A new customer filled out my Quote Request form and asked that I look at their shower Handle. They told me it was a 30-year-old valve that had become very hard to pull out and turn on. These types of plumbing repairs are right up my alley. I had an opening and was able to stop by a couple hours later that morning.
Checking it out, I noticed the valve wasn’t leaking at all, so that was good, but it was harder than it should be to pull and turn on. I figured some gunk or scale was causing the resistance, and I would have to open it up to find the cause.
After shutting the house water off, I removed the cartridge from the valve, disassembled it, and found it to be in remarkably good shape. The plastic cartridge showed little wear or crud on it. The O-rings were still soft and pliable. Inside the valve, the brass was still shiny and smooth.
The Fix
Turns out all this valve needed was cleaning and a fresh coat of
plumbers grease and it worked as good as new.
Always looking to repair something for you
After completing the shower valve, I noticed one of the bathroom sinks had the pop-up stopper pulled out, just laying there in the sink. I offered to put it back together so it would work properly, but she explained the stopper did not stay up, and the faucet was dripping. She had to pull out the stopper so the water could drain.
Hey, the water was already off, so it was a good time to tackle that problem. 
In this case, it was a ball valve that looked good, as well as the seals. A quick clean and lubrication were all that was needed to stop the dripping faucet.
The pop-up stopper had other problems. The end of the lifting lever had rusted off and was
not long enough to lift the stopper. A quick trip to the hardware store and that problem was also solved.
If there are any parts of your home that are not working like they should, please give me a shout. I love helping you with your doors, lights, faucets, windows, garage doors, etc. I’ll solve those little problems and help keep your home a joy to live in.
Thanks,
Mark
Neighborhood Pro Handyman
916-500-3003