How To Remove A Stripped Screw From A Shower Faucet (Do This!)

Every now and again, repairs need to be made around the home. The bathroom is one of the more common areas in need of repairs, oftentimes in the sink, bathtub, or shower. Knowing the best ways to tackle those repairs can mean the difference between a successful repair and one that carries on for way longer than it needs to.

One such problem is while trying to remove the shower faucet or the faucet handles. The screws can get stripped out, making the removal process that much more difficult. To get a stripped screw out, you will need to drill out the center of the stripped screw. With the right tools, the process is relatively easy.

You will generally need two or three tools to get this job done. The third is optional (some kind of screw extractor) but can certainly make the final step easier. Other than that, you need a drill and a cobalt drill bit.

Take that cobalt drill bit and insert it into your drill. The bit diameter should be just big enough to fit into the head slot on the screw. In 99 out of 100 instances, the set screw will either be an Allen-head screw or a Phillips-head screw. Your cobalt bit should be large enough that it just fits inside of the head of the stripped screw.

Now that you have the proper cobalt drill bit, it is time to drill out the center of the head. Drill through the head’s center just enough so that the bit passes through the bottom of the head of the screw. Don’t just torque down here; apply a little bit of caution and patience.

When you have passed the bottom of the screw head, you will need to swap out bits. Remove your current cobalt bit and swap it out for one that matches the screw head’s diameter. The closer you can get to that diameter, the better the result.

With your bits swapped out, it is time to drill out the head of the stripped screw. Position your drill over the hole that you created in the previous step. Begin drilling out the screw head. This may take a little bit of patience, so don’t be surprised if you aren’t done in seconds.

Continue drilling into the stripped screw head until you just barely reach the handle’s inside diameter. Try to move slowly and patiently to ensure that you don’t overdo it. When you this point, pop out your drill bit from the handle.

You should now be able to pull on the faucet handle, moving it away from the faucet itself. If it doesn’t come off cleanly, don’t worry. There is a chance that you might have to jiggle the handle a bit in order to break it free. The handle can get stuck on some of the small slivers created from drilling the set screw.

You can also use locking pliers to help twist the faucet off of the stripped screw. The better the grip that you have on the faucet, the easier it will likely be to remove it. It is up to you and what tools you have available.

Unfortunately, drilling out a stripped screw in your shower is unlikely to be the only time that you deal with that inconvenience. Plenty of things in our lives use screws of all kinds. And from time to time, those screws will get stripped out and seem impossible to remove.

The good news is that you can reduce it to a minor annoyance. There are a few helpful tips that can get that stripped screw out and get you back on track in no time. Even better, some of these tips require nothing more than a few household items to pull off.

This is very similar to the “how-to” from above, with a minor difference: you shouldn’t need anything to pull the stripped out screw off other than your drill. The concept here is to drill into the stripped out screw so that your drill has something better to grip onto.

Just make sure that you use a bit designed for drilling into metal instead of wood. It is also important that you not drill too far into the stripped out screw. If you go too far, the head of the screw could pop off, making it more difficult to remove the body. Drill just far enough that you can get the original bit further down to achieve a better grip.

The vast majority of screw heads out there tend to be of either the Allen or Phillips variety. So, if you are staring down a Phillips head screw that just won’t turn, try reaching for your handy flat head screwdriver instead.

The flat head should be just narrow enough that it will fit into the hole of the Phillips-head. The caveat here is that it will take a little bit of elbow grease to make this work. If you really want to find an effective strategy, bring the rubber band into play.

By introducing the rubber band, you should create a more effective grip for your screwdriver. You can also use your hammer to tap your screwdriver so that it permeates the head of the stripped out screw, allowing for a far greater grip than before.