[sheriwx]

Shower drips. I don't know if this is something we can fix ourselves, but I assume it isn't and we need to call a plumber. Does anyone have any recommendations for affordable, honest plumbers near Henderson?

[dynimagelv]

LARKIN Plumbing has been in the valley for 50+ years....we have used them frequently and have NEVER had a complaint and NEVER been overcharged...they have trucks so they go where you are.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by sheriwx

Shower drips. I don't know if this is something we can fix ourselves, but I assume it isn't and we need to call a plumber. Does anyone have any recommendations for affordable, honest plumbers near Henderson?

Anybody in your house handy? Shower drips are in the DIY range. Basically the shower valve is a capsule that unscrews and you take to Home Depot and get a new one. See if you can figure out who made it and look it up on google.

Note that you have to turn off the water before you mess with the shower valve.

Mostly it is a question of finding a wrench that will fit.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by sheriwx

Shower drips. I don't know if this is something we can fix ourselves, but I assume it isn't and we need to call a plumber. Does anyone have any recommendations for affordable, honest plumbers near Henderson?

Sorry, no plumber to recommend but maybe I can help anyways ... too many years of landlord experience with DIY plumbing work.

Is it dripping from the shower head? If so, you could go through the hassle of replacing a gasket or another part, which is definitely in the DIY range as Olecapt mentions. Going one step further ... have you wanted to get a nicer/newer/fancy showerhead? Now would be the time to do it & even nicer showerheads are going to be far cheaper than hiring a plumber to take apart & fix something like a cracked or broken gasket inside the showerhead. Tools needed: (1) Wrench (2) Rag (around showerhead bolt so wrench doesn't scratch anything) (3) Teflon tape - about a buck at HD or Lowe's (to help seal threads when new showerhead is installed). Take off old showerhead, teflon tape on pipe threads, install new showerhead & tighten with wrench (again, using rag). Then, enjoy new showerhead!

If the leak is elsewhere, like connected to the wall hardware (depending on how your shower controls are configured), then yes a plumber MIGHT be needed.

Let us know here before you do anything, but my guess is this is something you'd be capable of yourself if you're willing to invest a little time (google & youtube are great for searching help on this kind of stuff too, BTW).

[sheriwx]

Husband is pretty handy, and he'd like to do it himself. We actually did replace the showerhead, and the new one drips as well, so maybe it is a valve somewhere? If it's something that people can normally do themselves, I'll let my husband have a go at it. He's never messed with showers (aside from replacing the heads) but he's definitely willing to try. Perhaps I'll have him search for this valve capsule of which olecapt speaks....

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by sheriwx

Husband is pretty handy, and he'd like to do it himself. We actually did replace the showerhead, and the new one drips as well, so maybe it is a valve somewhere? If it's something that people can normally do themselves, I'll let my husband have a go at it. He's never messed with showers (aside from replacing the heads) but he's definitely willing to try. Perhaps I'll have him search for this valve capsule of which olecapt speaks....

With all due respect to my consulting colleaque it is always the valve. Or valves if there are two. If there are two do both..they are the same age generally and if one fails the other is not far behind. If it is a single handle unit you simple need open it and figure out how to pull the works. Again google is your friend.

If you screw it up call the plumber. They don't charge extra if you have not broken anything.

[delgadobb]

If you replaced the showerhead already & it still drips, I'll defer to Olecapt - probably the valve(s). You still should be able to take a shot at it yourself, but BE SURE to shut off water upstream (probably for the whole house) if you're messing with the valve(s). (Not necessary for showerhead replacement.)

Be careful & methodical. Take notes so you can do the same in reverse when reassembling everything. Depending on the age & uniqueness of the hardware, you MIGHT have to go to a specialty shop. (I made a number of trips to the Faucet Shoppe in Chicago for quirky old Sears stuff.)

When all is said & done, I've found most plumbing stuff DIY-capable. Having done enough of it, I appreciate some of what plumbers go through ... it can be a real pain installing a faucet by working blind underneath a sink. But it's doable. So is installing a toilet. Just plan ahead.

Good luck & keep us updated.

[sheriwx]

Thanks delgadobb and olecapt! We'll try it out, I'd really prefer not to have to call a plumber.

[winknod]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

LARKIN Plumbing has been in the valley for 50+ years....we have used them frequently and have NEVER had a complaint and NEVER been overcharged...they have trucks so they go where you are.

Thanks for the recommendation (I'm not the OP)... I was struggling all morning with a broken, frozen shut off valve and finally called LARKIN. The guy on the phone patiently talked me through it, gave great advice and warned me of possible problems that could develop and how to address them.
Thanks to him, I was able to fix it on my own (with only 1 trip to the hardware store!), so I didn't have to pay them to come out.

If I do encounter a problem in the future that I can't handle, they'll be the ones I call!

[skisickie]

Larkin has the worst reviews any others?