The concept of the landlord obliged to maintain the leasehold property for the tenant, as opposed to the other way around, is a fairly new one, but it certainly has its merits. When something goes wrong at my house, I still call the super, but he never comes. He never, ever comes.

That is one advantageof megacorporate cookie cutter apartment rental (Archstone). When I rented from individuals I hated bothering them with small stuff. Our complex has three full time maintenance staff and so I figure it is my duty to occupy their time. Now the only thing that keeps me from calling in the small stuff is not wanting to have to clean the apartment to my normal "strangers in the house" standard. So I still wait for something big and then pile on the small things.

although it is a PITA to use, we do have another shower in the house. In fact, I think this is the first time it has been used since we moved in 12 years ago (although I do run water in there periodically just to make sure things remain in working order)
When I cleaned the valves, I did it externally from the shower and rinsed them thoroughly before replacing. However, I am suspecting and old gasket or something similar is stuck. Tonight I get to clean that segment of the line out (I think a traditional pipe snake is too big for the segment).

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I probably do more than required at this place, but the small stuff is easy for me: much easier than a handyman coming in.

There once was a plumber from Leeds
Who was plumbing his maid by the sea
Said the maid, "cease your plumbing
I think someone's coming."
Said the plumber, still plumbing, "'tis me!"

yes. if youre only going from the shower head mounting to the point at which it intersects the control valves in the shower itself, you can. I wouldnt suggest using anything as rigid as a coat hanger however. a sturdy extra long nylon wire tie or something like it (a piece of weed eater line would be dandy), while perhaps not sturdy enough to break any clog it encounters, would likely stop at the point of interruption. while also allowing it to make any turns you might have between A and B.

if you can get the line all the way through to the valving area, you may be able to tie a small knot in the line and by drawing it back through the way it came, clear the clog a bit. its not perfect but it may tell you whats interfering by carrying the debris to you. be careful not to pull too hard if you encounter resistance, as you may end with a broken bit of line in the pipe, making things worse.

if you suspect that the outflow pipe is clogged or collapsed (the pipe from the valves to the showerhead itself) you can somewhat determine this by pouring/injecting a dyed (food coloring or some such..not actual dye) solution of water into the showerhead end and looking to see if it easily flows from the removed valves. if its just a trickle, the clog is likely between point a and b. if it flows readily, your interference is elsewhere, probably between the valves and the incoming water.

Problem finally solved. Found blockage in the pipe right before the the nozzle (I suspect it was a piece of a washer that was broken off of an old valve as well as an old washer from an old nozzle).

Total project ended up requiring one new valve, new washers all around, and new handles (but that was due to me being a little too harsh on them).

Hurray for success!

Yup, glad you got it done! Good for you!

I'm in the midst of my own plumbing right now. Renovating the kitchen, new counter tops, backsplash (real polished marbel), sink, faucet, dishwasher, range, and floors (vinyl wood planking).

Of course when you open old plumbing, you open a can of worms. The shut-off valves were rusted and frozen, so I had to pull them off and replace them, and the pipes leading to them were badly corroded, so those had to be replaced. The valve for the dishwasher leaked as well and needed to be replaced. It was a fun day!

Tomorrow is electrical work including recessed lighting, and extra circuts so I can run my microwave and toaster at the same time.

It's been exausting work, but I'm excited to see it all don.........ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZ