Overview

This is the shower kit we installed in our third floor bathroom back in 2013.

Aquabrass 1/2" Shower Kit #52 Brushed Nickel 

Installation

Parts

Cartridge: ABCA01004

Servicing

Service the Cartridge

Cleaning the Check Valves

Issues

Cold Water Lines are Hot

Throughout the house, we observed that we were getting warm water from the cold water lines.

Turns out that the check valves in the shower were stuck open.  Removed the check valves and soaked in Oxyclean to remove the buildup.

See Cleaning the Check Valves.

Temperature Control Slow to Respond

When adjusting the temperature, it seems to go from warm to very hot sometimes or requires a large turn to get it hotter. We can assume we have a buildup in the main cartridge. Getting to the cartridge is easy but getting it out is problematic. The cartridge is held in place by a 32mm nut. Once the nut is removed you should be able to pull it out.

This is a problem!

In my case, the cartridge is stuck in the valve body. The top of the cartridge has a plastic top which unlatches by a slight turn counter clockwise(?). From here you can try to wiggle it out by clamping to the side (plastic top removed) with some pliers.  This did not work for me. Need to find some agent to loosen its grip from the valve body. Since a new cartridge is about $30, I will live with this for now... 

Receipt

References