Problem With a Single-Handle Glacier Bay Shower Faucet

The Glacier Bay line of faucets for showers and sinks is owned by Home Depot. It is designed to compete as a less-expensive competitor to Delta. While Glacier Bay showerheads may not have top-shelf luxury features, they provide good performance at a reasonable price with sleek and simple designs. Over time, you may experience problems with a single-handle Glacier Bay shower faucet, but you may be able to troubleshoot them.

Due to their special construction, single-handle Glacier Bay faucets inside the shower handle that regulates and controls the flow of water. If the shower faucet is having issues, it's most likely due to the cartridge.

If the faucet is leaking, plugging or otherwise malfunctioning, there is a good chance that the cartridge is at fault. Luckily, it is easy to disassemble and replace it if you purchase a new Glacier Bay cartridge that fits your model of faucet.

First, you'll want to turn off the water source to the sink. Sometimes, there's a valve in the water line under the sink that will shut off flow from the source. If not, you may need to temporarily turn off the water to the house for the repair. Once the water line has been shut off, open the faucet and let it run out until there's no water left in the line.

There's a setscrew somewhere connecting the handle to the base of the sink. Depending on the model, it might be beneath a cap. If there's a cap, pry it open with a screwdriver. Unscrew the setscrew with a suitable screwdriver and set it aside. Then, pull off the handle.

To remove the rest of the trim, find the mounting screws that attach the trim to the wall and remove them with an appropriate screwdriver. If the trim is attached to the wall with sealant, use a utility knife to cut through the caulk and then remove it from the junction.

Examine the trim sleeve that goes around the body of the faucet. There may be a setscrew or bonnet nut attaching it to the assembly; if so, remove this with the appropriate screwdriver. If not, the trim sleeve should be easily removable from the body by unscrewing it.

The cartridge in a Glacier Bay shower faucet is in the faucet body. Once everything has been removed and the cartridge is accessible, remove the old cartridge and replace it with the new one. Be sure the new cartridge has been firmly installed in the place of the old one.

After installation, reattach the trim sleeve to the body of the faucet and tighten with a wrench. If there are additional setscrews, replace them and tighten them in place. Put the faucet trim and handle back into place and screw in any fixture pieces or tighten any setscrews that are needed to reassemble the final pieces.

With the new cartridge in place, test the showerhead. The fixture should have full flow with no plugging and no leaks when the water is shut off. If these problems still occur, examine the other parts of the shower and showerhead to determine what else could be causing the issues you're having.