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Shower faucet Repair Tips from the Pros

When your shower faucet is broken, understanding what the cause might be will help you determine whether you need to hire a plumber to come fix the issue or whether you can tackle it yourself.

If your shower head is spraying inconsistently, it may a buildup of scale or minerals that are blocking up the holes and keeping water from coming out as it should. Soaking the shower head in a chemical that removes calcium, lime, or rust buildup is the best way to fix this. Fill a bag with the cleaning solution and wrap it around the shower head and tie it off so the head stays submerged. Leave this for at least a few hours before removing it and scrubbing the shower head with an old toothbrush or dish brush. (Remember not to use anything you plan on using on your body or dishes in the future, as you don’t want to ingest any of the cleaner.)

leaking shower head is both annoying and costly. If your shower head is dripping, the leak can be the result of a failing or broken seal, ring, or gasket inside the faucet. These small parts wear out over time, becoming brittle, misshapen, or loose, and allowing water to pass through even when the faucet is off. If you can find and get to a small part that has broken, it may be an easy fix. However, if the problem is with the faucet cartridge behind the wall, or a more serious failure, you will likely need a professional plumber to fix it. When looking for the problem, do not use too much force when turning, pulling, or tightening. It is easy to apply too much muscle and end up doing more damage than if you had just left it alone in the first place.

If you hear hissing or whining from behind your shower where the pipes would be, or if you see any water damage (like bubbling or peeling paint, spongy walls, discoloring, mold smell, damp baseboards), call a local plumber right away to get someone out. It is possible you have a broken pipe or broken shower faucet behind the wall. This kind of plumbing failure can quickly cause major issues.

Additional resources:
Fixing a Leaking Shower
How To: Fixing a Leaking Bathroom Faucet
Shower Faucet DIY Fix
How to Fix a Shower Leak
Wait, Why is My Water Bill Really High?
Can I Install a Faucet?
How Much does a Faucet Repair Job Cost?
What Could Cause a Shower Faucet Leak?
What To Do if Your Shower Faucet is Leaking
Fixing a Leaking Shower Faucet Head