No. of Recommendations: 4
More update.
So, that didn't last long. The temp controller resumed its old behavior pretty shortly after. As this was winter (my previous post was in October), the tweak which gave really hot water was OK. A bit too hot, but OK.
Well...fast forward to a few weeks ago, we finally let the plumbers install a new water softener. Ours was about 15 years old, and from what I read, you can only expect a resin bed to last 10-15 years. Especially with chlorine in the water (which we have city-wide). While they were installing it, I mentioned our annoying temperature controller. The apprentice, in between following instructions from the main guy, said "it's probably the cartridge".
Didn't know the temp controller had a cartridge! So, after some rummaging around, I ended up contacting the manufacturer and sent a photo. As we are the original owners, it is 100% warrantied. They identified the model based on the photo, and sent a new cartridge that was compatible. I did a little research and learned that if I had to pay for that cartridge, it would have been ~$130.
So...remove the handles, cut the silicone seal for the faceplate, and remove the set screw for the cartridge. Pull out old cartridge, put in new one, put it back together, and seal the faceplate with a bead of silicone.
It works. We now have a continuum of temperature control.
