Plumbing question

[Paschale]

First off, let's just get this out of the way:  I am NOT a plumber, and don't like messing with the pipes.   :  There are some things I think best left to the professionals, and that's one of them.  The weirdest thing happened this morning though, and I'm scratching my head, wondering if there's an easy solution.  I go to take a shower this morning in my upstairs bathroom, and nothing happens.  The sink and everything else works just fine, but when I turn on my shower, nothing.  There's no leak anywhere in the house, and every other faucet/toilet/shower works.  It's as if it's simply disconnected.  I can hear some air, but no water, and no nothing.   :P

Any suggestions or thoughts?

[Buzz-sawyer]

Well...it can be really only one thing...probably calcification or hard mineral deposits inside the pipe that supplies your water .........check the valves first, that is the worst culprit

[raycon]

Start with the simple stuff. Take off the shower head and check the filtering screen for deposits. Tap the shower head on something hard and see if any deposits come out as well while its off.

[Paschale]

Thanks guys already.  Just a little more info on this:  water won't come out at all, either from the shower head, or the regular spout in the tub.  I haven't had any time yet today to check things out--I'll do some more snooping tonight.  In the meantime, thanks for the ideas.   :P

[Ernie]

When our header tank up the hill goes dry, we get a lot of air in the pipeline, too many ups and downs.
I block off the kitchen faucet (spelling?) with a cardboard disc, turn on the cold tapthen the hot.  The hot from the in house header pushes the air up the pipe just enough to get the water flowing properly, then I open the lowest cold tap in the house full blast and wait till all the bubbles stop.  Works every time but takes aboput half an hour and a lot of hot water.

Did that make any sense?

[dave7191]

 Is this a single handle if it is the valve is stuck if two handle it has to have depoist at the juntion of  the mixer  either way it is more than likely minerals deposits  if it is two valve I would take the tub spout of and try a coat hanger wire and see if i could get the plug out have the water on when trying
Dave

       

[Buzz-sawyer]

Dan
when ya start looking go to on off that lets water in throught he foundation trace cold line up to the tub looking for other on/offs from the hot water heater do the same....as I said look for vales and gently turn them closed and open several times.....watch for any drips and be aware of how hard they are to turn.

[wiam]

Here is the simple fix.


















Use the downstairs shower. : :

Will

[Paschale]

Well, this was an easy fix.  I finally had some time tonight to do some digging.  This is what I found.






All it turned out to be was that the inside plastic of the faucet handle broke, and so couldn't grab a hold of the metal shaft that controls the valves.  You gotta like it when it's as easy as that!  I think I'll see what super glue can do for me.   ;)

[JimBuis]

Paschale, don't waste your time with the super glue, because it won't hold.  Don't ask me how I know, ;) but the first time you or someone else wrenches on that handle it will break again.  Take your old knob to Home Depot, Lowes, or your local hardware store and match it up with a new one.  One of your buddies who does his own repairs probably has an old one laying around that would work.  A new one won't break the bank, but if it breaks off next time while in the ON position it will be a pain in the tender hinder parts.   Some of those valve stems are hard to get ahold of with anything other than the proper handle.

Jim

[Paschale]

Good idea, Jim.  I was actually thinking the same thing, that I might as well head to HD and pick up a new one, just to make things easy.  Man...if all home repairs could be this simple!   ;D

[slowzuki]

That was easier than our neighbours!  They're upstairs shower stopped mid winter... it was an ice plug in a separate line run to the shower along an outside wall.  They found it when the weather warmed up!

[mometal77]

Good god slow lol that has to suck.  I find with the winters in the pacific nw i used heating cable on all my plumbing under the house.  Same stuff they use in concrete slabs. Sure did help from freezing my keaster off. Being under the house in coveralls.
bob