A shower that keeps dripping
A shower that drips after you turn it off almost always needs a new washer, seat or cartridge.
Updated · 3 min read
In a nutshell
Two- and three-handle tub valves drip when a washer or seat wears; single-handle valves drip when the cartridge wears. Identify your valve style first, then shut the water off and replace the worn part.
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Know your valve
Tub and shower valves in Rosemead's postwar houses are often two or three separate handles. Those are compression valves with a rubber washer pressing on a brass seat.
Remodeled bathrooms usually have a single handle that controls temperature and volume. That handle turns a cartridge made by the valve's maker.
Compression valves
Each handle has a stem that screws down onto a seat. When the washer hardens or the seat pits, water seeps past and the spout drips.
The fix is a new washer and often a new seat. Stems that are worn or stripped get replaced. Packing around the stem can also be redone if water leaks behind the handle.
Cartridge valves
A single-handle valve drips when the cartridge's internal seals wear or scale builds up. Hard water speeds that along; the USGS explains how calcium and magnesium deposit when water is heated.
Photograph the trim plate and handle before calling. The brand helps us find the right cartridge.
When the valve itself is the problem
Some very old valves have no parts available or a cracked body. Replacing the valve means opening the wall, which we plan from the back side of the wall when possible.
Rosemead owners ask
Do I have to shut off water to the whole house?
Usually yes. Most older shower valves have no separate shutoffs, so the main is closed during the repair.
Why does my shower drip only after hot showers?
Heat expands parts and softens worn washers. A hot-side washer or cartridge is the likely cause.
Can a dripping shower raise my water bill?
Yes. EPA's Fix a Leak Week page notes that household leaks waste a lot of water across a year.
Where the facts come from