I'm trying to take off my shower faucet but it's giving me a hard time. There's supposed to be a set screw, but it either feels stuck or could be missing because I can't seem to turn it. Could it be stripped? I've tried just pulling it off, but no luck. I even sprayed some PB Blaster into the hole. This faucet was installed about 10 years ago and hasn't been removed since. The front handle spins a lot and feels really loose. My goal is to either tighten it up or just replace it altogether.
2 Answers
If you're planning on replacing the faucet anyway, you could just go for it and use a sawzall to cut it off. That’s definitely a last resort, but it’ll get the job done if nothing else works!
It sounds like the set screw is still in there, but it might be stripped or you might be using the wrong size hex key. I’ve had a similar issue before—try out a few different sizes of hex keys until you find the one that works. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error!
Or you could use some screw-extractor bits and a power drill to grab that set screw out. A good set of extractors can be really handy to have around for situations like this!
Thanks for the tips! I’m starting to think it’s more likely to be stripped since I’ve already tried multiple hex key sizes.
Yeah, might be worth saving that for when you’re really out of options!