My husband is replacing the tub faucet stems; he is wanting to know if the new stem should be open or closed position when installing;

Have installed them in the closed position and the water is very hard to turn on; (have to got buy another set of new handles first set [plastic] broke when I tried turning the water on)

Thank you for your assistance,

JwHorner

I need to know the brand name of the faucet. If it's cartridges it doesn't make any difference. The reason you had such a hard time turning the knob is that the bonnet packing nut was over tightened. Good luck, Tom

speedball1 couldn't give you a brand name as house is 60 years old & just bought a replacement stem; hubby is ask exactly what is the bonnet packing nut?

Speed he figured it out; thanks for the help

hubby is ask exactly what is the bonnet packing nut?
The bonnet packing nut is the uppermost nut(see image). It squeezes the packing against the stem to seal it against leaks. If you overtighten it you will make it difficult to turn. Good luck. Tom