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I cannot get the old spout off. We don't have a propane torch. Nor do we have any wd-40. I actually managed (through determination) to remove the diverter from the spout, hoping to get a better access to the spout opening and hence more leverage. No luck.
We are planning to run to supermarket to get WD-40 tonight. What about C-L-R, might that loosen it up? I have a feeling that this is a corrosion issue--since that was the problem with the diverter and we have well water.
I have looked thru the opening in the back of the tub and the hole in the bottom of the spout--it's the kind of spout that is simply threaded onto the end of the copper pipe. This should be so much easier than it is!
John..this is a copper pipe so replacing with a nipple will not help without major work.
Momstar...as stated by John...caulking this will work fine, but if you want to fix this you can probably do it by simply bending the copper pipe just slightly upward.
Take a large screwdriver and stick it in the end of the pipe and then push down on the pipe close to the wall with your hand then take the screwdriver and lift so that it just bends the pipe abit....be careful not to stress the fitting behind the wall...all stress must be in the front or as I am sure you can imagine the pipe could break in the back and that would just stink!!
You could also heat and bend the copper pipe if you are handy enough...trick here is to not overheat the pipe so you melt the soldered fitting (out front or inside the wall). Here, you could take a couple wetted rags and place it over the pipe close to the wall and over the fitting on the end of the pipe and then in the middle of the pipe you can heat the pipe until you see a slight redness appear...then lift up on the fitting with a screwdriver and it will bend easily.
These ways have worked for me many, many times over the years as I have remodeled poor quality work.
Hmmmm,
how am I going to bend that stubout so that the spout fits up against the tub surround snugly? The spout is a little short also.
The pipe is short, so I don't have much leverage. I don't want to break any thing and I don't want to over bend it. I don't have a torch and being round its going to be hard to bend.
I could clamp apiece of wood to it with a couple of clamps with something in between. That way I'd be be putting the pressure at the right place. I would also have control of how much pressure I applied. But the pipe is round and it would be hard to get the clamps centered. Being as short as it is I probably couldn't get both clamps on it.
What I really want to do is make the spout and the tub surround meet. Not necessarily bend the pipe. Maybe I should go around back to the access hole and tap a couple of shims up between the drywall and the fiber glass and push the surround out to meet the spout. If its a free standing surround I'll just nail up a piece of wood between the studs to push it out. Maybe all I will have to do is put a shim between the pipe coming down from the valve and the tub surround.
Mark May be I am wrong, but the question is how would they have threads on the copper pipe I am still thinking of a brass nipple and that is why I am asking for replacing the nipple and the spout, or leave it as it is and use caulking let it dry before using the tub, Thanks.
They would have a MALE ADAPTER soldered onto the copper pipe... Most plumbers I know haven't used brass nipples for this application in decades!
Harold...good point on searching for an access panel and seeing if they can simply shim the pipe....easiest is always best! In fact, in hindsight, the torch idea probably isn't such a "hot" idea with a fiberglass wall surround...huh??
Nope...Most tub/shower valves today have a female thread at the valve and we install a male adapter at the valve, a copper x copper drop ear elbow (see 1st image of elbow fitting at bottom left) at the turn and a male adapter to accept the spout when we set/install the finish trim. This can also be a male thread on the valve body and a female adapter to transition to the copper pipe behind the wall. Then the copper x copper drop ear elbow is secured, pipe stubbed out and male adapter soldered on at finish as mentioned.
The female/male adapter at the valve is something that will allow some adjustment without stressing a soldered joint should the stubbed out copper pipe be misaligned to the wall for whatever reason...at least that is always how I looked at it....
Heck, some people just install a copper elbow and clip the tub spout pipe as in the picture below. I don't advise this (I use the drop ear elbow)...but it is more common nowadays to see this setup than to see people with different sizes of brass nipples available...especially with what brass nipples cost nowadays. That's not to say some people aren't doing them regular enough to know the right nipples to have on hand...it's just that the copper pipe and male adapter allow so much more adjustability is all!
Anyway, Momstar said, "it's the kind of spout that is simply threaded onto the end of the copper pipe" so I figured that it was exactly what it was. Perhaps she'll return and let us know either way...
Thanks for your clarification it sounds great I was confused from the start that it might be a brass nipple; I really appreciate the way you describe things and give your suggestions experience talks.
Mark, one other thing scince Momstar has the nose connection spout don't you suggest if they cut the pipe to the size where they can install a universal slip fit spout, this will another option, Thanks.
Thanks John....you never know here, either...could still be a brass nipple... Time will tell!
And if the pipe is too short then great idea to swap over to a universal slip on spout, but the misalignment will still need to be dealt with (or caulked in).
Most plumbers I know haven't used brass nipples for this application in decades!
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