up, take it to a good hardware, Ace, Top Value, etc. not Lowe's, etc. Let them help you find the correct replacement.