My bathroom tub fixtures have seen better days. Pretty sure they’re original to the house (~60 years). We have fairly hard water, and the prior owners were not the best at maintenance so no clue how long these slow leaks have been going on. But the shower handle is stuck hard on the valve, and the bath spigot is crumbling away and similarly fused in place. Hot and cold come off easily.
Does anyone have any tips for freeing the one handle and spigot? I’ve tried light tapping with a mallet on the back of the handle to no avail. The spigot seems bound pretty tightly, to the point where I’m concerned about damaging the pipe if I apply too much torque.
As for the leaks, I haven’t decided if I’m going to just replace the valves, or try fiddling with/replacing the packing nuts. This is my first time messing with plumbing, but either way seems straightforward enough after watching a few videos.
Any tips/tricks/suggestions appreciated, thanks!
Know where your shut off valves are. Assume they don’t shut and locate the ones upstream from those and of course know where your main shut off is. Plumbing isn’t hard but often the work you need to do is in a cramped miserable space. It helps to have two wrenches. When cranking hard on a fitting it’s a good idea to keep the wrench on the next piece to prevent the torque from putting stress on piping further down the line. I hope this makes sense. You can replace old piping with PEX pipe and fittings. I don’t have experience with it but it seems easy. I learned to solder with a propane torch by practicing on a few fittings in a bench vice. Not hard but there are a few things you need to know. Metal drains are easy to replace with PVC. Good Luck
The two wrench thing makes perfect sense, and was something I had in mind. It’s just that the other side of the fitting is on the other side of the wall lol. Would need to be a 2-person job. Need to get a better look inside the access panel (and take down a second piece of drywall for reasons only known to the previous owner) to see if the spout pipe is fitted or soldered. If it’s soldered, what would be the tool for the job on the other side? I’m thinking vice grips so as not to accidentally over-tighten but I’m well aware that there’s a bunch of stuff I don’t know.
I appreciate the general tips as well. The ceiling is coming down in the basement soon so I’ll be able to get a look at the underside. The master shower leaks like crazy so there will definitely be work to do. Fingers crossed that the prior owners also stopped using it, and there’s no subfloor damage etc.
I doubt the spout pipe is soldered in, should be threaded. When cranking on pipes like that generally two pipe wrenches work best but if you can only have your hand on one side vice grips might work. You can try clamping it to a stud somehow lol. If it’s soldered though I’d think you’d need to cut it or heat the solder up with a torch to remove it but I’m betting it’s threaded. Don’t be surprised if it’s tough to turn. You might be able to loosen it up with a torch, be careful not to burn any wood. If you do have to cut it a pipe cutter or hacksaw will work if you have room. A reciprocating saw is an option.
I should mention I’m not a plumber though minor plumbing is part of my job plus I’ve owned two houses over a hundred years old. It’s hard to give specific advice remotely. You’ll figure it out. Adapt and overcome!
Well I got a look at the back side. There is a fitting, but it’s after the elbow. ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ So yeah, not gonna be torquing that at all lol. I borrowed a heat gun from a neighbor, and the spout twisted right off after a minute or so. And then a ton of mineral buildup went everywhere. Thanks slow leak! What a mess.
Unfortunately the shower diverter knob doesn’t seem to want to give, at all. Push comes to shove I can leave it in place, but I would really prefer at least giving things a thorough cleaning.
Thank you so much for the tips!