Shower Stem Replacement

Hello

I cannot get the hot and cold handles of my shower so I can replace the leaky stems in my shower. I took of the cover, removed a screw in the middle of the handle but they will not came off easily. I did this before on my downstairs bathroom and they come right off, but these seem to be stuck fast. I cannot see any other bolts holding it in and have included a picture of the design.

Any help would be appriciated

Hi Greg,

A little WD-40 and a rubber mallet is the first line of defense for the homeowner... Soak the handle in WD-40 and wait a few minutes and then use a rubber mallet to hit the top and bottom of the handle to kinda "rock" the handle back and forth.

If that fails to remove the handle then go to a local home supply store and purchase a 3 finger handle puller...see image. Insert the tip into the screw hole and the 3 fingers behind the handle. Hold the fingers tight to the back of the handle while tightening the lever handle on top of the handle puller...should pull this handle off.

If that fails to work then let us know as there are a couple other, more damaging to the chrome finish, solutions you can try!

Back to you...

A two finger handle puller may be more available and will work as good, or possibly better, than a 3 finger one, since the valve has FOUR grips. It is an American Standard Colony valve.