# Shower Diverter



## shackdweller (Jan 11, 2016)

I've got a good supply of plumbing grease, which, from time to time I have used on my bathtub shower diverter, and when doing other plumbing work.

So far, about the only way I have found to apply the grease to the shower diverter is with my index finger, and after pulling it up and down and twisting it for awhile, it usually loosens up, and is back to working fine, altho I still tend to pull it up before turning the faucets on, as an extra precaution.

(Those of you who have read my intro post, might understand why I might be a bit "paranoid" about possibly breaking any plumbing fixtures.  What happened on the first night in the shack was that I totally unknowingly broke a copper tube to the refrigerator's ice maker when moving the refrigerator away from the wall, then putting it back in place.  This wasn't discovered until the following day when I got back from work, and found dish towels all over the kitchen which the on site manager had put down to soak up the water leak reported by residents in the condo below mine).

Well, along with just how do you apply plumbing grease to a shower diverter other than with your index finger, the second problem with the shower diverter is how to get the mineral deposits out of it without breaking the shower diverter mechanism?


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## Snoonyb (Jan 11, 2016)

shackdweller said:


> I've got a good supply of plumbing grease, which, from time to time I have used on my bathtub shower diverter, and when doing other plumbing work.
> 
> So far, about the only way I have found to apply the grease to the shower diverter is with my index finger, and after pulling it up and down and twisting it for awhile, it usually loosens up, and is back to working fine, altho I still tend to pull it up before turning the faucets on, as an extra precaution.
> 
> ...



 Rotate the tub filler 180 degrees and apply CLR or LIMEAWAY?


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## havasu (Jan 11, 2016)

What is this plumbing grease? Just using it works best for lubrication purposes.


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## Snoonyb (Jan 11, 2016)

havasu said:


> What is this plumbing grease? Just using it works best for lubrication purposes.



I suspect it's faucet lube.


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## frodo (Jan 11, 2016)

I sometimes switch up from my index finger to my pinky finger.

middle finger works half decent  ring finger is about useless for anything but wearing a ring

thumb is good for the hard to get places, just shove it in their.

I dont know, the ole index,   she was kind of made for poking and smearing stuff.

you might want to stick with that one


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## nealtw (Jan 11, 2016)

The one with the longest nail is best for boogers...


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## shackdweller (Jan 19, 2016)

Snoonyb said:


> Rotate the tub filler 180 degrees and apply CLR or LIMEAWAY?



Snoonyb, from your description, rotating the tub filler 180 degrees would be get it where I could pour CLR or LIMEAWAY into it, and either of those 2 chemicals would fill up the tub filler, although  only for a few seconds, after which they would go down the drain, but it would have the effect of getting all of the moving parts of the shower diverter thoroughly soaked with the chemicals.

I am reluctant to do that, because of the possibility that I could loosen something inside of the wall and possibly accidently cause a water leak which would drip to the condo unit below me, something which happened the very first night I moved into my condo, and I defininitely do NOT want to happen again. 

I tell about that water leak, unknowingly caused by my simply moving the refrigerator away from the wall and then pushing it back into place, in my intro post here on the board.

I have thought about possible problems wit the bathtub stopper in this regard, also.

There is no way to get to the plumbing on the bathtub/shower from the other side, which is the kitchen wall.  I could cut a mini-door in the kitchen wall for access, and in that case I would have no qualms about possibly causing a water leak by doing things with the tub filler and bathtub stopper.

I know that some houses do have doors to that area of the bathtub/shower, in the rooms on the opposite sides of the bathrooms, but it's not the case with me.

I did, last night pubt some plumbing grease into the shower diverter with my finger, and it is working very smoothly now.


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## shackdweller (Jan 19, 2016)

havasu said:


> What is this plumbing grease? Just using it works best for lubrication purposes.



havasu, I looked at the label last night, and it is in a toothpaste like  tube, Ace Hardware brand label, and it is called plumbing grease, for faucets and valves.

At other times, I have used a similar plumbing grease without any noticeable brand label, in a small short gray container, where the top can be pulled up, and then pushed back down without taking the top entirely off.

(I've had some household repair people tell me you don't need to know proper terminology, but I strongly disagree, and the name of that type of container is a good example of Need to Know).

Last night I put the plumbing faucet/valve grease into the shower diverter with my index finger, and it is working great afterwards.

But, I still think that removing the mineral deposits would be a good idea, if I could do it in a way that I can be certain will not cause any water leaks.


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## Snoonyb (Jan 19, 2016)

shackdweller said:


> Snoonyb, from your description, rotating the tub filler 180 degrees would be get it where I could pour CLR or LIMEAWAY into it, and either of those 2 chemicals would fill up the tub filler, although  only for a few seconds, after which they would go down the drain, but it would have the effect of getting all of the moving parts of the shower diverter thoroughly soaked with the chemicals.
> 
> I am reluctant to do that, because of the possibility that I could loosen something inside of the wall and possibly accidently cause a water leak which would drip to the condo unit below me, something which happened the very first night I moved into my condo, and I defininitely do NOT want to happen again.
> 
> ...



This would only be possible if your filler spout were above the valve.


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## slownsteady (Jan 19, 2016)

Assuming that we are talking about a normal shower head, You can unscrew the head from the bent tube that comes out of the wall and then soak it in white vinegar overnight. This should remove any mineral deposits and unclog the holes without damage. I suppose you could even do that with the tub spout, but it might not come off as easily. As long as you don't open the valves during this, it is highly unlikely that it can cause a water problem. just make sure that you have not loosened the bent tube (even that can be screwed right back in).


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## Snoonyb (Jan 19, 2016)

slownsteady said:


> just make sure that you have not loosened the bent tube (even that can be screwed right back in).



Sounds like a job for both hands.


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## slownsteady (Jan 20, 2016)

yep. You have to put down the beer for a minute.


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## Snoonyb (Jan 20, 2016)

slownsteady said:


> yep. You have to put down the beer for a minute.



And set it on the night stand, in the "broader" context.


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## shackdweller (Mar 7, 2016)

For the present, since my last posts on this topic, the shower diverter has been working very smoothly, so the plain plumbing grease application I did was adequate, and I don't see any need to try to clean out an mineral deposits for the present, but of course, might reconsider if the diverter gives me any more problems in the future.

Thanks to everyone who posted.


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