How To Repair A Leaking Delta Single Handle Shower Faucet

How Exercise You Fix a Leaky Delta Single Handle Shower Faucet?

Delta shower faucets are some of the most reliable and long-lasting in the industry. But they don't final forever. At some point in their life they will start to leak.

A dripping/leaking Delta shower faucet is almost e'er caused by a faulty cartridge. This is unremarkably due to worn out cartridge seats and springs, mineral deposits/droppings or worn out O-rings. Replacing the entire cartridge or the seats and springs volition gear up the problem.

It is important to know the type of Delta shower faucet and cartridge you have before starting the repair. Delta has different types of cartridges that are not interchangeable so yous need to know your cartridge's model number and order an exact replacement.

To know what type of Delta faucet cartridge you accept, compare it with the ones on the Shower Cartridge Identifier on their website. Alternatively, you tin can take your old cartridge to the nearest dwelling comeback store and purchase an exact replacement.

Your Delta shower faucet model can be found on the packaging that came with the faucet. If you lot cannot trace the packaging, employ the Delta website to compare it with the images there.

The expert thing is that Delta shower cartridges take a lifetime warranty. If y'all are the original buyer of the faucet, contact their customer care with the part number of the old cartridge and they will transport a replacement kit for you costless of charge.

Although replacing the shower cartridge seats and springs will most likely stop a leaking Delta shower faucet, I usually recommend replacing the entire cartridge. That way you will have the peace of mind that the faucet volition not leak for the next several years.

Replacing a shower faucet cartridge sounds like a really hard task but information technology isn't and you don't need to hire a plumber to do information technology. Whatsoever homeowner tin can do it in virtually 15 minutes or less.

How to Prepare a Dripping Delta Shower Faucet

To fix a dripping shower faucet you will need the following:

Cartridge replacement kit
Philips screwdriver/ fix of Allen wrenches
Strap wrench/pliers
flathead screwdriver
plumber's grease

Once you take the items in place, follow the steps below to replace the cartridge:

ane. Turn off Water to Your Shower

You cannot supercede a shower cartridge with water already flowing in the pipes. Those who take attempted it have a story to tell.

Unlike other fixtures in your house, a shower faucet is the only one without a separate shut off valve. You will therefore need to turn off the entire h2o supply to your house.

Some houses accept a shower access panel on the wall backside the shower faucet. If you see this access panel in your house, remove it to reveal shut off valves for both common cold and hot h2o lines to the shower faucet.

If you have no admission console, dash to the basement or wherever your master water shut off valve is and turn off h2o to the house. Turn on the shower faucet to drain the water already in the pipes.

After draining the lines, plug off the shower or bathtub bleed to foreclose dropping anything down the drain. You lot will also want to brand certain that the tub or shower flooring is dry out to forestall slipping and falling.

2. Remove the Faucet Handle

A Delta shower faucet will have either a lever or a knob for a handle. Removing whatsoever of them is however very easy.

If you accept a lever-blazon handle, turn information technology upside downwardly to reveal a hex screw underneath it.

Use an Allen wrench to remove the spiral.
Take hold of the lever and pull it out as you jerk it at the same fourth dimension.
If you lot have a knob-type handle, it will be continued to the cartridge past a Philips spiral. The spiral is unremarkably hidden by an index cap at the front.
Pry off the index cap with a flathead screwdriver or knife.

Use the Philips screwdriver to remove the screw.
Remove the handle by pulling it out and wiggling it at the same time. Information technology may not come up off easily if it has been in place for a long time due to corrosion.

three. Remove the Cartridge

Remove the trim sleeve. This is the round piece between the handle and the cartridge. It is usually non threaded and then yous only demand to slide it out. You will see a spacer when you look inside the trim sleeve. Put the sleeve aside.

Remove the cartridge band. A cartridge ring holds the cartridge tightly in place. Before using a wrench to try and remove it, I recommend that y'all outset check if information technology is only hand tight.
If the cartridge ring is quite tight, a strap wrench is the recommended tool for removing information technology. You can nonetheless use an adjustable wrench or pliers. Be gentle on this slice as you exercise not desire to oval it.
Once the ring is loose, unscrew information technology with your hand and identify it bated as well.
With the ring out, the cartridge is now free. Grab it with your hand and pull it straight out. You may need to wiggle information technology a little as you lot pull it out. As well, note that some water will come out in one case you pull out the cartridge.

In one case the cartridge is out, audit it for whatsoever damages and attempt to find out why it was leaking in the starting time place. Although my recommendation is that you replace the cartridge, yous can opt to simply replace the seat and springs merely. Check out this You Tube video if you lot need to replace the seats and springs.

4. Clean the Shower Valve Torso

Grab a flashlight and inspect the inside of the shower valve trunk. Check if there is corrosion, mineral deposits or only any course of debris that volition prevent you new cartridge from working properly.

It is non unusual for a shower faucet to leak fifty-fifty after replacing the cartridge.

Make clean out all the corrosion and mineral deposits from the inside of the valve body. Some people even turn on the water for a few seconds to flush the pipes which forestall the new cartridge from being plugged by droppings.

5. Install the new Cartridge

Apply grease on the new cartridge's O-rings. This helps information technology to seal effectively and too piece of cake to pull out the next time you will be replacing information technology.
Check the cartridge's orientation. There volition be 'hot' and 'cold' markings on the cartridge. It is of import to ensure that equally you lot install the cartridge, the side marked 'hot' is on the left while the 1 marked 'cold' is on the right.
Gently push the cartridge within the valve body.
Please non that at that place are 2 indentations on the valve body that should match with two shoulders on the cartridge. These ii should coincide equally a confirmation that the cartridge is properly installed.
Screw in the cartridge ring. You do not demand to tighten the ring with a wrench. Hand tight is perfect.
Slide in the trim sleeve. Again, do not forget which side goes in outset. The side that goes in start is the side with the spacer and is also wider.
Conform the anti-scald device. This is the plastic piece at the tip of the cartridge. Pull it and turn it to the left for hotter or right for colder water. Once you have adapted it don't forget to push it in.

half-dozen. Install the Handle

Install the faucet handle back pretty much the same mode you removed it.

Once you lot have connected the handle dorsum plow on the water and test your new shower faucet. If indeed a faulty cartridge was the problem, you volition notice that the dripping will finish.

Equally I had mentioned earlier, some faucets will continue leaking even after replacing a cartridge. If unfortunately that happens to you, the shower valve may be damaged and would need a replacement.

Replacing a shower valve is expensive since it will also crave hiring a licensed plumber.

If you would like to follow all the above steps from a video by Delta, hither is one for y'all.