DIY plumbing help - dripping faucet and shower

[broylz]

i have done pretty much anything except plumbing and now i have two issues im hoping someone can walk me through or point me in the right direction.

first is my guest bathroom sink. the hot water sidem when turned off, will run at almost half speed. the cold water shuts off normally and the hot water randomly started doing this one day. right now i just have it shut off at the valve under the sink so its cold water only. everything ive found online so far was how to stop the handles from leaking.

my other issue is my master shower. its dripping at a steady 1 dripp per second. normally we had to crank down on the handle, not overly tight but just second check it. last night it started dripping and i muffled it by laying a towel in the floor of the shower over night to get some sleep but now its continuing and is very annoying. everything i found online was how to fix a one knob "cartridge" shower from leaking at the handle. i have a two knob shower and its dripping steadily through the head.

[TNTitan]

whos the manufacturer of the faucet?

[Tobashadow]

same exact problem

[Chucktshoes]

It is likely the stems inside the handles either need new washers, or replaced entirely. It is actually a fairly simple operation. Even though only one side may be leaking I would recommend replacing both sides at the same time as a preventative measure. All you have to do is turn off the water to faucet, remove the handle, then use a wrench to unscrew the stem and replace washers or insert new stem. Make sure to use Teflon tape for any screw threads that will come in contact with water. I would recommend taking the entire stem with you to the hardware store along with the name of the faucet manufacturer and the should be able to get you what you need.

Edited September 23, 2009 by Chucktshoes
Forgot about the Teflon tape!

[seez52]

not to throw a monkey wrench in the works but sometimes showers can be a real pain. At our old house (built in 1978) I had to do the same job you're needing done on more than one occasion. The biggest problem I always had was, right off the bat, my knobs were seemingly welded onto the stems. They just won't come off. It seems the continual exposure to the shower environment causes the brass stems to weld themselves to the pot metal knobs. Usually replacement knobs are available, I boogered mine up the first time and had to replace them both. After that I used some anti seize compound on the stems and that seemed to help the next time around. I ended up using a dremel to cut off the knobs and not ruin the stems, believe it or not.

Sometimes showers will have threaded sleeves that go over the stems which will need to be unscrewed. Find a socket that just fits inside then use a pair of channel locks to turn them out. If you're real careful you can do it without scratching the hell out of them. Sometimes padding the jaws helps.

You may need a deep well socket to reach down in the fixture to unscrew the stem. I slipped one down over it and let the stem protrude through the square ratchet hole and used channel locks to then turn the socket. The do make special long tools for this a home depot.

Hopefully the washers will fix you up. Make sure to check out the washer seat down in the fixture once you get them out. Check for smooth sealing surfaces, no cuts or cracks. They can sometimes need replacing, and I won't go into that, hopefully new washers will get you by.

[Guest db99wj]

I have replaced the stem in my shower a couple of times, mine is leaking again, evidently you have to have the stem in a certain way or it will still leak. So be careful and observant on how the old one came out and put the new exactly the way the old one came out. Seems like it wouldn't make a difference, but it does.

I've done this type of plumbing on my stuff before, now, if I could figure out this waterheater mess.

[mousegunner]

I have learned to just call a plumber right away, before I mess it up too badly!

[gregintenn]

There are several different types of faucets. Some of which have washers that go into seats. Of course you replace the washers, but often you need to recut or even replace the seats. This requires a special tool you can probably find at your hardware store. Without pictures or a make and model number of the faucet, it would be difficult to give step by step instructions. When you do get it fixed, give all the women in your house a class in NOT OVERTIGHTENING THE D@MNED FAUCET KNOBS!!!!!!!!!!!

[dralarms]

I have replaced the stem in my shower a couple of times, mine is leaking again, evidently you have to have the stem in a certain way or it will still leak. So be careful and observant on how the old one came out and put the new exactly the way the old one came out. Seems like it wouldn't make a difference, but it does.

I've done this type of plumbing on my stuff before, now, if I could figure out this waterheater mess.

I've found that you really need to turn the water on just a little to flush out the old pieces of rubber before installing the new one or it will leak.

[VolunteerGuns]

Time to replace the WHOLE fixture. No worries that way.

[Guest db99wj]

I've found that you really need to turn the water on just a little to flush out the old pieces of rubber before installing the new one or it will leak.

I have a Mohen single lever faucet in our kitchen that is starting to leak, got to fix that one too...

[broylz]

got side tracked with yard work today. im gonna rip into it tomorrow