Shower knob question

[Madhavok]

Greetings. Great message board you all have here. Before I get going with my question, I did do a search - but since I'm a virgin with this sort of stuff, I might have not searched in the right manner with parts and such.

Anyway - here goes.

For the longest of times, my shower head would leak. To try and fix this I would use a screwdriver to try and tighten the screw to the valve a bit here and there. Fast forward a few months and that screw has been stripped and part of my knob broken.

I have the dripping problem mostly stopped by using pliers to turn the screw to the right to shut it off.

Having said that - my knob is two parts: one knob to make the water hot or cold and the other to shut the water off or turn it on. I went into my local hardware store to get another knob and got the wrong one (will return tomorrow). For the life of me I have no idea what to search for. And on that matter, how to get the screw out of the valve - pliers/vice grips ?

Here is what my shower knob/cartridge would look like in great shape:

http://i53.tinypic.com/hx2fsm.jpg

So, it looks like I might just need the second knob to turn it on and off and whatever screw that comes with it. Then, get the current screw out.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[havasu]

I have the same valves and what you need is the repair kit, which is a new cartridge. This will stop your leak without having to tighten the handle with force. They run about ~ $20 at both Home Depot or Lowe's. While you are there, you can pick up both the inner and outer handles. They come on plastic or metal, which is my preference since the plastic temp control handle broke off in my hand and gave me a pretty nasty cut.

 

[SlowDrip]

Havasu is correct (of course).

Take your handle in to the store and show it to someone from the plumbing department. It will help them make sure that you get the correct cartridge. If you have a separate shutoff for the bathroom or are able to turn the water off to whole house for a while, consider taking the entire old cartridge in to the store.

There is nothing like a customer that comes in and says "I need a cartridge" but then gives you a glassy stare when you ask what brand of shower they have.