working on the shower

How to Shut Off Water To Shower For Plumbing Repairs

One of the most pleasing moments of the day is arriving back home and taking a shower. However, that relaxing time could quickly go wrong if there are issues in the plumbing, which could keep the water from flowing through and reach the shower head properly.

How to Shut Off Water To Shower For Plumbing Repairs

If that has happened to you, then we’re going to help you figure out what’s wrong with the water supply lines by giving you all the information you may need to shut off the water supply in the shower.

In this article, you’ll find the necessary steps to accomplish that task so you can fix whatever is happening in the plumbing system. Are you ready to start working on this project? Then let’s start!

How to Shut Off Water To Shower For Plumbing Repairs: Step By Step Guide

Step One: Preparation Steps

To start the operation, you must shut down the main water supply at your house. Disabling the main water supply line will allow you to prevent leakages, and it also makes it possible to find the necessary tools if you’re in a hurry.

Every home should have one of these main valves. They are capable of controlling the water flow the house receives. Usually, you can find one inside the household and another shutoff system outside.

For the shutoff inside the house, check around the area where water comes into your home. You could probably find it around the water meter, which often has one valve on each side.

If your home doesn’t have a meter, search for the large pipe coming from the outside into the house. It is quite likely that you’ll find this pipe coming through the basement floor. The crawlspace is another location that you can inspect too.

Once you’ve located the main valve, start turning the knob clockwise. You want to tighten it up as much as possible to prevent water leakage. When you’re completely sure you’ve tightened the knob, then you’ll be able to continue with the next step.

Step Two: Working in the Shower

Now that you’ve cut off the main water line, you can head over to the bathroom and start working on the shower. Using a screwdriver, remove the screw keeping either the shower handle or the knob together. Make sure it is completely loose enough for you to get it out.

While dealing with handles with smooth surfaces, you’ll need to get the cover plate off. Use a flat-blade screwdriver to take off the cover plate. After you do, you’ll notice that, below that cover, you can find the main screw that you have to remove.

Step Three: Pulling the Handle Out (or Knob)

If you’re wondering why we’re going back and forth with handle and knobs, that’s because some showers have one or the other.

The next step is removing the handle from the valve stem. Make sure to get the pieces out by applying just enough pressure so it won’t break or cause unnecessary damage to the pipes.

Grab the handle and put it in a secured location, as you’ll definitely need it afterward.

Step Four: The Valve Stem

Using a pair of pliers, get a firm grip over the valve stem, and start turning it clockwise. Continue turning it up until it starts to show some resistance. This process will guarantee that there’s no water leak, shutting off the shower water successfully.

Now that you’ve shut off the shower water, you can retrace your steps to the main water valve and restore it.

And that’s pretty much it! As you can see, shutting the water that goes to the shower is as easy as it would be shutting down the water for every other area. Of course, it depends on how good the pipe system is in each household.

If you’re having trouble, perhaps contacting a professional would be best.

Considerations To Keep In Mind

Shutting the water supply line is a necessary process if you’re looking to do some plumbing work around the house. Of course, we’re not only talking about the shower water, but rather the entire plumbing system of your home.

How to Shut Off Water To Shower For Plumbing Repairs

Usually, there are several locations where you can shut off the water, but it depends on each house. For instance, we talked about the valves in the basement, but sometimes they will be nearby the appliance or fixture itself.

For example, if you want to block water from going to the sink faucet, you’ll have to look for the valve right below the sink. If your sink provides hot and cold water, then you’ll encounter at least two different valves that you can turn to shut off the water.

Toilets, on the other hand, have a single valve to shut off the water, as it is a household appliance that requires only cold water. You can find this valve near the floor, right under the water supply valve.

And then, there’s the shower water. In this case, the water valve is around the shower, through an access panel. The tricky part is that most of the time, you’ll have to search through the walls or floors to find the water supply line.

That’s why doing all of the steps mentioned in the previous section is necessary for plumbing tasks. Even though it sounds complicated, the method we described is easier and more convenient than destroying the bathroom to find and shut off the water pipes.

Final Words

Doing maintenance tasks around the house to keep everything functioning is plenty of fun for homeowners. It allows us to feel accomplished as we create incredible living conditions for ourselves and family members too.

That’s part of the reasons why you shouldn’t feel intimated to do it. If you’ve got the right tools and patience, shutting the shower water is an activity that won’t take much of your time.

Nonetheless, if you’re having doubts about your skills, then having someone else with more experience to do the job is not bad either. It would be more expensive, but there won’t be high risks of messing everything up.

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