Turning on a shower should be as easy as turning on the lights. If your shower diverter malfunctions, showering isn’t fun and simple. Even after you’ve replaced the shower diverter, the water keeps flowing from your tub’s tap. Don’t worry; fixing a shower diverter is simple and easy.
What’s The Function Of A Shower Diverter?
Freshwater from a bathroom faucet’s flows into the showerhead via a shower diverter. Nowadays, there are a variety of shower diverters, some of which include a pin lever that you may pull. Others include buttons; you have to press to switch on your shower.
How To Prevent A Shower Diverter From Malfunctioning?
A shower diverter replacement is annoying and unpleasant when you have to do it sooner than expected. If you want to avoid this in the future, you’ll have to take the necessary precautions to keep the shower diverter functional.
When switching off the shower water, open the diverter and allow water to move from the tap.
Controlling your water pressure is also another approach to prevent tears and wear. Sometimes the damage is caused due to high water pressure. However, be careful to manage it yourself or contact a professional to check it out.
Follow these three plumbing hacks to repair your shower diverter:
1. Remove Debris From the Spout
The shower diverter gates often get jammed. Grating or squeaky sounds may be heard when you attempt to spin it or lift it. When you successfully lift it, the diverter may get stuck and be impossible to lower again. A buildup of debris, limescale, and oil can also cause damage.
- White vinegar is the first ingredient in this hack. The spout has to be entirely covered in vinegar.
- Put some vinegar in a polythene container and dilute the vinegar solution with water if you prefer.
- Submerge the faucet in the polythene container, and wrap it around the plumbing.
- Use a shoelace, rubber band, or string to tie the plastic container in position.
- After four or five days, recheck the tap once a week to ensure it’s still working.
- Lift the shower diverter gate to test whether it functions after the spout has been cleaned and brushed.
Repairing your faucet with vinegar is eco-friendly and better than using strong bathroom cleaners since vinegar is non-toxic and organic. Vinegar is affordable too since you don’t have to purchase new components, making it a more affordable solution to the shower leakage problem.
2. Use a Lubricant or Cooking Spray to Loosen Your Shower Diverter
- It would be best to try lubricating your shower diverter gate when the vinegar treatment doesn’t help. You’ll likely have a can of lubricant or cooking spray inside the kitchen.
- Lose the shower diverter adjustment by pulling it upwards and downwards a few rounds.
- Grease the button with lubricant.
- Move it upwards and downwards a few times.
- Clean the tub with warm water and soap to remove any remaining grease.
You should never replace hair wax and spray with lubricant or cooking spray. The dangerous chemicals might damage the plastic and metal components of the showerhead.
3. Changing the Valve Door
If the problem continues, you’ll need to make a trip to the local shop. Parts that are less than $40 are not hard to come by. This is significantly less expensive if you only need the door.
- Switch off the main water supply
- Apply adhesive tape to the drainage. It prevents tiny parts and bolts from being flushed down the drain and ending in landfills.
- Take your shower head from the line and take it to the local hardware shop for a replacement.
- Purchase a new gate lever that is compatible with your showerhead model.
- After you’ve purchased your new gate, it’s time to follow the guidelines that came with it.
- Connect your showerhead to the wall in the last stage. It provides a solid basis for your downspout, making repairs a cinch.
- Do not detach the showerhead off the wall; instead, adjust it to go upward.
- Remove the white particles from the showerhead.
- Take off the steel knob on the spout’s handle.
- Install another shower diverter button on top of your existing one.
- Install the washer and spring in the base of the diverter gate; make sure not to miss any part.
- Once it’s done, check the diverter by reconnecting the water supply.
The Bottom Line
If you are looking for services such as repairing a shower diverter, Brooklyn, NY-based Vigilante plumbing is just a tap away. Vigilante Plumbing specializes in restoration solutions; we’d be happy to assist you.
Never hesitate to contact vigilante plumbing if you need assistance with shower restorations in your house. We are always delighted to ensure that the water in your house gets to where it’s planned to go.
