My enclosed shower/tub combo hot water knob just spins & won't turn the water on…I popped the front cover open to tighten the screw only to find that it is stripped (my son had being turning it on/off like this for some time but failed to tell me!) Can I just change out the stripped screw & knob with new ones without turning off the main water supply? I've got the needed materials, I just have no access to the back of the shower 😜 & not sure if I remove the stripped screw & faucet without turning water off first, will it spray a fountain of water into my face or will it be ok ? Thank you for any help or advice. I'm pretty handy with most home repairs, just haven't done too much plumbing by myself & have nobody to ask.
Plumbing – turn off the main water supply to replace tub/shower faucets & screws
bathroomplumbingrepair
Related Solutions
It sounds to me like your diverter valve (the round piece w/ the green on it in your pictures) is failing. It may be as simple a fix as pulling the valve and replacing the gaskets (O rings, probably) and reinserting the valve, or alternatively just replacing the diverter valve entirely.
Unscrew the chrome cap surrounding the diverter valve and the valve itself should pull right out. Take that to a plumbing supply shop/lowes/home depot/someone who carries your brand of faucet.
You need to find the main shut off valve in the road, side walk or somewhere on or near your property. They are usually placed in mini manholes with easy access:
But if you're unlucky you will need to get some building plans and try to find where on the plans the supply pipe runs and find the valve at the connection point to the main supply. In most cases it will be near the connection point of the main supply:
but if its not, or if you struggle to close it call your council to help you. You don't want to break that!
NB
It is easy to snap these valves- if its rusted badly apply (known as WD-40, LN-40, HT-40) spray oil based rust release (spray leave an hour try again.. repeat a few times), TAP the valve with a hammer (!TAP!, do not whack it, to help release the valve. Also, usually opening the valve slightly helps to release it then try to close it.
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Best Answer
Every shower handle and regulator is a bit different.
See the picture below which is just an example:
If you are really just replacing the handle - which is really items 1-4 (and sometimes 5-6 or sometimes 5-6 don't exist) - then no you do not need to turn off the water. But just by the nature of doing this you are probably going to move the stem and get sprayed with water off and on, or just on if I am doing it.
As every manufacturer is a little different there are various reasons why handles get loose. This example shows a more gears/bushing connection, some manufacturers use a specific shape (square/rectangle/hex) to connect the handle.
The reason why I not this is sometimes 5-6 is stripped and the handle is fine. And sometimes 5-6 is really part of the main regulator and as soon as you start moving them water starts coming out of 8. So if you are sure you are just putting on the handle you do not need to turn off the water. But once you start touching other things turn off the water and turn on the faucet at the lowest point in your house (this will help drain the lines so you don't get a half gallon of kickback in your walls).
As a side note: Turning off the water for your house should be a simple process of turning a valve. You should not be scared to do this and this is good practice as you might need to turn it off in an emergency situation. All adults living at a house should be OK with turning on/off the water and power to house. Also the bathroom or shower could have its own shutoff valve. For a shower this would usually be the floor below and sometimes (not often) under the sink.