Notifications
Clear all

shower goes ice cold when someone flushes toilet

218 Posts
203 Users
0 Reactions
4,095 Views
oreosage171
Posts: 5
(@oreosage171)
Active Member
Joined:

Totally agree about checking the pressure regulator first—saved me a ton of hassle. Did you also check if your shower valve is pressure-balanced? Mine wasn't, and swapping it out made a noticeable difference. Still get a slight dip in temp occasionally, but nothing like the icy shock therapy we had before. Might be worth looking into before you start tearing things apart... drywall dust gets everywhere.


Reply
ericlewis527
Posts: 11
(@ericlewis527)
Active Member
Joined:

Yeah, pressure-balanced valves are a lifesaver. Had a client once who insisted his plumbing was haunted—every flush turned the shower into a polar plunge. Swapped in a pressure-balanced valve, and suddenly the ghosts vanished... funny how that works. Still, checking the regulator first is solid advice.


Reply
Posts: 9
(@jonpilot)
Active Member
Joined:

"Had a client once who insisted his plumbing was haunted—every flush turned the shower into a polar plunge."

Haunted plumbing, huh? Sounds more like an outdated setup than anything supernatural. Pressure-balanced valves are great, but I'd still recommend looking at water-saving fixtures too—less water wasted, fewer surprises in the shower... win-win.


Reply
jerrysnorkeler
Posts: 8
(@jerrysnorkeler)
Active Member
Joined:

Haha, I feel your pain—I just moved into my first home and had the exact same issue. At first, I thought it was just an initiation ritual for new homeowners or something... but turns out it's pretty common in older houses.

"Pressure-balanced valves are great, but I'd still recommend looking at water-saving fixtures too—less water wasted, fewer surprises in the shower... win-win."

Totally agree with this. I ended up swapping out the old showerhead for a low-flow one (super easy DIY, btw—just unscrew the old one, wrap some plumber's tape around the threads, and screw on the new one). It didn't completely fix the temperature swings, but it definitely reduced how drastic they were.

Eventually, I bit the bullet and had a plumber install a pressure-balanced valve. Honestly, best decision ever. Now I can shower without fear of sudden ice baths every time someone flushes. Highly recommend it if you can swing it budget-wise. Good luck!


Reply
Posts: 6
(@aparker97)
Active Member
Joined:

I had the same issue in my place, and yeah, older houses seem notorious for this. I tried the low-flow showerhead route too, and it helped a bit, but honestly, the temp swings were still noticeable enough to be annoying. Maybe it depends on your water pressure or something?

Anyway, I got curious and did some digging around online. Turns out another factor can be the plumbing layout itself—like if your shower shares pipes with toilets or sinks nearby, flushing or running water elsewhere can cause sudden pressure drops. Makes sense, I guess.

I ended up installing a pressure-balanced valve myself (watched a ton of YouTube tutorials first, lol). It was a bit intimidating at first, but actually not as complicated as I thought it'd be. Took me a Saturday afternoon and a couple trips to the hardware store, but it completely solved the issue. No more surprise cold blasts mid-shampoo.

If you're comfortable with basic plumbing DIY, it might be worth looking into doing it yourself to save some cash. Just make sure you shut off the water main first—learned that one the hard way...


Reply
Page 5 / 44
Share:
Scroll to Top