If your brand new shower valve is not working as expected, the problem may well lie with the plumbing installation or the water supply.


Most, but not all, shower valves are factory tested, so it is relatively rare (but still of course possible) for a valve to be faulty. From experience, it is more often not the valve that is faulty, but may be one or more of a number of other factors.

It is very important that you troubleshoot your problem first. We generally test all shower products reported as faulty, and if a fault is not found you will be charged for any replacements, as well as any delivery costs incurred.


Here are some of the most common issues found:


  • Insufficient Water Pressure - Each shower component on our site has a minimum water pressure rating. If you have a low pressure gravity system, please ensure you have chosen a suitable item. You can read more about this here. You may need to fit a pump if you have already installed high pressure components on a low pressure water system.

  • Imbalanced Water Pressure - Shower valves generally need a relatively equal supply of hot and cold water. If the 2 aren’t equal, your plumber should install a pressure reducing valve on the feed which has ‘too much’ flow.

  • Hot & Cold Feeds Round the Wrong Way - As simplistic as this sounds, many a time have we experienced issues stemming from hot and cold feeds being incorrectly connected to the wrong side of the valve

  • Valve Hasn’t Been Calibrated - Not everyone has the same ratio of hot to cold water pressure. It is important that they are relatively equal, but even so, you always need to calibrate a new shower valve. Each valve will have a spline, generally under the temperature control handle, and this will need to be rotated clockwise or anti-clockwise until the water coming out matches the water temperature set on the dial. If your water is staying too hot or too cold, calibration is often the fix.

  • Blocked Inlet Connectors & Strainers - During a brand new installation, it is not at all uncommon for scale, debris and grit to work their way into your new valve. Your plumber should generally flush the valve through and check for any blockages before leaving the job.

  • An Air Lock in the Water Supply - If either or both the hot and cold supply is not coming through, you may have an air lock in your system.

  • Isolation Valves are Closed - If the water is too hot or cold, you may have an isolation valve closed shutting off the flow of one of the supplies.


It is important to remember that a good plumber has spent time and money learning his or her trade, and getting the necessary qualifications to do what is a highly complex job (which is why they charge accordingly!). You’re more than welcome to DIY-fit, or have your builder install the shower, but please bear in mind that plumbing systems, like car engines, are not always as simple as you’d like them to be. Problems aren’t always caused by faulty products, and to avoid unnecessary upset and costs, it is important that you do not rush to the conclusion that an item is definitely faulty without a qualified plumber doing a proper troubleshooting procedure. This will certainly save you money in the long run.

I’m sure the item is faulty. What now?


We can proceed in a couple of different ways. If time is not of the essence, we can collect the item, have it tested, and once the fault is confirmed, we will issue a replacement (or a refund if the purchase was made in the 28 days prior to reporting the issue and this is what you would rather).

Alternatively, if you want a replacement immediately, we will normally take payment details (without charging them) and dispatch the replacement item as soon as we can. We will collect the faulty item at the earliest convenience.


Once the item has been tested and the fault is confirmed, nothing further will happen as you have already been issued a free of charge replacement.


If the item is found not to be faulty, we are unable to take back an item that has been installed (which will likely be the case here), so at this point the replacement we issued will become chargeable, and any costs incurred collecting the original item and delivering the replacement will also be charged at the costs we incurred ourselves.

Generally, we allow about 2 weeks for testing, and this is always done by the manufacturer at their testing facilities; or if that’s not possible we may use a qualified third party. We will share with you any results found, and if there is any doubt about the possible fault, we will always assume faulty until proven not!