Tub Spout Diverter Repair or Replace? 

Excellent and singular instructional video. Your presentation demystifies, simplifies, and clarifies the whole process to the extent that an eight year old child could understand and repair/replace a "kaput" tub spout diverter. Once upon a time, our intermediate and high schools had shop classes. Sadly, with perhaps but a few exceptions, this type of practical and important home repair knowledge is no longer offered. As an aside, perhaps you could market some of your videos to the schools. Kudos to you!!!

I was having a deuce of a time unscrewing the top part. Followed your advice about using a screwdriver to move the two long parts apart - I did it! This is saving me the money of hiring a plumber/handyman, and - best of all - I can get it done before my husband comes back to town. Win-win!

This is the EXACT video I needed. Very helpful. Had I not seen you remove the set screw I probably would've yanked it off the wall. Now let's see if I can actually make the repair!

Thank you! I need to replace the whole thing (valve, diverter, head), and this gets me one step closer to actually completing the task.

Very helpful! My diveter unscrewed easily but after seeing your video I ended up replacing the entire spout just out of convenience. THANKS!

You got me thinking I can do this! Going to get a faucet right now!

Very helpful. I didn't know what that diverter looked like or how to remove it. Mine is also corroded and is very difficult to pull up. Thank you!

Great detail! Mike, you are a craftsman and a gentleman. Thank you!

This is very helpful. Mine doesn't have a screw in the back. I can't get it to budge. I could try to replace the plastic piece, but it's bad, possibly cracked inside like yours.

I have a 3 handle shower/tub valve setup and the center diverter valve was leaking. Ended up destroying plastic brittle sleeve inside. Ended up putting center cartridge back in w/ fresh o-rings to seal the leaks and replaced spout with a diverter spout.. all good now. This was an Aqua Source 3 handle bath/shower setup c2007ish from Lowes.

Just filed it down and its working like new again. Thanx

Question. What if the diverter pulled half way up gives a better shower pressure with water leaking from the spout vs very LOW pressure from the shower pulled ALL the way with no water leaking from the spout?

this is great. how bout that noise lol. least you can joke about it, it's a repair that needs to be done every so often. great video.

Why isn't there a tub spout made with an actual valve instead of these stupid lift gate things?! Could a person just install a simple ball valve between the shower valve and the tub spout to turn the spout off/on? Or better yet, why don't the shower valves have a simple switch at the bottom for that purpose? My kids pulled up hard on the spout valve so many times that it finally caused a crack in the tub spout pipe behind the wall. The problem is you have a horizontal pipe for the spout and your pulling and pushing up and down on it to operate the gate. Very poor design.

When you say softsoap (6:08) do you mean like the brand of hand soap? Is there a recommended grid size for the sandpaper or will any do the trick?

Hello and thank you for the video! I've viewed 6 or 8 diverter repair video's and found yours to be the most compelling. However in none of the video's did I see what to do if the pull/push knob on top of the spout is immovable. I turned the spout over and removed the diverter but the pull/push knob will not budge. I saw one video that said to use a hack saw to cut the pull/push stem but I was afraid it would get stuck within the spout and still have the same problem with not as many options. I left the spout upside down and filled with CLR in hopes of loosening the push/pull stem. Can you help? Thank you

My spout fell off the wall after pulling the little pin up, the water came out of the shower head (as supposed to) but 30 seconds later, poofs! There goes the spout. Can anyone advise? BTW, the opresor was tight 🤷🏾‍♂️

i moved into a house in june the diverter was stuck down after some clr and wd40 and a bit of prying i got it up but the hot tap leaks and the water was running down the inside of the spout to the top of the tup then running along the wall and off onto the floor so i took another crack at replacing the whole thing but just ended up unscrewing the metal part of the spout from the plastic piece that goes over the pipe. so i took the metal piece tried to get the plastic diverter piece off in one piece but it kind of exploaded with the slightest bit of pressure so my original plan was to replace the whole thing then it went to just do the repair kit and now im thinking just take the one out of the new to rebuild the old because itd be cheaper to replace the whole thing at $13 than spend $40 on the repair kit or the $182 in taxis to go pick up a $6.99 repair kit. update i got side tracked with the new information from here i took the new diverter unthreaded the handle off the new one pushed it through and out the bottom where the shaft just fell off the diverter part and i tossed that in the old one taped the threads and threaded it back on and its good enough still leaks a bit but thats because i only hit it with a wire wheel not a file and now i just need to find a repair kit and i have a full ready to go diverter

Thanks for watching! Leave any questions or comments below:

Excellent and thank you!!!

That’s the exact sound I hear😊

Do you need to turn the water off before attempting to repair or replace the diverter?

Great video! Have you ever encountered a faucet that has no set screw, spins and spins when you try to unscrew it, and won't just pull straight off? I am on the verge of taking a high speed blade and cutting it off. Any suggestions?

did you use the old "Guts" with the new spout or did it come with everything? Yesterday I bought a danco replacement but it did not come with the part the set screw goes into and that piece has two o-rings. The diverter works but having to reuse the part that wasn't included in the new kit and it having old o-rings means it now leaks against the wall.

So there is no way to simply replace the diverter without taking off the whole spout?

hi mike. mine looks exactly like this but i can't see or feel the set screw. almost like it moved. i can not unscrew this spout. it won't budge so assume the set screw moved inside? any tips? thanks.

I noticed it was Moen garbage. No more Moen for us, although they'll throw you a bone (i.e., replacement) every time you complain because they know they make garbage. And as a viewer said below, spout-type diverters are cheap crap.

sir my q is is better change whole spout is better ya only replce ruber a kit and grind which is better

My faucet is leaking even with the water off. Would this work to replace to faucet??

“Bad sound makes good video look bad.”

The camera is too close. Everything is blurry

p̶r̶o̶m̶o̶s̶m̶ ?