How to Fix a Moen Shower Water Diverter

Replacing a diverter

Moen shower diverters will break with enough time and use. You'll know if a shower diverter is broken if you pull the knob on the shower spout and water does not immediately come out of the shower head but continues to flow from the spout. This means that the washers within the tub spout that divert water to the shower head have worn away. With a job like this, it's smarter and quicker to simply replace the entire spout than attempting to replace the defective washers.

Things You'll Need

• Channel locks or plumber's wrench
• Allen wrench
• Plumber's tape

Instructions

1. Unscrew the tub spout from the wall. Depending on the model of you Moen faucet, you may have to loosen an Allen nut on the bottom-side of the spout before attempting to loosen the spout itself. If the spout doesn't turn by hand, then use a pair of channel locks or a plumber's wrench for a better grip.

2. Remove any old plumber's tape that may be around the threads of the pipe that the spout was screwed onto.

3. Wrap a new piece of plumber's tape onto the threads of the pipe that the tub spout threads onto. Plumber's tape helps insure a water-tight seal.

4. Thread the new replacement spout onto the pipe that you just applied plumber's tape to.

5. Tighten the Allen nut on the bottom-side of the spout if your model has one.

6. Turn on your shower and test the new diverter valve.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use plumber's paste instead of plumber's tape if you prefer.

References

• This old house