fixing a leaky shower head

[vood0g]

my shower head is dripping no matter how tight i turn the knob. where should i begin to search for the problem. dont want to call the plumber until i have at least given it a shot because my wife is embarrassed that i dont know how to be "handy" around the house. i see this going terribly bad already, but oh well, gotta impress the lady.

 

[Mo0o]

Tell her you'll fix the shower head as soon as she fix your...

 

[dartworth]

what kind of faucet?

 

[FoBoT]

gack!

is the faucet leaking or the shower head?

 

[shimsham]

leaky washer probably. just take it apart taking note of what goes where. its fairly simple. might be better off to take the oppurtunity to let the wifey choose a new faucet if she desires one. kill two birds with one stone, and score extra points.

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: vood0g
my shower head is dripping no matter how tight i turn the knob. where should i begin to search for the problem. dont want to call the plumber until i have at least given it a shot because my wife is embarrassed that i dont know how to be "handy" around the house. i see this going terribly bad already, but oh well, gotta impress the lady.

It is nothing more then a simple seal behind the knob.

First turn off your water to the shower or all of it.
Take a phillips driver and remove the knob.
Next take a wrench and remove the valve.
The o-ring seal you see is the problem.
Take seal to ace hardware and get new one for 5 cents
Reverse order to put back together
Done
Happy woman sees you as usefull and gives you sexualy payment
Win win

 

[vood0g]

Originally posted by: dartworth
what kind of faucet?

not sure what you're asking but...its a single handle "L" shaped handle. you turn it counter-clockwise for the water temperature. the water comes out the same speed no matter where you turn it (unless its in the off position of course).

Originally posted by: FoBoT
gack!

is the faucet leaking or the shower head?

the water is dripping from the shower head.

 

[FoBoT]

disassemble faucet
replace software
re-assemble faucet

 

[MikeMike]

damn, i thought it was gunna be the shower head, and then i coulda said Teflon Tape, cuz Teflon Tape + Duct Tape = everything is fixed.

but yes, the washer is leaky/old/dry rotted. fix that and your fixed.

MIKE

 

[vood0g]

ok, seems easy enough. where is the water shut-off valve typically located?

 

[ArmenK]

I just replaced some shower valves last weekend. I had to turn off the water to the whole house, get the right socket (since the valve was recessed into the wall), take the old valves off, and finally put the new valves on. The socket was $2 and the price-pfister valves were $6 each. Not worth calling a plumber for such an easy job.

 

[ArmenK]

Originally posted by: vood0g
ok, seems easy enough. where is the water shut-off valve typically located?

For our house its on the sidewalk under a little trap door type thing.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: vood0g
ok, seems easy enough. where is the water shut-off valve typically located?

most houses you'll have to shut off the main valve, usually located in the basement near the foundation wall. you might have an isolation valve, if the basement is open underneath the shower you can look , but the easy way is to cut off the water for the whole house using the main shutoff

tell everyone to use the toilet before you cut off the water, you can't turn it back on until you get the faucet put back together

 

[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.

 

[PanzerIV]

I replaced everything in both of my showers a few weekends ago. The stems, seats, handles, etc. What a b!tch of a project it turned out to be and one I am glad to be done with!!!

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: vood0g
ok, seems easy enough. where is the water shut-off valve typically located?

most houses you'll have to shut off the main valve, usually located in the basement near the foundation wall. you might have an isolation valve, if the basement is open underneath the shower you can look , but the easy way is to cut off the water for the whole house using the main shutoff

tell everyone to use the toilet before you cut off the water, you can't turn it back on until you get the faucet put back together

there may be an access panel BEHIND the wall with the hardware (usually a closet is put on the other side) that may have an isolation valve. be sure to turn off BOTH hot and cold lines if you use isolation valves.


edit: i would just shut off water to the whole house.

 

[vood0g]

ok, i might have to wait until this weekend to do it just in case this takes longer than expected. thanks for the help guys. i'll post the results next week. hehe. just out of curiosity, how many sitcoms can you guys recall that bad things happen when the characters are fixing a leak.

 

[Ornery]

You need the manufacturer's name, and possibly the model of that diverter. call the local hardware and plumbing stores to see if they have repair kits for it, before you pull everything apart. It may have to be ordered.

The shutoff valves should be behind an access panel behind the valve.

Faucet Repair Parts and Kits

 

[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.

 

[vood0g]

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.

hehe, smartass.

 

[drnickriviera]

Can you take a picture of it? Should be able to identify the brand. Since it's a temperature balance faucet, places like depot or lowes might not have the parts you need.

 

[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 ?

 

[Rumpltzer]

Be careful when taking apart the faucet. What I mean is:

1) Do make sure to turn off the main. If you don't, you might get a water-jet propelled hunk of metal projected at you when you take the knob off.

2) After turning off the main, turn the faucet on to relieve the water pressure in the pipes. There might be some built up pressure from the water heater... hot water-jet propelled hunk of metal projected at you when you take the knob off.


Pray that the hardware isn't siezed on with mineral deposits.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: shimsham
leaky washer probably. just take it apart taking note of what goes where. its fairly simple. might be better off to take the oppurtunity to let the wifey choose a new faucet if she desires one. kill two birds with one stone, and score extra points.

That's the way to fix it.

 

[bootymac]

New washer