My shower has a constant leak with both supply valves shut off. Any ideas how to repair?

Thank you.

Unless you know where your house/unit shut off is you ain't going to fix anything until those shut off valves are repaired. And I'll need to know the brand name of your shower valve and all the details about it you can give me. Cheers, Tom

Your shower head is not leaking, its doing what it is supposed to do. Tom is correct, it is your valves but which ones? "both supply valves shut off" Your mixing valve should shut off the water 100% when closed. If the mixer is the problem then the supply valves should kill the supply. If you shut off both the mixer and the supply you have lots of problems. Hope your house main does a better job of shut off the water. Give Tom the info requested and he'll fix you up before I'm out of bed.

Thanks Tom for your quick response. I definitely did not accurately describe my problem. The valves are the problem not the shower head and that's my big concern. The hot and cold supplies are separate valves. I'll have to check the manufacturer. I'am hoping I do not have the major problems indicated by ballengerbi.

Thanks again, Tom

Michael

Jet, we may be mixing terms here. The supply valves are usually shut offs behind a wall or in the basement. The mixing valve is the chrome thing you trun to take a shower. Which one are you closing and suspect is the problem?

I'm definitely mixing terms. As you may have determined I'am not to familiar with plumbing. I believe the problem is with my hot water supply valve in the shower. Unfortunately, I could not find the name of the manufacturer on the valves. The shower was redone approximately 12 years ago just before we bought the house.

OK! We have learned that the problem's in the hot water side of the shower valveand that you have two or three knobs instead of one handle If you do not flush your water heater on a regular basis minerals can build up and get into your hot water system. More about that later. Shut the water off to the valve any way you can and open up the hot side4.. Check and clear any trash clogging the seat. Before ypu reassemble turn the hot water back on for a moment to clear out the supply and valve body. You should have a strong stream coming out of the open valve. Reassemble and test. Now on to the water heater. They must be kept clean by flushing on a monthly basis.
Let me show you how it's done.

For long life and fewer troubles you should keep your heater clear of mineral build-up by flushing on a regular schedule. Attach a hose to the boiler drain at the bottom of the tank. With the pressure on, open the boiler drain and let it run until the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) followed by white or yellow grains,(lime or calcium carbonate). This shouldn't take more then a few minutes. Do this monthly to keep it clear. Now flush out your hot water lines on ALL fixtures that are affected . Now pull each aerator and clean the screens. Be sure you put them back togather the same way you took them out. Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it. Hope this helps, Tom

Tom thank you for all your helpful information. I have separate hot and cold valves. How do I clear out the valve seat. I've taken the decorative handles off and explosed the valve stem. Not sure how to proceed from this point.

I have flushed my water heater in the past but only once a year. I recently installed a new heater and have yet to flush the system, but will do so on a regular basis. Thanks again, Tom.

Michael

Remove the knob and cover plate. You will see a brass nut,(see image). This is a retaining nut, Unscrew it and back the stem and washer assembly out counterclockwise. Check the seat dor trash and while you have the stem/washer out turn the water on for a moment to flush everything out. You should see a full stream coming out of the open valve body. If not click on back. Reassemble and test. Good luck, Tom

I'll be working on this Saturday.

Thanks again, Tom.

Michael

Tom, I followed your instructions. However the shower still leaked after I cleaned and flushed the valve which did have gunk in it. I ended up buying a new cartridge and the leak is fixed. I couldn't have done it without your help. Thanks again.

Michael

P.S. Per the plumbing supply worker, the water in my water district has a high iron content. Flushing the water heater will be a monthly chore.