We are brand new home owners so we don’t have a lot of know how so forgive us for asking stupid questions. We bought this house about 3 years ago it was build around the mid-70s and is a Fox and Jacob home. The master bathroom only has a shower with 2 handles, sink and a toilet in it and none of the fixtures have brand names so I will do my best to describe things to you. I read for a while on the site looking for the answers but was unsuccessful, so forgive me if these questions are redundant.

1. Where is the water shut off valve? I know there is one under the toilet and one under the sink, but how do I shut off the shower water?
2. The cold water handle won’t shut all the way off so it leaks. We tried to unscrew the handle, but the screw is stripping. Is there a trick to unscrewing this screw to remove the handle? I read on this site that the metal wall plate must be removed, is that before or after the handle is removed?
3. I assume since the handle won’t tighten enough to shut the cold water off that the shower knobs (cold/hot) need to be replaced, is this true or could it simply be the washer is worn out?

Thanks and I eagerly await your reply as my water drips away. Actually it’s not a drip anymore its more of a slow steady stream and you can even hear the faint sound of the water rushing through the pipe escaping the showerhead almost as if we forgot to turn off the water. I hope these details were good enough. Please provide as detailed of directions as possible due to us being brand new at do it yourself projects but we really can’t afford a plumber so we need to try to fix it on our own.

The shut offs should be below the knobs near the floor, perhaps behind the dry wall like mine. I can't even guarantee there are any if you bash a hole in the dry wall. You may have to shut the main supply off. Problem is, that prevents water from cycling in and out of the hot water heater with temperature changes unless there is an expansion tank. If not, cut off the electricity or turn the gas to pilot. Opening a hot water tap too is a good idea.

Try giving the screw a few taps with a hammer. You can also use a punch too tapping it in the direction the screw needs to go. With the knob in the full open position, you may even be able slip a wrench in and remove the insides knob and all. A last resort is to break or cut the knob away. Once you have the thing off, if it has a washer, you can buy assortments of them anywhere. Otherwise, take it to a good hardware such as the local Ace Hardware I use. They should have a wide variety of cartridges to fit most brands, and somebody to help you pick out the right one. They will also have new knobs.

I am having the same trouble as the persons above my cold water won't shut off and it is now a slow steady stream... the difference is I live in an apartment and can not get a hold of the land lady, so what do I do? She does not like us to go over her head with like going to the city and see if they can help and we can not afford a plumber... any ideas.

Most double handle faucets do not have separate shut off valves, you shut off the house water. The handles can have some corrosion and that makes them stick. Once you get the handle off, you will probably unscrew the handle trim plate off, open the handle slightly and unscrew the stem. The washer is probably bad. Don't be surprised if the faucet seat needs smoothing or replacement.