How to Bypass the Middle Knob on a Bathtub Faucet | Home Guides
water diverter for the bathtub." title="David De Lossy/Photodisc/Getty Images" /> The middle knob or lever is the water diverter for the bathtub. The middle knob on a three- knob bathtub faucet changes the direction of the flow of water from the bathtub faucet to the shower head. When the middle knob stops working , is frozen in place, hampers the flow of water to the bathtub faucet, or causes water to pour out of the bathtub faucet while the shower is running, it is typically the gaskets on the diverter valve that need to be replaced. The simplest way to bypass problematic middle knob and get your bathtub faucet to work correctly is to replace the diverter valve on the bathtub faucet. 1 Turn off the water supply to the bathtub and shower. Remove the screw on the shower diverter knob and pull off the knob. If the knob does not come off easily, it may have corroded or rusted in place on the shower knob stem . In this case, you will have to carefully pry off the...