247 Plumbers Nearby Request a plumber

Shower Swings Hot and Cold: Replace the Pressure-Balance Cartridge

1 to 2 hours

The pressure-balance cartridge is what holds your temperature steady when someone flushes; when the shower swings, it's the usual suspect.

The fix

  1. Kill water to the shower. Few showers have their own stops, so this usually means the house main.
  2. Pull the handle and trim to expose the valve. Photograph everything as you go.
  3. Check the simple thing first: if the complaint is 'never gets hot enough,' the rotational limit stop under the handle may just need adjusting. That's a five-minute fix and no parts.
  4. Remove the retaining clip or nut and pull the cartridge. Posi-Temp-style cartridges often need their specific removal tool.
  5. Match the replacement by valve brand and series, not looks. Verify on stemsandcartridges.com.
  6. Install, restore water slowly, and set the limit stop so full hot is comfortable, not scalding. 120 degrees at the tap is the CPSC's number.

The matching FourHome part

Full disclosure: FourHome is our house brand. This site and FourHome have the same owner, so the Amazon links below are links to our own products. Part numbers and cross-references are published on each listing; identify an unknown part first at our stemsandcartridges.com index.

Call a plumber instead when

The cartridge is seized in the valve, the valve body leaks behind the wall, or there's no access panel and tile has to come off.

Request a plumber

We're a referral directory, not a contractor; this button opens our request form.

Request a plumberWhat to do now