J
Jimmy_B
Hi Guys, this is my first post and I'm far from a plumbing expert so I apologize in advance if I accidentally break any unwritten forum rules or use the wrong terminology.
I am based in Thailand and the diverter cartridge in my bath/shower mixer broke. The mixer unit is about 8 years old and I've discovered that DIY/homeware stores in Thailand (such as the one the unit was bought from) have a very straightforward and strict "No spare parts" policy. There are no markings and no brand name on the mixer unit and it took ages to find any reference to the broken part online but I finally found it on a website called showerdoc.com, but unfortunately it says the part has been discontinued. Here is a photo from the website. It's the white plastic bit that broke.
I'm not sure if the experts will need all the details of the mixer unit but just in case (in layman's terms)... The mixer has separate hot & cold taps, a single spout for the bath comes out the top of the unit and the shower hose comes out the bottom. The broken part sits vertically inside the unit and switching from bath to shower is done by moving a lever left or right. The lever is attached to the front bit of the brass part (the bit with teeth) which sits horizontally inside the unit, teeth at the front, plain rod at the back. It's not so easy to see from the pic on the website but the rod that comes out the back of the brass part is off-centre and fits into the slot on the plastic part, so moving the lever one way pushes the plastic part up, blocking the spout and sending water to the shower... etc. etc... The white plastic part is about 1.5" from end to end.
Having been unable to find a replacement for the plastic part I've been trying to fabricate one using 3/4" pvc plumbing pipe (perfect match for size) filled with epoxy and using the end parts from a regular garden hose connector (also a perfect match for size, but without the "+"s on the ends). I'm having some success but it would be a lot easier if I could find a ready-made solution, and so my questions for the experts are:
Can anyone suggest where I may find a replacement cartridge online, even though it is apparently a discontinued part?
On the showerdoc.com website I posted the link to it is called a "shower diverter for imperial bath shower mixer" - is imperial the brand name, or does it just mean the opposite of metric?
If I can't find a replacement for the broken part anywhere, would it be possible to find an alternative set-up that would fit my mixer unit, i.e. replace both the plastic part and the brass part? Or are these diverter set-ups generally quite unique?
If I can't find a replacement I would consider getting the part professionally fabricated from brass or stainless, but I would need to know the exact measurements to do so. Do all parts such as these come with scale drawings that I may possibly be able to track down somewhere?
and finally... Do the "+" end parts look similar to any other plumbing part that I could perhaps use in my temporary makeshift fabrication of the part?
Many thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions offered.
Cheers,
Jim
I am based in Thailand and the diverter cartridge in my bath/shower mixer broke. The mixer unit is about 8 years old and I've discovered that DIY/homeware stores in Thailand (such as the one the unit was bought from) have a very straightforward and strict "No spare parts" policy. There are no markings and no brand name on the mixer unit and it took ages to find any reference to the broken part online but I finally found it on a website called showerdoc.com, but unfortunately it says the part has been discontinued. Here is a photo from the website. It's the white plastic bit that broke.
I'm not sure if the experts will need all the details of the mixer unit but just in case (in layman's terms)... The mixer has separate hot & cold taps, a single spout for the bath comes out the top of the unit and the shower hose comes out the bottom. The broken part sits vertically inside the unit and switching from bath to shower is done by moving a lever left or right. The lever is attached to the front bit of the brass part (the bit with teeth) which sits horizontally inside the unit, teeth at the front, plain rod at the back. It's not so easy to see from the pic on the website but the rod that comes out the back of the brass part is off-centre and fits into the slot on the plastic part, so moving the lever one way pushes the plastic part up, blocking the spout and sending water to the shower... etc. etc... The white plastic part is about 1.5" from end to end.
Having been unable to find a replacement for the plastic part I've been trying to fabricate one using 3/4" pvc plumbing pipe (perfect match for size) filled with epoxy and using the end parts from a regular garden hose connector (also a perfect match for size, but without the "+"s on the ends). I'm having some success but it would be a lot easier if I could find a ready-made solution, and so my questions for the experts are:
Can anyone suggest where I may find a replacement cartridge online, even though it is apparently a discontinued part?
On the showerdoc.com website I posted the link to it is called a "shower diverter for imperial bath shower mixer" - is imperial the brand name, or does it just mean the opposite of metric?
If I can't find a replacement for the broken part anywhere, would it be possible to find an alternative set-up that would fit my mixer unit, i.e. replace both the plastic part and the brass part? Or are these diverter set-ups generally quite unique?
If I can't find a replacement I would consider getting the part professionally fabricated from brass or stainless, but I would need to know the exact measurements to do so. Do all parts such as these come with scale drawings that I may possibly be able to track down somewhere?
and finally... Do the "+" end parts look similar to any other plumbing part that I could perhaps use in my temporary makeshift fabrication of the part?
Many thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions offered.
Cheers,
Jim
