Most Morrow homes were built before 1980, so a dripping or erratic shower here often has an older two-handle or early single-lever valve. A plumber can rebuild many through the trim and replace the rest, with plumbing permits issued by the city. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Morrow.

Morrow homes and water
Morrow is a small, diverse city along I-75, anchored by Southlake Mall and Clayton State University. Census survey figures put the median year built at 1971, with about 62% of homes from before 1980. Many bathrooms still have two- or three-handle compression valves or mid-century single-lever designs.
Clayton County Water Authority, headquartered in Morrow, supplies water and sewer throughout the county. CCWA's service line runs from the main to the meter, and the customer owns the line from the meter to the house. CCWA also installs and annually tests backflow devices at customer connections with its own certified staff. In older homes, original galvanized supply pipe can shed rust into a valve's inlet screens.
Morrow's Planning and Economic Development Department issues plumbing permits, with applications through Community Core or on paper at City Hall.
Morrow is also home to the Georgia Archives and the National Archives at Atlanta, and its neighborhoods grew up around the I-75 corridor in the 1960s and 1970s. Houses from that era may have the bathroom on an interior wall with a closet behind it, which can make reaching an old valve body easier.
What to do right now
- Shut the main if the tub keeps filling with the knobs closed.
- Turn each knob separately to see whether the hot or cold side is dripping.
- Check whether the diverter knob, if there is one, still moves water to the head.
- Run the shower for a minute and note any rust color at the start.
- Feel for loose tiles around the knobs.
- Clear the tub so the plumber has room to work.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Tub spout dribbles when both knobs are off | Hot or cold side washer worn through |
| Diverter knob won't send water up to the head | Third-handle diverter stem worn |
| Shower scalds when the dishwasher starts | Old valve with no temperature protection |
| Orange tint for the first seconds | Corrosion inside aging steel supply pipe |
| Grout cracking around the trim | Moisture getting into the wall cavity |
What affects the cost
- Number of stems: a three-knob valve has three sets of parts to rebuild.
- Seat condition: seats that can be dressed save the cost of a new body.
- Pipe at the valve: badly corroded steel nipples may need replacing at the same time.
- City paperwork: Morrow's plumbing permit applies to a full replacement.
- Tile and backer: 1970s tile set in mortar is harder to open than modern board.
Shower Valve Repair questions in Morrow
Can an old two-handle or three-handle shower valve be rebuilt?
Do I need a permit to replace a shower valve here?
Can grit from main repairs or well water clog a shower valve?
Is an anti-scald or thermostatic valve worth the upgrade?
More plumbing services in Morrow
Shower Valve Repair nearby
Sources
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