How to Replace Compressed Shower Fittings

Stand-Alone Shower Unit

• 1

  Turn off the water to the shower. If you can access the water supply from a wall panel, shut it off there. If not, shut off water to your home at the shut-off valve. Block the drain with a towel so any dropped screws or other small parts don’t disappear into the drain.

• 2

  Unscrew the handle of the cold water control valve and set it aside. Wrap the escutcheon in a rag to protect the finish then turn it counterclockwise with a pair of channel-lock pliers and remove it from the wall.

• 3

  Examine the bonnet nut, which is revealed once you remove the escutcheon. If you see mortar from the tile built up on the nut, remove it by chipping away at it with a hammer and chisel. Once the nut is clean, remove it with a deep-set ratchet wrench.

• 4

  Install the new compression control valves, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Typically, you will screw a new bonnet nut from the new valves onto the faucet body then screw on the escutcheon. The new control handle can generally be tightened into place by hand.

Combination Shower/Tub Unit

• 5

  Turn off the water supply to the shower/bathtub combination unit, either at an access panel or your home's main shut-off valve. Close the unit's drain so nothing can slip down into the drainpipe.

• 6

  Unscrew the handle of the existing diverter compression valve. Protect the escutcheon by wrapping it in a rag before unscrewing it with a pair of channel-lock pliers. Unscrew the stem assembly with a deep-set ratchet wrench.

• 7

  Install the new diverter compression valve per the manufacturer’s instructions. In most cases, you will screw in the stem assembly, followed by the bonnet nut. The escutcheon screws on over the stem after the bonnet nut is in place. Tighten the new diverter valve handle over the escutcheon by hand until you can no longer turn it then wrap it in the rag and finish tightening it with the pliers.

• 8

  Look on the underside of the spout. If you see a small access hole at the base of the spout where it meets the shower wall, then an Allen screw is holding the spout in place. Insert an Allen wrench into the access hole and turn the screw counterclockwise until it falls into the bottom of the tub. Pull the spout off the water supply pipe. If there is no access hole, then insert a screwdriver into the mouth of the spout and turn it counterclockwise until the spout comes off the pipe. Apply a small amount of pipe-joint compound to the threaded end of the water supply pipe. Screw the new tub spout into place on the water supply pipe.