You may be able to loosen the nut by hand, but you’ll likely need to use a wrench or channel locks. This process is identical if the hose is leaking where it feeds into the wall. The only difference is that you’d loosen the nut at the wall, not under the shower head. You do not need to shut your water line off to do this.
If your leak was at the joint where the hose feeds into the wall, remove the washer inside of the hose instead. There’s nothing holding or locking the washer in place. It’s just going to be sitting in a small grove inside of the opening. You may even be able to knock the washer out just by tapping the base of the shower head against your palm.
Pick up a few replacements if you can. These washers deteriorate over time and they shouldn’t cost more than a few cents. Having a stack of extras around may make things easier in the future!
If you’re putting a washer back in the joint where the hose connects to the wall, wrap a few layers of Teflon tape around the threading on the pipe in the wall. That will ensure a clean and secure connection. [5] X Trustworthy Source United States Environmental Protection Agency Independent U. S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices Go to source
Depending on the brand and model, this can run you anywhere from $15 to $200. It just depends on how modern and fancy the cartridge design is. You may need to do some digging online if there isn’t a visible brand name or serial number online. Reach out to the manufacturer before you pay for a replacement—some brands have a lifetime guarantee on the cartridges. This is a very doable DIY job. However, if you don’t have a lot of experience doing home repairs or your cartridge model looks especially elaborate, you’re probably better off hiring a plumber or handyman to do this one.
If you have a lever-style valve, you typically only need to turn the handle 90 degrees to shut the water off.
Put the drain stopper on or fill the drain with a rag. This way, if you drop a screw, it won’t fall down the drain. If the handle or dial doesn’t come off with a little pressure, use a flathead screwdriver to gently pry the handle off of the fixture. It might require a fair bit of force to get it off, but you should be able to remove it. [9] X Expert Source Dave JonesMaster Plumber, Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup Expert Interview. 29 March 2021. Some handles have brackets in between the handle and the wall that you need to loosen in order to remove the handle. If there isn’t a hex key or handle, look online for how to remove it. Many shower handle manufactures publish their manuals online.
If there is a bracket, be gentle. There’s probably a finish on it, and you won’t want to scratch it. If you warp the bracket, you may not be able to put it back in place.
Do not skip the flashlight! If you put a new cartridge into the opening without removing the problem, your leak may re-develop in the future. If the cartridge is super worn out and old but you don’t see any debris, you probably have hard water. [12] X Research source
Don’t overtighten the bracket! You don’t need it to be hyper-tight for the connection to be secure. Turn the water back on at your supply line and check to see if the leak is gone. If it is, you fixed it! If it isn’t, you’ll need to call a plumber.
This is fairly normal, especially if you have hard water. Calcium and mineral deposits just build up over time inside of the shower head.
You normally just need to clean the connection on the hose, add a few layers of Teflon tape, and screw the shower head into the hose. Some handheld shower heads just snap into place.
There are a ton of different nuts, connections, and joints in the piping behind your shower head. Knowing exactly what you need to do to resolve the problem can be very hard for a layman.
