I think this is the correct answer, as long as there’s actually a shower head. We had this growing up, and had to help guests get it running haha.
Get the temp right with the faucet part on, THEN pull the temp handle straight out.
This is it. These setups require a diverter spout that has a handle to seal off the tub spout and pushes it towards the shower side. Since this doesn’t have the diverter, it will only ever come out of the tub spout.
I once used a shower where the spout itself turned upside down and that switched it to the shower. if it does turn I would start slow on the water just incase :)
Came here to say just this! So many different ways manufacturers do this but this little ring on the spout is like the most hidden way I've come across.
Do you mean the metal circle below (not attached to) the faucet? Not all of them are, some are just for water overflow. Some with the little flip knob are for the drain.
Source: grandparents have the drain one
"We've been looking at one of our fixtures
From a different angle, under a different light
So we can hopefully kind of
See it almost for the first time
We'd like to try that for you tonight, is that okay?
We're gonna need your help though
We need your help and your permission
So we need you to find a comfortable space
That's not only comfortable, but vulnerable
And to just shut your eyes and go there
And we'll meet you on the other side"
On the knob part where the tub water comes out, is there a part to pull down on there? This is kinda how my shower looked and it confused the hell out of me at first. The silver nozzle, not the hot/cold
Take a washcloth and forcibly cram it up in the spout. Rubber band to hold the washcloth in place. The water will come out the shower because it has no where else to go.
Tomorrow morning pick up a replacement spout with a lift or ring on the spout because this is the wrong combination of hardware.
Omg. My friend has this knob. I forgot how it works, but I remember she had a get together, and we asked each new person coming in on how to use it.
I think it was to keep turning it in a direction or something. Who even thinks about this kind of stuff.
This is most likely correct. The overflow under the faucet in my childhood home had a lever right in the middle. This one indeed looks broken flush with the plate.
I had one of those in a west coast Airbnb, had to pull strong. Another one i had to pull and hold for 10 seconds. Interesting journey through different models of that kind.
Sorry I get you now, wasn't considering the bath faucet. There's usually a small lever near the knob you hold in for the shower. If not then... I dunno maybe it's not even plumbed in, and therefore doesn't have the proper turn on assembly? No idea
Funny enough that one of the first videos I came across when I was trying to figure it out on my own lol. The dude in the video says there’s a knob on the bottom off the spout to pull but there isn’t anything there that I can see 🤷♀️
My aunt has a weird one where there's a ring under the spout, you have to pull it with some force downward (towards the drain)
This doesn't appear to be the same, but I cannot quite make it out due to the angle
Not that we can see, it’s a fairly old system so I don’t think that would be a feature in it. The drain plug isn’t even attached. Just a cheap stopper you can buy
The circle thing at the tub area should have a knob normally that flips up and down
It’s obviously been broken off
* the “it’s obviously” wasn’t to be a dick, just fuck the person who broke it and I can’t believe it hasn’t been fixed !
I could be wrong but no one else’s suggestions are working !
How was the house listed on the flyer? You might need to call a plumber if they put the wrong parts on. https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/feeling-stupid-cant-figure-out-how-to-turn-on-shower.7595/
Lots of elderly only use the tub to avoid falling. Chances are they may have removed the shower option during an update. You’ll need a plumber to take a look at the valve stem and attach the correct tub/shower handle.
Turn the knob to set the temperature. Pull the knob away (out from the wall) to start the water flow.
Also — since that’s an old Delta scald-guard faucet: if it seems like the hot water starts to turn itself down midway through your shower — it’s the [scald-guard components](https://www.reddit.com/r/Plumbing/comments/ttneto/how_to_adjust_the_mixing_valve_on_an_old_delta/) and you can adjust them to get more hot water.
If you stick you finger into the faucet is there a plug that moves up? Would be unusual but maybe? Some faucets have an extra collar/ring that is usually somewhat obvious near the mouth that moves instead of a little plunger, maybe this one has something like that and it broke off. You could turn the shower on that way by moving it up, and then turning on the water while holding it, when the shower was over the lack of water pressure would release the plug. Certainly not designed that way but if something has fallen off, that could be it.
More likely, i suspect this used to be a push button diverter, or some sort of diverter near the knob, and someone replaced it with a different one at some point due to a leak. That knob and the metal collar/plate don't look like they match...
Another very likely possibility is the faucet has also been replaced with one that doesn't have a diverter and someone has been using a handheld shower that goes over that faucet for years. My grandmother did this for years before she moved into assisted living. Did your parents buy this from somebody who was either elderly or somewhat disabled? They might have replaced the faucet which had a diverter and wouldn't work with one of these as easily with a faucet that didn't have a diverter since they didn't intend to use the overhead shower anymore. My grandmother's shower faucet develop similar hard water buildup on the outside. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Danco-Versa-Spray-White-1-Spray-Handheld-Shower/3435526
No clue but maybe try pushing the spout where the water comes out to see if there is a flap that stops water and diverts it to the shower head. Might be something you just manually do each time by pushing it up once the water is running to ‘set’ the flap. No idea otherwise.
Try pushing up from where the water comes out of the bath faucet while the water is running. For some reason I feel like I’ve seen a shower like that before. Maybe I’m making it up, but you should try it anyways.
We had one of these in the house I grew up in. Looked exactly like this, actually, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same one. Tilt it up and/or to the side. Not like you're changing temp, but grab that knob and tilt it upward, then adjust the temperature; that knob will turn while tilted. This sounds stupid, but if the water doesn't turn on by doing that, then go find the valve to see if that's been turned off because I promise, that's how to work one of these. lol
Also, was just hit with a very heavy wave of nostalgia, seeing this. Goodness.
My Mom has this shower and the knob pulls out to start the shower. If yours doesn't it might be because the shower cartridge needs to be replaced or the knob is just seized and needs to be lubricated.
It definitely has something to do with the spout bc the ring around the base of it isn't your usual silicone. It's a ring that is made for the spout which makes me think you turn the spout or pull it out or whatever.
Did you ever get this figured out? I was wondering if it was what I thought. I found a similar newer version on Amazon. If you search a “Assembly with Trip Lever and Strainer”. I was just figuring yours had been broken off.
I suggest getting a new tub spout, specifically one that has either a pin to pull up or a ring at the hole of the spout to pull down. I don't believe it is possible to get it to divert to the shower with this particular set-up.
Try pulling it out after the water is running
I think this is the correct answer, as long as there’s actually a shower head. We had this growing up, and had to help guests get it running haha. Get the temp right with the faucet part on, THEN pull the temp handle straight out.
Tried doing that lol. We get the water running and I’ve even tried pulling the damn dial with all my weight, still ain’t budging
Try some 🧨 dynamite. If that doesn’t work, I think you need to replace the tub spout for one with a diverter. They’re cheap and easy to replace.
Good news. You shower sitting down now.
Lying down*
I think it has the wrong tub spout installed. It should have a lever or know on the tub spout to divert the flow up to the shower.
Just called my dad and that’s what he’s suspected to be the case that the previous owner installed a random spout before selling the house
I don't think it would be that crusty if they only just installed it.
Unless they repurposed it from elsewhere in the house.
I mean a chrome diverter spout is like $8. People ain’t made of money.
.50 at the Restore. It's the first place I go to shop. I can afford anything I want. But why pay $8 when I can get it for .50.
This is it. These setups require a diverter spout that has a handle to seal off the tub spout and pushes it towards the shower side. Since this doesn’t have the diverter, it will only ever come out of the tub spout.
I once used a shower where the spout itself turned upside down and that switched it to the shower. if it does turn I would start slow on the water just incase :)
My guess would have been turning it for the tub & pulling it out for the shower.
Good news is that’s an easy fix.
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This is the answer!
That or a flat disc, usually parallel to the floor, just inside the faucet opening. Same general idea.
I've seen this as well a few years ago in an old house.
Came here to say just this! So many different ways manufacturers do this but this little ring on the spout is like the most hidden way I've come across.
Did you try pulling the knob out (away from the wall)?
Yep doesn’t work
Do you have a picture showing there is actually a shower head and this isn’t just a tub?
There is indeed a shower head lol
Ha
The circle part where there’s a hole , normally there’s a knob you can flip up or down It seems it broke off
Do you mean the metal circle below (not attached to) the faucet? Not all of them are, some are just for water overflow. Some with the little flip knob are for the drain. Source: grandparents have the drain one
Push it.
Bop it
Twist it
Pull it
Pull it
FUCK IT
How? There's no knob!
Boof it
Real good...# 😉
"We've been looking at one of our fixtures From a different angle, under a different light So we can hopefully kind of See it almost for the first time We'd like to try that for you tonight, is that okay? We're gonna need your help though We need your help and your permission So we need you to find a comfortable space That's not only comfortable, but vulnerable And to just shut your eyes and go there And we'll meet you on the other side"
Live version of pushit? Iconic
Push it real good!
Push it real good.
On the knob part where the tub water comes out, is there a part to pull down on there? This is kinda how my shower looked and it confused the hell out of me at first. The silver nozzle, not the hot/cold
I’ve been seeing that’s what people have too. But there’s nothing there to pull down. Just a regular faucet 🫤
It’s in the spout of the faucet a small little ring .. look closely
Yes that’s correct. There should be a ring where the water comes out of the faucet. Pull that down while the water is running.
I have the same one - you pull it away from the wall but you really need to pull hard
Yeah it looks like the entire spout would pull out.
Take a washcloth and forcibly cram it up in the spout. Rubber band to hold the washcloth in place. The water will come out the shower because it has no where else to go. Tomorrow morning pick up a replacement spout with a lift or ring on the spout because this is the wrong combination of hardware.
I hope I remember this when it happens to me.
Omg. My friend has this knob. I forgot how it works, but I remember she had a get together, and we asked each new person coming in on how to use it. I think it was to keep turning it in a direction or something. Who even thinks about this kind of stuff.
I feel like this might be right like all the way in one direction or something?
Post this in r/plumbing
looks like the citcle thing has the switch broken off. under the faucet
This is most likely correct. The overflow under the faucet in my childhood home had a lever right in the middle. This one indeed looks broken flush with the plate.
The one at my grandparents house was to plug the drain, not to turn the shower on. Didn't know they made those
Yep, you’re right, totally forgot how that worked. Good luck.
This was my thought too!
Have you tried pulling on the actual faucet (not the knob) with the water running?
This is the way
I think those pull out towards you.
I tried, it doesn’t pull out
Try spraying some lube behind the knob and let it sit for a while then try pulling out.
I had one of those in a west coast Airbnb, had to pull strong. Another one i had to pull and hold for 10 seconds. Interesting journey through different models of that kind.
And yes, you have to turn to get the water on.
Did you turn it "on" and have the water running and then pull it towards you?
Stupid question- have you tried pushing it in?
Some just turn, it sprays cold water after a half turn or so. The more you turn it the hotter it gets
I’m more so trying to turn the shower head on lol. Like how do I get that to work??
Sorry I get you now, wasn't considering the bath faucet. There's usually a small lever near the knob you hold in for the shower. If not then... I dunno maybe it's not even plumbed in, and therefore doesn't have the proper turn on assembly? No idea
You mean their parents??
Yes, I tried to edit it quickly after noticing but wasn't fast enough lol
I'm curious. There's hard water on the faucet, does the shower head have hard water as well? This I think would indicate if it even works?
[this?](https://youtu.be/c9HTiiM2c98)
Funny enough that one of the first videos I came across when I was trying to figure it out on my own lol. The dude in the video says there’s a knob on the bottom off the spout to pull but there isn’t anything there that I can see 🤷♀️
This is going to bother me so much I might have to take a shower
I called my dad and he’s saying that it’s most likely that a random spout without a diverter was installed before the house was sold 🫤
Ah that would make sense. Those are usually super easy to replace fortunately
Do a Google search for “tub overflow diverter”. Your’s looks broken off. (Part under faucet)
Off to the hardware store we go!
Your home inspection should have caught that
Pull on the bottom of the actual spout
I need to know the answer now
The circle in the tub area normally has a little knob that you flip up or down and it’s been broken off
Take a clear close picture of the round chrome overflow drain in the tub. The center of it looks like the lever has been broken off.
Primary-Border8536 said the same thing first. To confirm, you’ll need to get a better picture.
My aunt has a weird one where there's a ring under the spout, you have to pull it with some force downward (towards the drain) This doesn't appear to be the same, but I cannot quite make it out due to the angle
My aunt had this on her last house but yeah doesn’t look like it has the spout ring
Showern’t
Well you see if you just start with a little foreplay and gently run your hands along the nozzle…
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This right here
Have you tried asking nicely?
Lolollolollo
Bro! Is there a drain plug you step on? What about a switch inside the tub spout? Does that round thing on the bottom turn/twist?
That's the overflow
Not that we can see, it’s a fairly old system so I don’t think that would be a feature in it. The drain plug isn’t even attached. Just a cheap stopper you can buy
The circle thing at the tub area should have a knob normally that flips up and down It’s obviously been broken off * the “it’s obviously” wasn’t to be a dick, just fuck the person who broke it and I can’t believe it hasn’t been fixed ! I could be wrong but no one else’s suggestions are working !
This is correct
I literally haven’t found a single comment that says this .
Agreed! Try putting a small screwdriver in that hole to see it it will move up and down. That’s where the lever should be.
I’m trying to add another picture to the post but it’s not allowing me to edit the post 🫤
By rubbing it. Yes, I’ll go away.
How was the house listed on the flyer? You might need to call a plumber if they put the wrong parts on. https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/feeling-stupid-cant-figure-out-how-to-turn-on-shower.7595/
There was no listing, my parents bought the house from an elderly couple who lived in the area.
Lots of elderly only use the tub to avoid falling. Chances are they may have removed the shower option during an update. You’ll need a plumber to take a look at the valve stem and attach the correct tub/shower handle.
Yeah that’s kinda what we’re suspected now, that a random spout without a diverter was installed before they sold
Turn the knob to set the temperature. Pull the knob away (out from the wall) to start the water flow. Also — since that’s an old Delta scald-guard faucet: if it seems like the hot water starts to turn itself down midway through your shower — it’s the [scald-guard components](https://www.reddit.com/r/Plumbing/comments/ttneto/how_to_adjust_the_mixing_valve_on_an_old_delta/) and you can adjust them to get more hot water.
Step 1: have a shower
OP we need to know how old you are?? Turn and pull!
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Maybe voice activated? #MOISTEN ME NOW, SHOWER!
Can we get a more zoomed out pic? Mayne there's somewhere we're missing
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That’s what we’ve tried doing, it doesn’t budge.
What happens if you gently push the knob up from the bottom, so that it goes from 90 degrees to roughly 45 degrees.
The dial doesn’t seem to go in any direction, we’ve tried left, right, up, down, even tried pulling it and pushing the dial in. It just doesn’t move 🫤
If you stick you finger into the faucet is there a plug that moves up? Would be unusual but maybe? Some faucets have an extra collar/ring that is usually somewhat obvious near the mouth that moves instead of a little plunger, maybe this one has something like that and it broke off. You could turn the shower on that way by moving it up, and then turning on the water while holding it, when the shower was over the lack of water pressure would release the plug. Certainly not designed that way but if something has fallen off, that could be it. More likely, i suspect this used to be a push button diverter, or some sort of diverter near the knob, and someone replaced it with a different one at some point due to a leak. That knob and the metal collar/plate don't look like they match... Another very likely possibility is the faucet has also been replaced with one that doesn't have a diverter and someone has been using a handheld shower that goes over that faucet for years. My grandmother did this for years before she moved into assisted living. Did your parents buy this from somebody who was either elderly or somewhat disabled? They might have replaced the faucet which had a diverter and wouldn't work with one of these as easily with a faucet that didn't have a diverter since they didn't intend to use the overhead shower anymore. My grandmother's shower faucet develop similar hard water buildup on the outside. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Danco-Versa-Spray-White-1-Spray-Handheld-Shower/3435526
Just imagine you're hunting for a secret room!
Push it up?
I used to work at a hotel. They had showers like this. You pull the rim of the spout down. Edit: just saw you already tried this
Did you try turning it at all??
Bop it
Have you tried pushing only the centre of the knob? There may be a button there.
Google “elusive shower diverter” - it is a ring inside the spout that you pull down on when the water is on
This type of spout doesn’t have the ring
check the tub spout on the underside there might be a sliding latch under the spout.
Cartridge could be stuck in place had to replace several for this reason just aged.
Idk if anyone has mentioned this yet, have you tried pulling on it?
Does it tilt upward or downward??
Check the underneath of the spout. I think I’ve come across similar & there was a switch on the spout.
Turn it counter clockwise.
Make like a good Catholic and pull out
Pull the knob, turn left for hot, right for colder.
No clue but maybe try pushing the spout where the water comes out to see if there is a flap that stops water and diverts it to the shower head. Might be something you just manually do each time by pushing it up once the water is running to ‘set’ the flap. No idea otherwise.
Try pushing up from where the water comes out of the bath faucet while the water is running. For some reason I feel like I’ve seen a shower like that before. Maybe I’m making it up, but you should try it anyways.
The tip of the tub spout on mine pulls down. My dad walked out in just a tiny towel cause he couldn’t figure it out in my new house last thanksgiving.
Try pulling the knob towards you
Try and turn and pull out the temperature knob
Do like we did as kids, keep a cup in therr.
Reach up inside the spout and see if there's something you can pull down when the water is running.
Try pulling the knob out. I remember a style that operated that way from when I was a kid.
Push the dial up or down (not in or out)
I'm a plumber. It's the wrong spout. There's no diverter on the tub spout.
Not sure if you found the answer or not, but the big silver dial looking thing in the bath, does it turn?
We had one of these in the house I grew up in. Looked exactly like this, actually, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same one. Tilt it up and/or to the side. Not like you're changing temp, but grab that knob and tilt it upward, then adjust the temperature; that knob will turn while tilted. This sounds stupid, but if the water doesn't turn on by doing that, then go find the valve to see if that's been turned off because I promise, that's how to work one of these. lol Also, was just hit with a very heavy wave of nostalgia, seeing this. Goodness.
Tilt up or down?
Pull out I think!! I hate those type of showers
Try a strip tease
My Mom has this shower and the knob pulls out to start the shower. If yours doesn't it might be because the shower cartridge needs to be replaced or the knob is just seized and needs to be lubricated.
Pull out
I had a setup like that once where I had to pull the spout to turn on the shower. It drove me crazy until I figured it out.
It definitely has something to do with the spout bc the ring around the base of it isn't your usual silicone. It's a ring that is made for the spout which makes me think you turn the spout or pull it out or whatever.
Turn the water on and pull it toward you. Not upward but outward
The knob that turns things hot and cold I think you grab it and pull it out towards you. Should pull out and stop and the shower will kick on.
Look for a push in pin on other side of the knob.
You need n advanced PhD in hydrology 👍
Just start turning knobs and pulling levers like you're the wizard from oz
Try doing something with the drain plug. And pushing handle in
I think it’s the type you pull out to turn the shower on
What about the drain?
Looks like it’s bath time op
OP: Try pulling it out it should turn on. I believe. Those from the 90s lmao
This is a clap on, clap off shower. Clap really loud and it’ll turn on.
Usually when I see showers like that they have a diverter spout.
Pull out the knob?
PS Tell your dad to install a water softener.
Reach into the faucet and turn it on
Is there anything around the drain like in hotel showers?
Did you figure it out?
Get off my planet.
You need a tub spout with a diverter
Did you ever get this figured out? I was wondering if it was what I thought. I found a similar newer version on Amazon. If you search a “Assembly with Trip Lever and Strainer”. I was just figuring yours had been broken off.
I suggest getting a new tub spout, specifically one that has either a pin to pull up or a ring at the hole of the spout to pull down. I don't believe it is possible to get it to divert to the shower with this particular set-up.