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Replacing a Tub Faucet
dresdenphile
Watch out for snakes!Registered User regular
Watch out for snakes!Registered User regular
I have a leaky faucet in my shower. I've tried repairing the handle, which I researched as being the issue for the leak. I didn't have the exact part I needed, since the previous owner of the house fancied himself an amateur plumber, so I just rigged it in there. The patch job worked fine for a while, but now it's starting to leak again.
The current setup is like this:
1) Shower Head (detachable with cord)
2) Handle that you pull out to turn on the water and turn left or right to determine water temp
3) Tub Spout with the little knob that you pull up to divert the water from the spout to the shower head
4) Diverter...thingy that stops the drain so you can draw a bath
At this point, I want to replace the spout and the handle; what of those remaining items, if any do I also need to replace? When I look on the big box sites, I see combo packs of 1, 2 and 3 or just the spout, but never just number 2 and 3.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
The current setup is like this:
1) Shower Head (detachable with cord)
2) Handle that you pull out to turn on the water and turn left or right to determine water temp
3) Tub Spout with the little knob that you pull up to divert the water from the spout to the shower head
4) Diverter...thingy that stops the drain so you can draw a bath
At this point, I want to replace the spout and the handle; what of those remaining items, if any do I also need to replace? When I look on the big box sites, I see combo packs of 1, 2 and 3 or just the spout, but never just number 2 and 3.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
dresdenphile on
+1
Posts
Basically this is what #2 is (I'm assuming)
Replacing the assembly (as in the ENTIRE faucet assembly) behind the wall is a pain in the ass unless you have an access panel you can get to it from.
Couple of questions
1) Do you have hard water?
2) How old (take a wild ass guess) do you think the plumbing is? Was the faucet a new-ish (past 2-3 years) install?
3) Do you have an access panel to get behind there?
4) Is your shower a shower surround, some funky panels, or tile?
I'm not saying it can't be done, because I've done it...its just going to be a major pain in the ass.
Consider getting a plumber, they get away with charging big dollars because the work is a pain in the ass unless you have the (somewhat) specialized tools (basin wrench?) and experience. Once you fuck around with plumbing enough you won't mind overpaying as much.
Consider getting the access panel built into the wall when you replace the section you will need to tear open. You will be glad you did the next time something goes wrong in there.
It's coming from the tub spout. The core/cartridge in the handle is what I replaced the last time with the not-so-exact-part. It was fine for a while, but now the leak has started again.
Replace it with the exact exact exact part. Those things are comically particular about how they work.
Do you know the faucet manufacturer? usually you can tell from the handle. Sadly, if you don't still have the original core (from before the first replacement) it will be hard to get the correct match.
It might be the case that you'll have to replace the faucet altogether.
Your best bet is to shut off the water, remove the old items and take them with you to the hardware store and get a plumbing person to help you out. Before that though, if you have access to the back side of the tub/shower, I would do a visual inspection to ensure it's not the plumbing itself leaking. If one of the fittings there at the spout is leaking, you may have worse problems than you think.
In general though, no, you're not going to find a "boxed set" with just the spout and handle. Or rather, you won't find one that is made to also work with a shower head. You'll have to buy things piecemeal, or else buy a completely new faucet kit (I.E. the 1,2,3 combo kit).