fixing a leaky shower head

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shimsham

Lifer
May 9, 2002
10,765
0
0
Originally posted by: feralkid
Originally posted by: shimsham
i turned the main off at the street, and the valve coming out of the hot water heater. before you take anything apart, turn on the faucet in the shower to let all the water already in the pipes drain out.




Where does one buy a "hot water heater"?

I can only find the ones that heat cold water.

;)


uhhh....errr..duh....
 

HappyPuppy

Lifer
Apr 5, 2001
16,997
2
71
Plan on four trips to the hardware store, two trips to the liquor store and one trip to the emergency room for this project.

Simple projects never fail to turn into major PITA's.
 

vood0g

Golden Member
Mar 5, 2004
1,442
1
0
Originally posted by: NascarFool
not sure what you're asking but...its a single handle "L" shaped handle.

Sounds like a Delta Pressure Balance faucet. The cartridge will cost from $50 to $75. I work at a plumbing shop and we sell the part for $78 + labor. Is it one of These ?

woah, i got a picture of the faucet, ill post them tonite.
 

SearchMaster

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2002
7,791
114
106
Originally posted by: vood0g
Originally posted by: NascarFool
not sure what you're asking but...its a single handle "L" shaped handle.

Sounds like a Delta Pressure Balance faucet. The cartridge will cost from $50 to $75. I work at a plumbing shop and we sell the part for $78 + labor. Is it one of These ?

woah, i got a picture of the faucet, ill post them tonite.
It's been a while since I worked in hardware, but I remember the single-handle Deltas to be trickier than the two handle old-skool variety. You may indeed end up having to replace the whole cartridge and yeah, they're pricey. That's one nice thing about the old-skool variety, they're a lot cheaper to maintain; replace the seat washer and you're golden for like a buck.
 

Fingolfin269

Lifer
Feb 28, 2003
17,948
34
91
You don't need to turn off any main water source or anything. I've changed out a few shower heads and only turned off the shower itself. No problems at all.
 

SearchMaster

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2002
7,791
114
106
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
You don't need to turn off any main water source or anything. I've changed out a few shower heads and only turned off the shower itself. No problems at all.

His shower head isn't the problem...he definitely needs to turn off the water.
 

huesmann

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 1999
8,618
0
76
Yeah. If the head dripping, it's the faucet/valve that's leaking.

You can usually turn off the water to the house from where the mains come in the house--there should be a valve there. No need to do it from the street.
 

Kelemvor

Lifer
May 23, 2002
16,928
8
81
Is it really old? Might need to check the manufacturer's site for a firmware upgrade...
 

woowoo

Platinum Member
Feb 17, 2003
2,092
1
0
This sounds like an opportunity to buy tools!!!

We Need
A torch
Solder
Flux
Pipecutters
Pipewrench
Screwdrivers

Just say
Honey, We will need these later anyway....
 

PanzerIV

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2002
6,875
1
0
Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
Plan on four trips to the hardware store, two trips to the liquor store and one trip to the emergency room for this project.

Simple projects never fail to turn into major PITA's.

Wise, wise words HappyPuppy and more true than you know. My project was worthy of a nightmare.
 

tami

Lifer
Nov 14, 2004
11,588
3
81
we just installed a new shower head at our new place and they recommended plumber's tape for possible leaks. try that.

solved.
 

vood0g

Golden Member
Mar 5, 2004
1,442
1
0
Originally posted by: tami
we just installed a new shower head at our new place and they recommended plumber's tape for possible leaks. try that.

solved.

this sounds really easy and cheap. the tape, i am assuming, probably costs $5 max, right?
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,851
4,956
136
Originally posted by: tami
we just installed a new shower head at our new place and they recommended plumber's tape for possible leaks. try that.

solved.


You just read the post title and came up with this, right?
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
Reminds me of a story from my high school days. My friends dad tried to fix the kitchen plumbing that had gone bad (don't know the exact nature of what the problem was...). He screwed it up and had to call a real plumber who had the following conversation with my friend.

"So, what does your dad do for a living?"

"He's an accountant"

"Hmmm, is he a good one?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good- He should stick to it, cause he's sh!t as a plumber!":laugh:
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
15
81
fobot.com
this isn't a "how to change my shower head" thread, it is a "how do i fix the leaking faucet in the shower" thread

the OP topic title is a little misleading, when i first read it yesterday i thought he had a leaking shower head also, but that isn't the problem


bad shower head == easy to fix
leaky shower faucet == not that easy for a novice "tim the tool man taylor"
 

vood0g

Golden Member
Mar 5, 2004
1,442
1
0
Originally posted by: FoBoT
this isn't a "how to change my shower head" thread, it is a "how do i fix the leaking faucet in the shower" thread

the OP topic title is a little misleading, when i first read it yesterday i thought he had a leaking shower head also, but that isn't the problem


bad shower head == easy to fix
leaky shower faucet == not that easy for a novice "tim the tool man taylor"

well, i am not sure how it is misleading. all i really know is that there is water dripping from the shower head, and it wont stop coming out no matter how tight i turn the handle.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
15
81
fobot.com
Originally posted by: vood0g
Originally posted by: FoBoT
this isn't a "how to change my shower head" thread, it is a "how do i fix the leaking faucet in the shower" thread

the OP topic title is a little misleading, when i first read it yesterday i thought he had a leaking shower head also, but that isn't the problem


bad shower head == easy to fix
leaky shower faucet == not that easy for a novice "tim the tool man taylor"

well, i am not sure how it is misleading. all i really know is that there is water dripping from the shower head, and it wont stop coming out no matter how tight i turn the handle.

right, that is a leaky faucet, not a leaky shower head
by design, shower heads "leak" in that they have many tiny holes on the end where the water comes out (again, by design) and the water falls upon the person taking the shower.