"Pain in the neck for a week or two, but now showers stay warm and water pressure's better."
Can confirm—helped out on a similar job recently, and the homeowner said the same thing. If you're already opening walls, might as well tackle it all at once... saves headaches later.
"Pain in the neck for a week or two, but now showers stay warm and water pressure's better."
Did you end up installing pressure-balancing valves or go with a thermostatic setup? Had a similar issue at one of my rentals—tenants complained constantly about the cold shock whenever someone flushed. Ended up biting the bullet and putting in thermostatic valves while we had the walls open. Cost a bit more upfront, but haven't heard a peep since... Curious if others went the same route or found simpler fixes?
Pressure-balancing valves are usually enough for most residential setups... thermostatic valves can be overkill unless you've got multiple units or really inconsistent supply temps. Personally, I've fixed similar issues just by upsizing supply lines or tweaking pressure regulators—simpler and cheaper.
"Personally, I've fixed similar issues just by upsizing supply lines or tweaking pressure regulators—simpler and cheaper."
Totally agree with this. When we moved into our first home last year, we had the exact same issue—every time someone flushed, the shower turned into an ice bath. At first, I was tempted to go all-in on thermostatic valves because they sounded safer and more reliable. But after talking to a plumber friend, he convinced me that pressure-balancing valves are usually enough for most homes and that thermostatic ones might be overkill (and pricey).
We ended up just adjusting the pressure regulator slightly and replacing some old, narrow piping with wider lines. Honestly, it made a huge difference without breaking the bank. Plus, from a safety standpoint, it's reassuring knowing the water temperature won't suddenly spike or drop dramatically anymore. I'd say start simple before jumping into expensive solutions... worked well for us at least.
Yeah, pressure-balancing valves usually do the trick, but honestly, sometimes even that's more than you need. When I had this issue, it turned out my pipes were just super old and clogged up with mineral deposits. Just swapping out a few sections of pipe and cleaning out the buildup helped a ton... didn't even touch the regulator. So it's worth checking if your pipes are clear first before messing around with valves or expensive fixes.
