How to Fix a Dripping Water Faucet in a Shower
Leaking faucets waste water, increase your water bill and can corrode your shower. Most leaking shower faucets are caused by wear and tear on a specific piece of the faucet. You can often avoid replacing the entire faucet by identifying what type of faucet you have and which part is most likely to be the source of the leak. By identifying these leak-prone moving parts, you can potentially repair the leak and save yourself the hassle and cost of hiring a plumber to replace the whole mechanism. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Screwdriver
- Pipe wrench
- Caulk
- Caulking gun
- Washers and discs
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Instructions
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Shut off the water. If a shutoff valve for the shower is accessible, use it to turn off the water. Otherwise, use the main water shutoff for your house or unit. Also turn off the water heater.
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Identify what type of faucet you have in your shower. According to home improvement expert and author Don Vandervort, there are four main types of faucets: compression, disc, cartridge and ball. If a faucet has a single handle that controls temperature, it is either a ball, disc or cartridge faucet. If it has separate handles for hot and cold, it is likely a compression faucet. In order to determine what type of faucet you have, disassemble it using a screwdriver and pipe wrench. Match the parts you see to the diagram in the Resources section below from Hometips.com.
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Identify the likely source of the leak. Each type of faucet has a piece or several pieces most likely to cause a leak, but the rubber washer, or O-ring, is a good place to start. Inspect all rings and washers carefully for perforations, warping or any other inconsistencies which could allow water to make its way past the piece. Other potential leak sources are corrosion on a valve or seal. This corrosion can be seen with the naked eye, allowing you to identify which piece needs to be replaced.
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Take the damaged piece to a hardware store to ensure you replace it with an exact replica. Inserting the incorrect size pieces can make it impossible to reassemble the faucet or can allow the leak to continue. Reassemble the faucet with new pieces. Re-caulk around the faucet pieces where necessary.
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Turn water back on and don't forget to test faucet for leaks.
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Tips & Warnings
Cover shower drain to avoid losing any small faucet pieces during disassembly.
