Three handle shower diverter

Question

My question is rather silly. My main water shutoff is in a very difficult spot. Do I have to cut off the water to change the diverter stem.

James

Answer 1

unless you have shutoffs behind the shower yes you must shu the water off to the house before changing stems

Answer 2

if this tub and shower faucet is a three handle with the diverter handle in the center then you can change the diverter cartridge only as long as the hot side is off and holding.same with the cold side.it is always better to have a shutoff valve to stop the water before the faucet.

Answer 3

Showers rarely have shutoff valves like sinks and toilets...so yes, you will have to turn off the main water supply. AND, while you are at it, you may want to consider moving the main shut off to an easy spot to get to in case of emergency! You can do this by putting another valve in line with the main supply on the house side of the existing cut off. Goldwing

Answer 4

the diverter can be removed as  long as the hot and cold water handles are turned off