Standing under the shower faucet removes all worries of the day. But the worries get doubled when you see leaky faucet, and not to mention the annoying sound. These problems need your attention sooner rather than later because it causes utility bills to increase.
Also, runny water causes a filthy mark on tiles that is the last thing you want in your bathroom. If you can successfully follow a few steps, you can easily fix this problem yourself. Let’s see how to fix leaky shower faucet.
What causes leaky shower faucet?
The faulty shower valve mainly cause’s leaky shower faucet most of the time. If your one worked fine before and leaked after some time, then the mineral deposit is the culprit here. Or some damages happens with the shower valve after the use of years. Whatever the reason might be you have to take a step to make it right. So we are here to help you.
Easy Steps To Fix A Two Handle Shower Faucet.
Step 1- Remove the cap first.
This step truly depends on the design of the cap. A basic cap should have a screw visible before your eyes or at the edge. When you unscrew it, it will come off. More ornamental ones have a screw, but those are hidden. So find it out and unscrew it.
Step 2- remove the handles.
Once you worked with the cap, aim for the handles. The cover cap has a locking screw that you have to unscrew using a screwdriver. Turn the screwdriver anticlockwise motion. If the handles do not come off by pulling, then use a faucet puller to unscrew the handles.
Step 3- take out the trim and sleeve.
After handle, trim and sleeve are your concern. A plumber’s deep socket will come handy when you extract the faucet stem from the valve body. Fix that plumbers socket to stem’s hex nut and turn anticlockwise to unscrew it. It requires significant force to take out the trim and sleeve. Unscrew the faucet stem and valve.
Step 4- replace everything.
All the parts you took out, one of those or all, were faulty. As it is not possible to know which one exactly is faulty, replace everything from O-rings, seals, and flat washer. After you assembled this repeat the step from 3 to 1 for successfully assembling back. All these faucets stem to the valve body, oil everything before assembling.
Guide To Fix The Single Handle Shower Faucet.
Step-1
The single handle shower faucet has an ornamental handle. Take it out first. Turn your screwdriver anticlockwise to unscrew the handle. Take out the handle and put it safely.
Step-2
This time remove the escutcheon trim plate by loosening the threaded sleeve. For that turn your screwdriver anticlockwise motion on the plate. If it’s sealed to the bathroom wall, remove that with a sharp knife. The plate will immediately come off.
Step-3
Inside that hole, you will see a cartridge. Loosen the screw on the mounting flange and take out that cartridge. There is also an O-ring there and remove that.
Step- 4
Get a new cartridge and fix it there. But first, check if there is any stubborn stain. If there is clean and scrub it well. Leakage may cause dirt. Replace the threaded part, cartridge, and the flange.
Step- 5
Finally, fix the rubber gasket properly before calling it a day. Seal the gasket with four screws so that there is no escape for anything. Turn on the water to check if there is any leakage issue. It should be fine after all the hassle. Then return the escutcheon trim in its deserved place. You will not have a problem after that.
Some expert tips.
- Even after you fixed the shower faucet did not stop the water leakage. Do not tighten the screw more. It may damage the valve, call an expert instead.
- Use a rug to cover your tub or floor. Keep something on the drain so that tiny screws do not go there and go missing.
- Keep all tools and instructions nearby and stop the water supply. Do not fuss too much to hurry as your household needs water. A steady mind will complete the task without causing trouble.
- After stopping the water, keep the shower open for some time. Because the water pipes may still hold water and you do not want a shower before finishing the task.
Final thoughts.
It may intimidate you in the first place while you are reading it. But it’s not as hard as it seems. Be careful, but trust your mind and follow the steps. It should be fine. Make yourself something special after you did this amazing job to celebrate success.
