I live in a condo that was built around 1989. After the HOA replaced the shut off valves for my unit I noticed a problem with the shower valve in my second bathroom. Hot water does not come out. Hot water works fine from every other faucet, but when I turn the shower valve to hot the water slows to a trickle. The small amount of water that does come out is cold.

There are no markings or part numbers on the valve or plate. A plumber who has worked in our building told me our valves were made by Symmons. I e-mailed them some pictures and they told me the valve is from Harden with a cartridge part no: TA10H.

I understand Harden is out of business. When other owners in my building have had shower valve issues (leaky valves seem to be common) they replaced the whole valve at a cost of $500-$700. I would like to get the parts needed for repair myself and have a plumber do the work.

If I am able to find the cartridge are there other parts (washers, gaskets,. ) that I should have on hand before doing anything? Are there any diagrams for this valve?

I am in West Los Angeles. If anyone has a local plumber to recommend I would appreciate it.


I attached a picture that shows the plate, valve, and what I think is the cartridge part.

Hi John...

You can try this site for the part itself (click on link):

Symmons/Harden TA-10H Spindle - Locke Plumbing

Finally, in most cases as you present, the hot water part of the spindle assembly has seized up due to mineral deposits and can sometimes be fixed by soaking the entire cartridge in a solution of CLR (calcium/lime/rust) remover for a half-hour or so... available at all home improvement stores.

Soak the cartridge, shake the cartridge and if you shake it and hear it rattle then you have resolved the issue... ;)

More questions? Let me know, OK?

Mark

Thanks for the feedback, very helpful.

Based on the pictures I took, can you tell if this valve has shut offs for the hot and cold? I can shut off the water to my condo, but I don't want to take this thing apart and not be able to turn the water to my unit back on due to a broken o-ring or washer in the valve. It seems every plumber who comes in my building looks at these valves and says "...can't get parts for this, gotta tear into the wall and replace the whole valve." I just want to be prepared before anyone touches anything.

YUP! That valve has integral shutoffs... just use a screwdriver to turn the slotted screws clockwise to shut the water flow... see image.

Mark

Di d you ever get this fixed. I have the same valve... With new replaced cartridge I only get cold water... for some reason the Hot is not being delivered... Any ideas?

Hello Jmriggio,

You responded to a two years old thread always check the date on the upper top left corner of the post.

You start a new thread that it will have more visibility and the experts will respond you soon.

When you replaced the cartridge did you flush the valve?
If not I will suggest to remove the cartridge and turn on the hot and cold shut offs for a few seconds it will flush all the debris out from the valve, good luck.

John

Thanks for the quick reply. I did flush it; perhaps not enough. My plan is to flush today is to turn off the cold and flush the hot generously to see is I can free it.. until yesterday, Ive had hard water. Anything I can do to treat a valve subjected to years of hard water? Several things... this valve is for a handshower. With the new cartridge in the stem turns maybe one revolution, whereas the shower valve turns significantly more for hot water. The part of the valve on either side that accepts the face plate screws is slotted.. I saw on another thread that these are hot/cold shutoffs. I am tempted to open/close those to see is hot water delivery will improve. Is there a specific way to cartridge is placed? Its round and does not seem to have a top or bottom. Are there moving parts in the rough part of the valve that could have seized?

I found this string of information regarding the old, but great, Harden shower valve's to be invaluable in finding a replacement stem for my shower that is identical to the one mentioned in this original note and pictured in the following information. I was able to buy the stem from Chicago Faucet that was an exact match to the original one in the Harden shower valve. Is is far easier and less expensive job to replace this broken stem as opposed to having to rip open the wall and install a new complete valve assembly. Thank YOU!

If anyone needs information on where to get this part, just send a note.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cablechuck

I found this string of information regarding the old, but great, Harden shower valve's to be invaluable in finding a replacement stem for my shower that is identical to the one mentioned in this original note and pictured in the following information. I was able to buy the stem from Chicago Faucet that was an exact match to the original one in the Harden shower valve. Is is far easier and less expensive job to replace this broken stem as opposed to having to rip open the wall and install a new complete valve assembly. Thank YOU!

If anyone needs information on where to get this part, just send a note.

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I tried to message you cablechuck but it didn't let me... I would love that info on this part! :)