bath faucet leak, diverter problem

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tim_ca

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PLEASE HELP! I have a 3 Knob shower system, one for hot, cold, and one in the middle to switch water from tub faucet to shower head. The knobs are independently screwed into the wall. The middle knob is not effectively directing all water to showerhead and half of the water still comes out of the bathtub faucet, filling up the tub before it can drain. I've tried unscrewing the knobs as well as the tub faucet with no luck... I don't want to rip them out of the wall and create a bigger problem. From what I understand, this could be a diverter problem... only thing is, I don't know where the diverter is and how to get to it. Do I need to get behind the bathtub wall? maybe I should just call a plumber?

Any advise is much appreciated. :confused:
 

LonnythePlumber

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Faucet Repair

You just need to have your faucet repaired. The middle stem is the diverter stem. To repair it you don't need to shut off the water to the valve although it would be better to repair all three stems. Take the handles off, the escutcheons off and remove the stem. Usually you need a set of deep set sockets called tub wrenches to reach back into the wall. When reassembling be mindful that there are two sets of threads on each stem. You need to keep the stem free moving while tightening the stem body.
 

hj

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repair

As soon as you start talking about tearing out the wall to repair the faucet, you indicate that you do not have the experience to repair it. Call a plumber before you create a major repair problem.
 

tim_ca

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follow-up

Thanks for the assist Lonny! Do I need special tools to remove the middle knob? Once I get it off, can I just take the stem out and replace it with a new one? It's pretty obvious I've never repaired a shower b4..

Thanks again..
 

LonnythePlumber

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Think About It

If you haven't repaired a shower faucet before maybe you should think about it before you go too far. They can sometimes be tricky to get back together and you end up not being able to turn your water on to the whole house. Makes the rest of the family unhappy. If you try just your center diverter stem and can't get it back together then you'll only loose the ability to bath. Other DIY go to the YMCA.
You may need a handle puller to get off the center knob but try to get it off first before you buy that tool. You will probably need tub wrenches though. You should not need to replace the stem. They're hard to match. If you spend $20.00 on the wrenches and $25.00 on the stem you may not end up saving much over calling a plumber.
If anything funny happens please let us know. Funny to us not funny to you.
 

cnote

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hi, 1st post!

i have a similar problem with my diverter stem...can you give me a rough estimate for this to be professionally repaired. is it a 1 hr job or is it gonna run me a couple hundred bucks? (cdn)

any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

cnote
 

LonnythePlumber

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Hourly Charges

Hourly charges vary widely between markets. Broadly between $60.00 to $150.00 an hour. Repairing a three handle tub valve is about 1 1/2 hrs with travel. You may be able to get an approximate price over the phone even though they haven't seen the job. If hj posts that he can do this in twenty minutes then send your faucet to Arizona. :rolleyes:
 
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