A Pro’s Guide On How to Fix a Leaky Shower Head

Suffering from the haunting noise of a leaky shower head? Fret not. It’s a straightforward process and we’ll take you through it. 

A leaking shower head is not just annoying, it wastes a lot of water in the long run, nearly 700 gallons per year if it drips every 3 seconds! Fixing your leaky shower head can save you a lot of money, and a lot of clean water in general. 

There can be multiple reasons for this leakage. Maybe it's in the shower head itself, or the faucet valve, or maybe in the shower arm. Let’s break these down and see how to fix a leaky shower head in no time. 

How to Fix a Leaky Shower Head - What’s the Issue?

A leaky shower head usually means two things. One is when you see a slow flow of water through the shower head when you turn the faucet on. This can happen due to the buildup of rust or hard water in the shower head which prevents water from flowing openly through the nozzles. 

If you have this issue, then it has probably built up over time causing the water to drip rather than spray out. With that said, this is not necessarily a leaky shower head, but still an issue of poor experience. This can be easily resolved by cleaning the shower head or replacing it completely with a new one.

However, shower heads can also leak water, which happens when the faucet is turned off and yet some water keeps dripping out. This issue occurs due to problems in the cartridge within the faucet valve. This is the fitting that manages hot and cold water flow to the shower head. To fix this, you will need to remove the faucet and replace the problematic cartridge. A simple fix, as we’ll see later on, will help you resolve the issue yourself. 

Let’s get into the process by looking at what we’ll need: 

• Brush for scrubbing
• Bowl
• Pliers
• Wrench 
• Screwdriver
• Knife

• Vinegar
• Teflon Tape
• Towel
• New Faucet Cartridge

How to Clean the Shower Head

If you are facing the first issue i.e. water dripping when the faucet is on, you can start by washing your shower head to remove the buildup. For the complete process, you can read our guide on how to clean a shower head. 

How to Fix a Leaky Shower Head - Replacing the Shower Cartridge

You will find replaceable cartridges in almost all the shower faucets. This has certain rings around it that control the water flow to the shower head. 

The cartridge needs to be sealed completely, otherwise, it leaks water to the shower head even when it's off. When this happens, the cartridge needs to be changed, which we will go over step-by-step now: 

Step 1: Turning Off the Water Supply 

To turn off the water supply to the valve, you will need to use the shut-off valve. 

This can be located behind the wall where the shower is installed. Sometimes, the shower faucets shut off the valve in the faucet itself, which you can turn off using a screwdriver. To reach this valve, you will need to remove the faucet’s protective plate, known as the escutcheon. 

However, some showers may not have any shutoff valves. In this case, you will need to turn off the main water supply valve. 

Step 2: Removing the Faucet Handle

The faucet handle has a cap that you can remove using a screwdriver or a knife. Ensure you do this carefully without too much force to avoid unwanted consequences. Once you’ve removed the cap, you may remove the handle screw to take out the handle. 

Step 3: Removing the Protective Plate

The next step is to remove the large plate covering the faucet valve called escutcheon. 

You can unscrew the screws holding this plate in place using the screwdriver. Make sure to do this slowly so that the escutcheon doesn’t fall and get damaged.

Step 4: Removing the U-shaped Clip

The cartridge is held in place using a U-shaped retaining metal clip. Remove this clip carefully using a screwdriver. There may be some washers attached which you can remove easily by twisting them out. You may find a hex nut that will also need to be removed to take out the cartridge. 

Step 5: Take Out the Cartridge

Once you have removed the retaining clip, the cartridge should easily come out of the faucet. It will slide out, without needing any equipment to remove it. The pliers may be required to dislodge it a bit if the cartridge is stuck. 

Step 6: Insert the New Cartridge

After taking out the damaged cartridge, slide the new one into the faucet. After inserting it, place the clip, hex screw, and any washers back on to fix the cartridge in place. 

Step 7: Place the Escutcheon and Handle

Simply fix the escutcheon and handle back in place and turn the water supply on. Turn the shower on to test it, and repeat this a few times to check the efficacy of the cartridge. The shower head should work fine now without any leaks. 

Conclusion

We hope that you were able to learn how to fix a leaky shower head in a few simple steps. 

There are a lot of plumbing issues that don’t require an actual pro (and hundreds of bucks) to resolve. With a few pieces of equipment and a trusty guide, you can easily fix things like a leaky shower head, DIY style! 

For more such informative guides, keep following the Metpure Blog.