What’s an Escutcheon?
An escutcheon is the metal part that hides the unappealing hole in the wall where the pipes come through. It is also known as a cover plate or flange. You can find escutcheons on the wall or ceiling around your shower arm, by the toilet next to the shutoff valve for your toilet’s water supply, and under your sink where the faucet supplies emerge.
Why Would You Replace an Escutcheon?
Although it doesn’t do anything besides look great and hides the ugly hole in the wall, if it is not looking good, then it’s not doing its job. There are a wide variety of escutcheons with all different shapes, sizes, and fancy finishes. In addition, they are also quite simple to replace, so there is no reason to hold on to an old, rusty escutcheon.
What About Escutcheons That Are Hard-To-Reach?
If there is a shutoff valve in the way, you must remove the valve before getting the escutcheon off.
The following are the proper steps to remove the shut off valve and then the escutcheon:
- Shut off water to your house and drain the water out of the lines.
- Double check and ensure you have towels, a dish pan, or something to catch any water which may come out of the line.
- Remove the valve in front of the decorative escutcheon. However, a threaded-on shutoff valve can often be removed with a pair of pliers and a couple of twists. If you have a soldered-on shutoff valve, you may need to get help from a licensed plumber.
- If you remove the shutoff valve, replace the old escutcheon with a shiny new one.
For more information, contact our San Fernando Valley plumber at Duran & Sons Universal Plumbing & Rooter today.