Special Design for 10-PCS Hex Key Sets packaged by spring ring for Los Angeles

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This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey fixes a faulty shower valve with new valve stems and seats. (See below for a shopping list, tools, and steps.)

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Shopping List for How to Repair a Shower Valve Stem:
- Cloth, for plugging up drainpipe
- Replacement valve stems and stem seats
- Pipe-thread sealant, to create watertight seal on stem seat
- Plumber’s putty, for sealing escutcheons to shower wall

Tools for How to Repair a Shower Valve Stem:
- Pocketknife, to pry off index covers
- Phillips-head screwdriver, for loosening and tightening handle-retaining screws
- Valve socket and pliers, to remove and install new valve stems
- Seat wrench, for replacing existing stem seats

Steps for How to Repair a Shower Valve Stem:
1. Turn off the water at the water main or wherever it enters the house.
2. Cover the tub/shower drain with a cloth to prevent small parts from dropping into the drainpipe.
3. Use a pocketknife to pry off the small round index cover from the shower’s hot-water faucet handle.
4. Remove the screw holding the handle in place, then pull the handle free of the valve stem.
5. By hand, unscrew and remove the escutcheon to expose the stem.
6. Use a valve socket and pliers to loosen and remove the old stem from the wall.
7. Unthread the existing seat from inside the valve with a seat wrench.
8. Brush pipe-thread sealant onto the threaded end of the new stem seat.
9. Use the seat wrench to tighten the new stem seat into the valve.
10. Carefully hand-tighten the new valve stem into the valve body, then tighten it with the valve socket and pliers.
11. Repeat the previous eight steps to install new seats and stems onto the diverter and cold-water faucet handle.
12. Apply plumber’s putty to the back of each escutcheon plate, then hand-tighten them onto the stems. Remove any excess putty that squeezes out.
13. Screw the handles onto the valve stems.
14. Snap the index covers back onto the handles.
15. Remove the cloth from the drain, turn the water back on, and test your work.

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