How easy is installing a Delta Showerhead and faucet?

Question

My shower faucet (tub/showerhead one lever combo) broke today, so I'm now turning on the water with a pair of pliers. I'd like to just replace the broken faucet (about 25 years old) with a new one from Delta. I don't know what brand the old one is. How easy is this task? Are the directions clear? Any problems or pearls of wisdom from experience?

Or do I just find a handyman to do it? (And if so, approximate cost.)

The part that broke is just the plastic dial that connects to the lever to turn the water on/off. The rest of the faucet is intact - I can easily remove the face-plate and gain access to the plumbing behind the tile. I don't want to touch the plumbing, though - agreed that's for a handier person than I.

Answer 1

if your not a DIY person then get a Plumber in,
around $100.

Answer 2

I did it during a full bathrrom remodel, It's a real pain to do.

To install something completely new would mean cutting out the old plumbing inside the wall and installing new. (You'd need to sweat/solder the pipe with a torch from the backside.)

Save it for a handyman or remove just the broken part and take it to a hardware store. That is the easy way. They should be able to tell the brand, then you just swap out that part.

Cost for a handyman? Sorry, I really don't know.

Answer 3

You don't give any details about the old installation. Is it behind tile? Will you have to remove tile and part of the wall to get to it? If so, it can be VERY difficult and mistakes can lead to leaks that ruin floors and walls.
OTOH, it might just be the cartridge inside the actual faucet and handle that are defective. They can be replaced, but if faucets aren't a good place to learn, so get help from someone who understands plumbing.

Answer 4

One guess would be that if its one of the claw-tub sets, the pipe leading to the shower head isnt big enough to allow more pressure (usually its the other way around with downhill feed for pipes). Another guess would be that the shower head isnt pressurized properly. Does it leak? No gasket means no pressure.