How to Repair a Shower Spout

Leaky shower spouts are a common hassle as a shower ages, caused by the corrosion of the washers or pieces of your shower's flow control mechanism. Corrosion causes water to continue escaping up to the shower head, even when you have your shower knobs shut off. While a leaky shower head seemingly requires replacement of the shower head, instead you must remove and reinstall the flow control assembly, housed behind your shower plate.

Instructions

1. Shut off the water line running to the shower. Never open up a pipe while the water line is open.

2. Unscrew the shower plate. This is the covering located along the center line of your shower, between your bath spout and your shower head.

3. Carefully remove the plate to gain access to the flow control assembly.

4. Remove the inner assembly from your shower. With the plate removed, you should be able to remove the pieces by hand. You may note corrosion on the assembly or the washers when they are removed, which is likely the cause of your leak.

5. Bring your removed assembly to a hardware store. An employee of the store will be able to help you find the exact assembly required to replace your malfunctioning unit.

6. Install the new assembly. Insert the new water flow mechanism into the opening left from removing the malfunctioning assembly.

7. Replace the plate that covers the assembly and screw back in place.

References

• Repair a Dripping Shower Head