Grohe shower mixer model#?

[wkearney99]

Anyone know what model shower mixer they put in a Grand Banks Eastbay 47? The handle reads Grohe, as does the hand attachment, but no model numbers were visible.

The one in ours has developed a leak. I'm assuming it's the mixer cartridge. But I didn't have the chance to tear it all apart this past week. It'd be nice to figure out which one is needed and take it with me rather than some back/forth and ordering delays.

 

[BrisHamish]

I had a similar issue and could not find a part number nor an identical new one - solved it by going to local plumbing store and buying a new Hans Grohe shower head. (Hans Grohe is the slightly cheaper version of Grohe).

The new one looks slightly slimmer in the head area, but it slots in perfectly to the old overhead holder (so there is no need to change that part).

Hamish.

 

[bligh]

It's likely a euro disc. Parts are usually readily available. Grohe has not made that many valves compared to other manufactures. You can likely bring the existing cartridge to a good plumbing supply house and walk out with a replacement cartridge. It should be a rather painless procedure compared to many other valves.

 

[wkearney99]

I had a similar issue and could not find a part number nor an identical new one - solved it by going to local plumbing store and buying a new Hans Grohe shower head. (Hans Grohe is the slightly cheaper version of Grohe).

The new one looks slightly slimmer in the head area, but it slots in perfectly to the old overhead holder (so there is no need to change that part).

It's the in-wall mixer that's leaking, not the handshower unit. I included that in the pictures to help clarify what kind of setup is installed.

Grohe and Hansgrohe are two separate companies, unrelated to each other. Grohe units are, as you point out, often slightly less expensive than Hansgrohe units. We've got Hansgrohe units in the house, everywhere except the guest and basement bath showers. I've got a spare Hansgrohe pull-out kitchen faucet that I've been tempted to reinstall on the boat, to replace the galley sink spout. But that's further down the 'to do' list.

Looks like I'll have to make a specific plumbing trip to extract the installed mixer cartridge. It'd be nice if there was an option to replace it with a thermostatic mixer, as the water heater tends to make really hot water. But that'd likely require replacing the whole assembly, which might be more involved than I'd like.

 

[bligh]

Grohe and Hansgrohe are two separate companies, unrelated to each other. Grohe units are, as you point out, often slightly less expensive than Hansgrohe units.
Looks like I'll have to make a specific plumbing trip to extract the installed mixer cartridge. It'd be nice if there was an option to replace it with a thermostatic mixer, as the water heater tends to make really hot water. But that'd likely require replacing the whole assembly, which might be more involved than I'd like.

Grohe is the better company with better hardware. Hansgrohe has covertly moved most of its manufacturing to china over the last 2 decades. Along with that move has come a rather large decrease in quality and increase in 'plastic' parts. You will not be able to easily swap the current mixer with a thermostatic mixer. It can be done, but it would not be a simple job like replacing a ceramic disc cartridge (15 minutes). The existing valve is already better than 99.9 percent of marine shower valves, so don't feel bad.

 

[wkearney99]

...The existing valve is already better than 99.9 percent of marine shower valves, so don't feel bad.

Agreed.

 

[wkearney99]

Got down to the boat today, it's a Grohe 46048

Ordered up a replacement that should be here tomorrow.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P0BCNY

Curiously, when I disassembled it I noted there are three o-rings on the back side of it. One of them was misshapen. Possibly 'blown out' over the winter due to residual water that froze. I flipped it and the rest of the o-rings over and re-seated the unit. That appears to have at least temporarily solved the leak. The replacement cartridge comes with new o-rings, so I didn't bother tearing this one down further.

There's zero chance of changing the mixer from the front. But it is along side a recessed shelf that could be removed. I'm not that bent on making the job THAT complicated though.

The tedious part of the job was removing the screws holding the faceplate in position. Yeesh, they were like 2" long, fine-threaded and tight. Turn, turn, turn, with the manual screwdriver... hmmm... dig out the cordless Ryobi I've kept onboard and discover.... THE CHUCK HAS RUSTED STUCK. Great, one job turns into two... ain't that always the case...