My icemaker feedline broke. I replaced it. It originates from above the downstairs shower. After replacing the icemaker feedline I lost pressure in the shower. It is a Delta Monitor. Set to cold, I get barely more than a stream, as I advance to hot it slows to a dribble. I replaced the cartridge but was no help. While replacing the cartridge I could see that I had great pressure in the mixer. I puzzled over this for a week, then I lost pressure in the upstairs toilet. After flushing the toilet it will not fill the reservoir unless I turn on the tub water, engage the shower valve, and turn the lavatory water on. Then the toilet fill valve opens and fills the reservoir.
I do have a slow drip at the main water valve that I haven't fixed just before the inside meter(in the basement). I don't believe it's related because it is not a new development.
Wife thinks I left a valve closed to the shower(hot water line) when I replaced the icemaker line... but that wouldn't have anything to do with the upstairs toilet and I wasn't working with the hot water line when I was replacing the icemaker line..

May be I am wrong is sounds like you got dirt in the shower head and I am not sure if this will help, but it worth's to give a try, remove the shower head and try it, see if the water flow is good, if it is clean the shower head and install back and see how is it now.

On the toilet the same the thing may be dirt in the fill inside the fill vale, you need to remove the caps on the fill valve and flush it out, see the image below and tell us which fill valve do you see inside the water tank, thanks.

John

John, ty for responding. My toilet fill valve is a model 400A. I will remove the cap and flush it but I will say again that it works just fine if I turn the tub water on the shower and the sink faucet. That's the part that confuses me.
I did pull the shower head off when I first had the problem, there are no obstructions there.
I am wondering if I left a hot water valve on the line to the shower closed if it would cause the shower problem. That would mean that the shower and the toilet are unrelated events. When I had the shower cartridge out and turned the water on I only got cold water. Should I have gotten a mixture?

When you worked on the Ice maker line which valve did you close? try to close and open that valve and see if it will help.
How is the cold and hot water on the sinks? Thanks.

John

John, now I have to demonstrate what a rookie I am. When I installed the basement bathroom, I put hot and cold shut-off valves in the ceiling above the shower. That is also where I put the needle valve that feeds the fill line to the upstairs refridge icemaker. When the icemaker fill line broke, I had to tear the shower ceiling out to replace the fill line. I don't recall messing with the hot or cold shut-off to the shower but I am beginning to suspect that that is the problem. In any event, after replacing the icemaker line with a plastic line I didn't think I would have the breakage problem that I had with the copper line so I replaced and refinished the shower ceiling. If my problem is with the hot water shut-off valve not being open, then I am going to have to tear out the shower ceiling again. When you get off the floor from laughing at this rookie I hope you tell me that the shut-off couldn't cause the problem...

One thing I forgot to ask home, is water flowing to the Ice maker? Thanks.

John

Icemaker works great. Pressure throughout the rest of the house is great.

Great, but still I think that the problem is with your S/O valve, When you tear out the shower ceiling again I would suggest to install a small access panel, to eliminate tearing the ceiling every time there is a problem, Thanks.

John

I have great pressure at the basement toilet and sink, would a closed hot water shut-off valve to the shower reduce the cold water pressure coming out of the showerhead?

No the hot water S/O valve should not have any effect on the cold side of the shower, before tearing the ceiling once again, shut off water to the shower, remove the cartridge have some one turn on the water to the shower see the water flow is good and feel the water if it is getting hot, shut off the water install the cartridge and see if it is fixed, Thanks.

John

When I had the shower cartridge out and turned the water on I only got cold water.

You need to check the hot and cold shut-off valves in the ceiling, may be you forgot to open them or closed the hot by mistake.

On top of that do one more check once you get access to the S/O valves close the Hot S/O valve crack open the down stream line a little open the S/O valve and check if the water flows, if no water then it means your S/O is failed and you need to fix it, Thanks.

John

Ok, I have good cold water pressure to the mix chamber. I know this because I pull the cartridge out, turn the water on and I get furious cold water flow from the mix chamber into the shower.
I understand that I am going to have to tear the ceiling back out because either I left the hot s/o closed or it has failed.
But that doesn't explain the cold water problem. If I put the old cartridge in and remove the showerhead, I have very low cold water pressure at the shower "arm". If I replace it with the new cartridge it does not change the problem.

Should I conclude that the new cartridge is bad?

What make and model is your shower faucet? If it has a posi temp cartridge, it requires full pressure/volume from hot and cold side, if hot side is plugged or shut off, you will only get a very small steam of water out of the shower head, need equal pressure on both sides for fuacet to work correctly,, so, I'm guessing the valve in to shower(in ceiling) is indeed the culprit. This is not uncommon. Most newer shower valves have cartridges that require equal pressure on hot and cold side. Time to open up that ceiling and please let us know what you find. Lee.

You have two issues, one you are not getting hot water, second low cold water with cartridge installed, do the following.

1. Turn the shower handle to the up position and sees if you get good water flow, if you do the cartridge is installed wrong, you need to remove the cartridge and turn it 180 degrees, please tell me the model # of the faucet and the part number of your cartridge.

2. For the hot water please check the S/O valves as I stated in my post #12, and let me know, Thanks

Thanks Lee and I agree with you 100%, that is why I asked the model #the P/N, Thanks.

John

I read through this one a little to fast,, Sorry, You have already covered all possible problems, Good job John. I think we all suspect the shut off valve in ceiling, even llach.
And very good call about putting an access to shut off valves,, best thing you could ever do. Lee.

Thanks lee we are on the same page, waiting on llach to tell us the model Number.

Delta faucet model # 1700 series has the following statement.

WARNING: Do not install a shut-off device on either outlet of this valve. When this type of device shuts off the water flow, it can defeat the ability of the valve to balance the hot and cold water pressures.

Regards,
John

I cut an access hole to the s/o valves. Opened the *%$#&^*% hot water s/o valve. Immediately got pressure. Put the old cartridge back in, it works like it's brand new.
Thank you John for the troubleshooting.
Thank you Lee for explaining "posi temp cartridge" requirements. I did not know that I had to have equal pressure from both. I was treating hot and cold as separate systems and that was why I was hesitant to go into the ceiling.
Thanks again for the help you gave me!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by llach

Wife thinks I left a valve closed to the shower(hot water line) when I replaced the icemaker line....but that wouldn't have anything to do with the upstairs toilet and I wasn't working with the hot water line when I was replacing the icemaker line..

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Thanks llach for the update and am happy that we could help, next time listen to your wife she was corrct from the beginig, that asked you left a valve closed, Thanks.

Best Regards,