How to Fix a Leaking Shower Head

We all love a long, hot shower, but leaking shower heads can easily ruin what is supposed to be the best part of our day but you should consider attempting to fix both faucet and head before calling a plumber. If you want to stop the leak immediately, you should turn the water off to just the shower, but if not, you'll have shut the water off to the entire house Then you need to cover the drain and bottom of the shower with a large towel.

Remove the showerhead. Try unscrewing with your hands. If you can't remove, take your pliers and crescent wrench to remove from the wall. Replace washers and/or rubber O-rings inside the showerhead if they look worn or damaged. If washer and O-ring are in good shape, rewrap the threads on the pipe with Teflon tape.

This tape seals the gaps with the showerhead and piping. Clean the showerhead and submerge the showerhead in a bowl of vinegar. Let it sit for two hours. Rinse the showerhead with hot water. Use an old toothbrush to scrub between the nozzles. Then, dry the showerhead with a clean towel. Reattach the showerhead. When you can't turn by hand anymore, use the pliers and wrench to tighten until snug.

Do not fasten too tightly if you plan on frequently cleaning the showerhead. Turn the water back on and see if the shower still leaks. If it does, continue to the following steps for another possible solution. Shut off the water supply. Remove the handle screw and If the handle does not come off, try blowing it with a hairdryer or using a handle puller. Unscrew the hex screw and nut with your wrench. Pull out the existing cartridge. Align the new cartridge in place and install it using the preceding steps in reverse order.