(The new bladder & pump switch are still working. Thanks again!)

Since our adventures with the ruptured bladder in the pressure tank we've had little to no cold water in the shower, which hasn't been a big deal as our water heater isn't set very high. However, I figure it should be fixed & we've narrowed it down to that leg of the cold supply as no other fixture is affected. I would think the shutoff valve & the diverter/hub/assembly in the tub stall wall would be the most vulnerable to clogs. I'm wondering if the little knurled cap on the side of the shutoff valve (see attached image) is or can be used as a clean-out of sorts. Any thoughts?

~ W ~

Yes, but it plugs up pretty quicklt too. That cap is so you can drain the line after shutting the knob off. I'd shut the main and then pull the valve stem to get a really good clean out. The mixing valve in the shower is probably already partially clogged too so plan to pull that cartridge and flush that line. This will preclude doing the job you wanted to start with, it takes care of both problems.

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Originally Posted by ballengerb1

Yes, but it plugs up pretty quicklt too. That cap is so you can drain the line after shutting the knob off. I'd shut the main and then pull the valve stem to get a really good clean out. The mixing valve in the shower is probably already partially clogged too so plan to pull that cartridge and flush that line. This will preclude doing the job you wanted to start with, it takes care of both problems.

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Okay. Sorry for the delay. Life intervened. I've removed the knob, washer, silver collar, & retaining clip. The cartridge should slide straight out of the mixer right? It's resistant. Can't find a brand nor numbers, & my camera's down. "This too shall pass..." I assume whatever seals/O-rings are inside have swelled or adhered to the copper. Any suggestions?

I'm off to Home Depot to look at cartridges & pullers...

~ W ~
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Some cartridges like Moen require a puller sometimes. I usually just grab the stem with a channel lock or large plyers and pull straight out while giving a slow twist. Some places rent/loan pullers but not HD.

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Originally Posted by ballengerb1

Some cartridges like Moen require a puller sometimes. I usually just grab the stem with a channel lock or large plyers and pull straight out while giving a slow twist. Some places rent/loan pullers but not HD.

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I did have to use a Moen cartrige puller & it was fairly cheep, worked great, & now I have a new tool in my bucket but, the problem persists:

I flushed hot water through the empty stub at the mixer & back through the disassembled cold shut-off valve in the wall. I also flushed cold water through the disassembled cold shut-off valve in the wall but, I still can't get cold water from the mixer, tub spout, or shower. I can hear the cold water come up the pipe but, it stops & nothing but a trickle comes out. I assume it's due to an anti-scald device of some sort that's broken, stuck, or misadjusted. Can someone shed some light on this?

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Originally Posted by Wolfwerx

I finally did use a Moen cartrige puller. It was fairly cheep, worked great, & now I have a new tool in my bucket but, the problem persists: I flushed hot water through the empty stub at the mixer, corked that, & back-flushed hot water down through the disassembled cold shut-off valve in the wall. I also flushed cold water up through that same disassembled cold shut-off valve in the wall. Water flowed freely & no debris came out. However, upon reassembly I still can't get cold water from the mixer, tub spout, nor shower. I can hear the cold water hiss & gurgle up the pipe but, it stops & nothing but a trickle comes out. I assume this is due to some anti-scald device that's broken, stuck, or misadjusted. Can someone shed some light on this?

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No answer... Did I do something wrong here or do I need to start a new thread?

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Originally Posted by Wolfwerx

No answer... Did I do something wrong here or do I need to start a new thread?

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Cold water flowing at last! We finally got... tired of blind man's bluff, cut & removed the line between the cold shut-off in the wall to the mixer. All was clear until the street 90º into the mixer, which was clogged almost solid with gritty red mud. We replaced the 90º then went CPVC to the shut-off, shop-vacuumed & flushed both sides out the mixer.
'Had a leak at the top of the plastic screw-in connector, removed the tape from it, coated the threads with White TFE Paste Pipe Thread Compound, tightened it much more than before, "White Doped" & reconnected the three piece CPVC to Copper Union into the shut-off valve: no more leaks!
The next "female dog" was the cartridge retainer clip that didn't want to seat... Much repeated cleaning, poking, prodding, wiggling, cursing, time, & wonderment went into that little... but, after re-scraping all involved surfaces again with a screwdriver & trying again it finally popped down into it's bottom slot & the rest could be assembled.
No "anti-scald" device was found nor cogs nor gears of any sort so, I assume I was "barking up the wrong tree" there.
It's done. Next!.

"Thanks for your support,"