It should be easy turning on your shower at any time of the day, but the opposite could be the situation when the shower diverter breaks. When the diverter breaks, water will continue to run from the shower even after you turn the diverter off. Repairing a broken diverter is quite easy but you can save time, energy and money on such repairs by contacting Mr. Rooter Plumbing.
What is a shower diverter?
A shower diverter is simply the component that reroutes water from the faucet of the bathtub to the showerhead. It is normally controlled by a pin-knob, that can be pulled. You can detect whether your shower diverter is broken once it has been triggered but water continues to trickle out of the spout rather than coming out of the showerhead. This may mean that the internal rubber stopper is not enforcing a complete seal to block and then redirect the flow of the water to the showerhead. Sometimes, the damage to the shower diverter could be as a result of another problem.
How to fix a broken shower diverter
Do not delay in repairing a broken shower diverter, and you must fix the problem because such damage can cause excessive water loss. Before you start fixing the shower diverter, make sure you turn off the water supply to avoid a messy situation and to detect points of leakages easily. The next step is to seal off the drain with tape so that small components like screws don't get flushed down the drain. You can then check the type of diverter the shower is using, this could be a pull-down, gate, rotating or pull-up type.
Perform some troubleshooting on the shower diverter, sometimes all you need to do is tighten some loose screws located behind the faceplate inside the valve of the diverter. If you fix the screws but water leaks continue, then move to the next step.
remove the old shower diverter by simply unscrewing the nut at the stem, in order to remove the valve. If the gate-type valve is used, then the threaded tub spout must be unscrewed.
The next step is to choose another shower diverter. Make sure you take the old shower diverter to the store. Install the new unit by ensuring that the parts don't cross-thread each other. Make use of a wrench to tighten the valve of the diverter but don't over-tighten it. Adjust the stopper as you tighten the diverter. Once the installation is completed, make sure you test the new valve and make sure there are no leaks.
Contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing for shower diverter replacement, repair, and installation
If there are still leakages even after installing your new shower diverter, you should consider contacting Mr. Rooter Plumbing plumber and we will be right there to inspect the root-cause of the issues and we will suggest the ideal way to provide a lasting solution. Repairing your shower diverter does not have to break your pocket, we guaranty a reliable and trustworthy service.