Need immediate help with broken shower knobs!!

HammerinScrews

Please help! My hot water knob completely broke off today. I have tried to replace it in the past weeks, but couldn't find a matching knob despite going to the 3 hardware stores surrounding my house over and over.

I am using vice grips to turn the knob on and off right now, but that's obviously not a fix. I have no idea how to remove the knob assembly now that the stem is broken.

Ideally I'd like to replace the hot, cold, and diverter. Doers this mean I have to break the wall? Pictures below.

ben's plumbing

that looks like a delta faucet....need to replace the stem ..then get a new handle...seem to be missing a 3" set screw for faucet...

joecaption

To replace the whole thing it comes out from the back side once the handles come off. No offence meant but by the sounds of it you should hire someone to do it.

To replace the stem your going to have to shut the water off relieve the pressure by open up the faucets, remove the handles and the trim, to get the stem out your going to need a special wrench that works like a deep socket.
Just take the whole stem to any real plumbing supply or box store and match it up. Replace the whole thing not just the parts.

HammerinScrews

Thanks for the help guys. I have never had this sort of thing occur, thus didn't know anything about how to do the repair, which is why the sort of panicked tone and title of the post.

I went out and bought what appears to be the correct stem. Part of the reason why this issue occurred at all was because I couldn't match the original hot water knob at any of the hardware stores near me. Every time I brought one home that looked correct, it wouldn't be -- 1/8th of an inch too small, 1/8 of an inch too loose, wouldn't seat correctly....this sort of nonsense. I think it is a Delta faucet as well, although there are really no markings of any sort on the thing.

I am pretty confidant I can replace everything in the wall myself, as it needs this sort of thing bad. I can get the stem removal tool if it is necessary, although the guys at the store was swearing to me that I shouldn't need any special tools to do this.

ben's plumbing

I agree with guy at store if it is a delta ..no tool required...

joecaption

Lowes and HD have a universal knob set. The screws that came with one I installed where to short so I just reused the old ones, worked fine.
Your also missing the part that covers up the stem and keeps out the water on the center one, still have it?
Not sure what your implying by, I might have the right one? The right way would have been to remove what you have and take it with you to match it up. There's dovens of differant style stems that may look alike but not fit.

option12

It seems you also have some mold issues.

HammerinScrews

By the way guys, I have started finally working on this project and cannot seem to get to the actual stem. Here's a picture of what's going on:


Does the metal part really just screw off? It seems to be on there really really well.

HammerinScrews

Right tools for the right job; finally got it off with the crescent wrench. I got it off. I'll update and post photos of what was underneath. Plastic parts, ack!! Is there a way to replace with metal parts?