Description

• The terms shower diverter and shower diverter valve are sometimes used interchangeably, but one should not be confused for the other. A shower diverter valve controls the water temperature and amount of water coming in. A shower diverter changes the direction of the water flow from a fixed shower head to a handheld shower handset and vice versa. Keep in mind that the shower diverter is always installed after the shower valve. There are also several different types of diverters such as a tub spout diverter that switches the flow of water from the tub spout to the shower head. Do not confuse a tub spout diverter with a shower diverter.
  
  

Mechanics

• A shower diverter is controlled by a handle that is normally designed like a cross or a straight handle. Sometimes it is a switch that when propped up or down, changes the direction of the water flow. The handle or switch is outside the bathroom wall, held in place by trims, and it is attached to either a ball-like valve or a cartridge located behind the wall.
  
  Although there are several different types of designs, all cartridges or valves work in the same way. All designs have openings called inlets and outlets, depending which way the water flows. If water flows in, the opening is an inlet. If the water flows out, the opening is an outlet.
  
  By popping up the switch or turning the handle, the valve or cartridge also turns or pops up so that the inlet faces the shower valve, which allows the water in, and the outlet faces either the shower head or the shower handset to allow the water to flow out in that direction. Some diverters have outlets that face both the shower head and the handheld at the same time when turned on so that the water flows out of both. These are known as two-way outlet diverters.
  
  

System Process

• The entire process of the system starts from the water main pipeline. The pressurized water, comes up the water main into the shower valve, where the water temperature is then mixed inside the mixing valve. The mixing valve is located inside the shower valve and mixes hot and cold water. The water can be left as either all hot or all cold if desired. The water automatically comes out of the tub spout if the tub spout diverter has not been switched on.
  
  Once the switch on the tub spout is propped up, the water flow from the tub spout is shut off and the water is forced up toward the shower head. Older models used to have a shower diverter in between the hot and cold knobs that was part of the shower valve. When turned on, the diverter would shut off the water flow from the tub spout up to the shower head. These models have been discontinued in the United States since 1991. They have been replaced with switches located on the tub spout itself, called tub spout diverters.
  
  When the water is flowing up toward the shower head, and the shower diverter is turned on by either turning the handle or popping the switch, the water flow is then directed toward the shower head, or the shower hand-held handset or both. Again, this occurs by allowing water in through the inlet and shutting off all outlets, except the one(s) facing the desired direction.
  
  

Considerations

• Only a licensed plumber should install a shower diverter behind a wall. However, a handy person can install a shower diverter outside a wall using a shower diverter arm. A shower diverter arm looks like a shower head. By using the same engineering as mentioned before, the shower diverter arm does the same job as a shower diverter.