After coming home from a long day at work, going for a jog, or hitting the gym, there are few things more relaxing than Champion Plumbing Cape Coral standing under the warm spray of water in the shower and taking a little time to unwind. However, a leaking, seized, or broken shower valve can disrupt these plans and cause a significant amount of stress, especially if the home only has one available shower.

Thankfully, most shower valve issues can be fixed by simply replacing the shower valve cartridge, which is essentially the interior parts of the valve, while the exterior valve assembly can remain in place. If the exterior valve assembly and the pipes leading into the valve show signs of severe rusting and corrosion, you may need to contact a professional plumber to inspect the source of the damage and replace the water lines or entire valve.

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Before You Begin
Figure out the size and type of shower valve cartridge you need, because most brands will have a variance in stems and splines. Typically, users can look up the correct part by figuring out the shower valve brand and visiting the manufacturer’s website to find the right cartridge. However, if you cannot find the brand, then you may need to remove the shower valve cartridge and take it with you to a local home improvement store in order to find the correct replacement. During this time, the water to the shower would need to remain off to prevent water damage.

Lay a Drop Cloth in the Bottom of the Shower
It’s important to put a drop cloth in the shower or tub in order to block off the drain. Not only does this prevent screws, washers, and other small parts from dropping down the drain, but it also helps to keep the area clean.

White plastic drop cloth placed on bottom of shower to cover drain

Remove the Shower Handle
In order to access the shower valve, the handle or handles need to be removed. If the shower has a single-lever handle like a Valley shower, look for a small set screw in the handle that can be removed with an Allen wrench.

Plastic, glass, or faux-crystal decorative handles will typically have a small plastic cover over the set screw. Just pop off the cover with a flat-head screwdriver to locate the screw. Similarly, two-handle showers will often have screws that are hidden by plastic covers on the front of each handle. Pop off the covers to access the screws.

Once the set screws have been found, use a screwdriver or Allen wrench to loosen the screw and pull off the handle. Set the shower handle aside, making sure to keep track of the set screws.

shower handle removed with Allen wrench

Unscrew and Clean the Trim Plate
The trim plate is the flat backing that sits behind the handle. Its purpose is to cover up the shower valve assembly and the hole in the shower wall in order to prevent water from seeping into the gap between the walls and causing excessive damage to the home.

To remove the trim plate, use a screwdriver to loosen the screws that are securing it to the valve assembly, then slide it off of the valve stem. Make sure to keep track of the screws and consider taking the time to scrape off old caulking and clean both the trim plate and the shower handle.

In some cases, the shower valve cartridge can be fully accessed after removing the handle. This means that in these circumstances the trim plate does not need to be removed to replace the shower valve cartridge.

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