Shower repair in Knoxville, from dripping valves to leaking pans

Shower Valve Replacement

A valve body that is cracked, corroded, or so old that no cartridge fits anymore has to be replaced. The water is shut off, the wall opened from behind through a closet or access panel where possible, and the old valve cut out. A new pressure-balancing or thermostatic valve goes in at the same depth so the new trim sits flush with the tile. Pressure-balancing valves stop the scalding swing when a toilet flushes. Where there is no access from behind, a small tile opening can hide under an oversized trim plate.

Cartridge and Diverter Repair

A dripping shower head, a stiff handle, or water that won't get hot enough usually means a worn cartridge. We identify the valve by its trim, pull the cartridge with the maker's puller if scale has locked it in place, and fit the matching part. The hot limit stop is then set so the handle cannot turn to scalding. Tub-and-shower valves also have a diverter that sends water up to the head; when it wears, water keeps pouring from the spout during a shower, and the diverter or spout is replaced.

Shower Pan Leak

A shower pan leak shows up as a stain or drip on the ceiling below, or damp baseboard outside the shower, usually only after the shower is used. The source can be the drain gasket, cracked grout letting water behind the tile, or a failed liner under the floor of a tiled shower. We test each: the drain with a plug, the pan by flooding it with the drain blocked, and the walls with a spray. A gasket or grout repair is simple; a failed liner means the shower floor has to be rebuilt.

Tub Spout Replacement

A tub spout that drips while the shower runs, or whose diverter will not pull up, is usually replaced whole. Spouts either slip on with a set screw underneath or thread onto the pipe, and the new one has to match that connection and reach the wall properly. A spout that leaks behind itself into the wall is more serious, pointing to a loose or corroded pipe nipple, so the wall behind it gets checked. It is one of the smaller shower repairs, and often handled on the same visit as a cartridge.