Anyone here know how diverter valves work?

[mpire]

I have a 50+ year old shower with a hot and a cold valve and a diverter in the middle that sends water to the tub spout or the shower head.

Pretty sure the brand is central brass, but not 100%, but it looks exactly like this valve down to the threading.

DANCO 12C-10D Diverter Stem for Central Brass Faucets 17162B - The Home Depot

Repair your leaky faucet with the Danco 12C-10D Diverter Stem for Central Brass. A dripping faucet wastes both water and energy. The installation of a new faucet stem and seat will stop the drip and return

www.homedepot.com

I have replaced the rubber gasket that seats on the valve seat so when you turn it clockwise it seals and sends all the water to the shower head nothing comes out of the tub spout.

However, the diverter letting water through to the shower head when have it all the way counter clock wise which should send all the water to the tub spout, but from what I can tell both of them are open and it doesn't seal off the shower head.

So I have a quarter inch stream of water going up the shower spout when I'm getting the shower started.

Anyone run into this and know an obvious solution other than just live with it?

 

[The Cobbler]

must be another seal of some sort

 

[cstmg8]

Sometimes they don't technically seal the shower head off, simply give the water an easier pathway to the spigot. Is there any chance that your water pressure is high enough to still push a small amount of water up the riser?

 

[Mr_fixit]

I have the same type from the 70's. ( we don't have the diverter valve that you pull up).
I thought that opening the center valve allows the water to go up through the hole. So the valve must be all the way open so the tapered brass creates a seal to have all the water go up. If it's not all the way open, some water comes out the spout and most goes up. If it's all the way open all the water goes up. I think the rubber type washer serves NO purpose, because the easier less restrictive route is down, via the spout.. At least that's how mine works. Mine is a speakman.

 

[Mr_fixit]

This is what my speakman looks like

 

[LXCam]

Did you replace the seat in the valve body?

 

[mpire]

Did you replace the seat in the valve body?

I think I replaced the seat at some point around 2005, but the seat doesn't appear to be the issue. When you turn the valve clockwise the rubber seal on the front presses into the seat and blocks the water from going to the tub spout.

When you turn it counter clock wise it is not touching the seat.

So I'm guessing it can go to either hole without obstruction when the rubber seal is not touching the seat.

 

[mpire]

I have the same type from the 70's. ( we don't have the diverter valve that you pull up).
I thought that opening the center valve allows the water to go up through the hole. So the valve must be all the way open so the tapered brass creates a seal to have all the water go up. If it's not all the way open, some water comes out the spout and most goes up. If it's all the way open all the water goes up. I think the rubber type washer serves NO purpose, because the easier less restrictive route is down, via the spout.. At least that's how mine works. Mine is a speakman.

Sounds like mine works the opposite way, maybe it was installed backwards?

 

[mpire]

Sometimes they don't technically seal the shower head off, simply give the water an easier pathway to the spigot. Is there any chance that your water pressure is high enough to still push a small amount of water up the riser?

I'm guessing this might be the case, it does have really good water pressure.

When its all the way open I don't see how it keeps water from going to the shower head, when its closed water can not go to the tub spout.

 

[John in OH]

Shooting blind here ... but is there any possibility that you have something in the tub spout or spout piping that is causing a partial blockage and adding enough resistance to the flow path to the tub that it is allowing a small amount of water to push up to the shower head??? Assuming the shower head is about 5' above the tub spout, it would take only 5' of head resistance in the tub spout to make water flow up to the shower.

 

[Copymutt]

Suffered with diverter issue for many moons. Wife was adamant it was my installation of pex that caused the low shower pressure.
Older home, not easy to access the fixture. In fact you need to drain and move the water heater first, then remove the wall covering. Turned out to be a disintegrated plastic valve component in the diverter. I chucked it. She never runs a bath anyway so a trickle from the shower when filling the tub is not an issue.