I am not sure where to start. When pull the pin up to transfer the water from the bathtub faucet to the shower head, water continues to come out of the bathtub faucet leaving a very weak shower water pressure. Is this an easy fix? Thanks in advance for any information. Regards, karcom

 

If this is the tub spout that has a lever you pull up to divert to the shower, you will need to replace the spout, either it is a screw on type or and slip on spout, the slip on spout has an allen screw on the bottom that holds the spouts to the pipe, if this is what you have then loosen it and remove it, then get a new spout like you have and install it.

Best Regards Plumber2000
www.atozplumbing.com

 

Thanks for the quick reply Plumber2000. It does not seem like a big job. I just wanted to make sure, being a new homeowner and such. Two more questions. Do I have to caulk around the new spout? The current one does not have any. And, if I were to replace the other shower fixtures(too match the tub spout), would that be a difficult task? Thanks again and thanks in advance. karcom

 

I have the same problem, but the control is a handle that turns (like a faucet). How do you change that?

 

No, you do not need to caulk the tub spout. karcom,
If it is the threaded screw-on type, you need to use 2-3 wraps of teflon tape wrapped clockwise on the threads. It is easy to change the spout and showerhead pipe, but it is more of job to change the whole thing out. You may need access to the back of the plumbing.

newwidow,
You will need to repair/replace the diverter valve probably.

Good Luck!

 

To repair the diverter valve, you will need to shut off the water to the tub/shower valve, then disassemble it. Take off the handle, then the trim as needed, then use the proper sized plumbers socket to remove the stem. Replace the washer on the stem and check the seat inside the valve. If you need to replace the seat, take the old one with you to the hardware store to get an exact replacement.

quote:<HR>Originally posted by newwidow:
I have the same problem, but the control is a handle that turns (like a faucet). How do you change that?<HR>

 

When I encountered this problem, I ended up with a bigger problem that I need to address.

After I took off the original faucet from the wall, I noticed that the pipe coming out of the wall was very rusty, to the point that some of the threads on the end of the pipe were no longer there.

Not thinking this was much of a problem, I put on the teflon tape and installed the new faucet. Well, little did I know, it has been leaking into the basement! The basement is not finished, so not too much damage yet, but the water is running down the wall and onto the floor.

I talked to the guy at Home Depot, and he said that if the pipe is galvanized, that I could unscrew the old pipe and put in a new one. He sold me an internal pipe wrench and told me good luck.

My big worry is that the pipe will be rusted onto the riser and I will break it off when I try to unscrew it. If this happens, we will be without a shower until I can get a plumber to come and fix it. Plus I will have to cut a hole through the back of the wall to get to the pipe.

The reason for replacing the pipe is that I don't have enough pipe sticking out of the wall to screw on the faucet.

Any other ideas?

 

Jon -- If you are seeing old galvanized pipes that are rusted at the shower valve, the rest of the water system CANNOT be any better. Your best bet would be to get some quotes to have the whole house replumbed. It won't be cheap, but it will be a whole lot less expensive than letting the situation get worse.

 

I guess I'm in denial of how bad the pipe situation could be in my 37 year old house.

We are planning on moving within the next year, so of course I don't want to sink a bunch of $ into a house I'm not planning on staying in long term.

I'm have a plumber come out asap to assess the situation. Thanks for the advice.

 

Fortunately I was able to back out the bad pipe and replace it with brass. So it shouldn't lead anymore!