How To Replace A Shower Faucet Stem

Place a blanket or piece of cardboard on the floor of your tub or shower base to protect against dropped tools.

How to replace a shower faucet stem. To replace a shower valve start by unscrewing the shower handle and trim plate so you can remove them. When learning how to change a shower faucet first block the shower drain with a cloth to prevent small parts from falling into the opening. The ribs on the stem may be caked with scale which you dissolve with vinegar.

This project guide will show you how to replace a shower faucet. When your shower valve stem is stripped the handle won t turn the faucet. Remove the screw holding the handle in place then pull the handle free of the valve stem.

You need a perfect stem double in order to prevent leaking. The best solution however is to replace the valve. By hand unscrew and remove the escutcheon to expose the stem.

In many cases faucet problems stem from one of these components. See below for a shopping list tool. Step 5 replace the stem and put the faucet back together.

Take your new shower faucet stem and make sure that it is a suitable match for the other. Using needlenose pliers remove the valve clip and pull the valve out of the wall. Once the bolts are free the old stem can be taken off.

Then shut the water off and cut a hole in the small opening behind the trim plate so you can reach the valve. You can also bulk up the stem with tape or grind the grooves deeper with a rotary tool. Push the new stem into the wall and tighten the bolts back up.