Silver Spring's housing leans older, with a median build year of 1964, so many showers here still run on original two- or three-handle valves or early single-lever units whose stems, washers and cartridges have worn out. Most of these can be rebuilt or replaced by a plumber who knows older valves. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Silver Spring.
Older valves in an older suburb
Inside the Beltway, Silver Spring neighborhoods such as Woodside Park, Long Branch and Lyttonsville are full of mid-century houses, and the median home dates to 1964. Bathrooms from that era often have separate hot and cold handles with compression stems, sometimes with a third handle that works the diverter. Many have been updated, but plenty of updates only changed the trim. Water comes from WSSC Water, which disinfects with free chlorine and adds orthophosphate to control corrosion; scale and plain age are what usually wear the parts out.
What to do right now
- Stop the water if it won't shut off. Look for built-in stops behind the trim plate on newer valves; otherwise close the home's main shutoff, usually in the basement near the front wall.
- Protect anything below. If the bathroom is over a finished room, check the ceiling for spots and set a towel or bucket under any drip.
- Note the symptom exactly. Dripping, poor temperature control, a stiff handle and water in the wall each point to different parts.
- Photograph the trim. Brand marks on the handle or plate help the plumber bring the right stems or cartridge.
- Don't force a frozen handle. Twisting a seized stem hard can crack old fittings inside the wall.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Steady drip from the showerhead | Worn washer or seat on a two-handle valve; worn cartridge seal on a single-handle valve |
| Hot or cold surge when a toilet flushes | No pressure-balancing feature, or a balancing spool that has stuck |
| Handle turns past where it used to stop | Stripped stem or broken handle insert |
| Water from spout and head at once | Worn diverter, either in the tub spout or in a third handle |
| Damp wall or stained ceiling below | Leak at the valve body or at the pipe joints feeding it |
What affects the cost
Rebuilding a compression valve with new stems, washers and seats is usually modest work. Costs climb when stems for an old brand can't be found, when the valve body is corroded, or when the fix means converting to a single-handle pressure-balancing valve, which requires opening the wall. Access from a closet behind the shower, the condition of the tile, and whether WSSC Water requires a plumbing permit for replacing the valve body all factor in. A plumber can lay out both paths before any tile is cut.
Shower Valve Repair questions in Silver Spring
My old shower has two or three handles. Can it still be repaired?
Why does the showerhead keep dribbling after I turn the handle off?
Why does water come out of the tub spout and the showerhead together?
Is it worth switching to a thermostatic valve?
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