I have just bought a new bristan cart 5 as the old one just stopped working. The shower control levers became very stiff and then I could not shut it off or not open it. The new cartridge went in easily but i still cant get the shower to work . If I push in hard and turn the control it works. Could this be that the cartridge is'nt binding on the back plate like it should?

pif, December 2010

Hello,

I've seen this a few times on these cartridges, the problem is normally down to pressure, yes everyones best friend.

The exterior seals on this cartridge are "c shaped" so when under pressure they open up an seal the water.

However if you can get enough pressure behind these seals they act kinda like sails and push the cartrdige forward up against the retaining plate, however that the pressure required would be... erm... impressive for most houses to say the least.

Are you able to advise on the water pressure of your system??

In the time I worked with these cartridges I also noticed that the ceramic disc at the base/back sometime is no greased up enought so you end up taking it apart and doing it.

It might be worth doing these first before spending any money.

ShowerMaster, December 2010