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Real Life Plumbing Advice for People Who Don't Want To Call A Plumber

How To Replace A Generic Tub & Shower Cartridge. Part 1

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This is part 1 of my 2 part series called “How To Replace A Generic Tub & Shower Cartridge”.

In this video I walk you through the steps on how to remove a generic ceramic tub or shower cartridge.

This tub and shower faucet combo is made by Wolverine Brass which manufactures plumbing specialties to plumbing professionals.They are not for purchase over the counter but they use a cartridge similar in design to the ones used by other manufacturers.

This is a competitively priced fitting that I Install frequently and like the fact that it’s equipped with integral shut-off valves. If I ever have to make a repair on this fitting, it’s not necessary to shut off the water supply to the home making it very convenient especially if I’m working in a multifamily building.

No need to inconvenience the other families with a building shut down. With the exception of physical trim, the steps to remove and replace the cartridge are basic so check out the video and I’ll catch up with you in How To Replace A Generic Tub & Shower Cartridge – Part 2.

Happy Plumbing!

Three Valve Shower Body Repair – part 2

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Welcome back!

This is the second part of this 2 part video series “Three Valve Shower Body Repair”. If you haven’t seen part 1 then please check it out first here:
Three Valve Shower Body Repair – Part 1

OK so hopefully you removed the handles, sleeves and escutcheons with out too much trouble, it’s now time to remove the seats. As you can see my double sided seat removal tool has  a square and hexagonal end and depending on your own situation you’ll make the choice on which to use. If this is and old shower body that’s been in for years you’ll have to give it a couple of tap’s with your hammer to set the the tool and the seat should come out. I want to mention again that when removing the shower body stem, make sure you look for the nylon or graphite washer that’s  located at the base of the stem. If don’t see it check inside and make sure it’s inside the body, make sure you didn’t lose it inside the wall or you’ll have problems later.

Now when replacing a seat regardless of whether it’s for a tub faucet, kitchen faucet or bathroom faucet I generally install it without putting any Teflon tape around the threads. Some plumber always use it but as a rule I only use it if the seat alone won’t hold. If you feel comfortable putting a little Teflon around the seat before you install it, go for it! Now it’s a matter of reversing the procedure as outlined in part one of this two part series. Before you install the stem back into the body make sure it’s in the fully opened position. This goes for any faucet stem you’re installing, if it’s in the closed position or the halfway position you will smash the washer and brass cup up against the faucet seat increasing the chance of damaging the stem and or the shower body.

Don’t forget to use some silicone water proof lubricant to aid in the removal of the chrome sleeves and handles for future repairs. Use a good quality latex based caulk to seal around the sleeves for a watertight seal and you should be good to go! I want to thank you again for dropping by the site and if you still have questions about this or any of my videos, you can e-mail me info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

 

Three Valve Shower Body Repair – part 1

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Welcome to my two part series called “Three Valve Shower Body Repair”. This is part 1.

In this two part series I take you through the steps on removing and replacing the stems and seats in a three valve shower body. When I started in the business back in the late 60’s early 70’s we would actually replace the washers, seats and re-pack the stems with new graphite packing. In today’s world that’s not a cost effective alternative any more so we just replace the old with new O.E.M. parts when available

The manufacturer featured in the video is Gerber which in my opinion makes a real good product and is very popular here on the east coast. Some other popular makers of this style shower body are Price Pfister, Sterling, Central to name a few.  They’re similar in design with slightly different takes on how the sleeves and escutcheons are attached. As in most of the videos to date , I’m demonstrating on the bench top with a new fitting which means everything  is being removed easily. A word of caution is that in the real world this may not be the case, and you’re going to need a couple of specialty tools  which I point out in the video. As you can see in the video this shower body is set quite deep into the wall which can make removing the chrome sleeves a challenge. Before attempting to remove the sleeves regardless of how shallow or deep into the wall they are, you have to chip away and remove the tile grout or caulking. This will increase the success rate of  unscrewing and removing the sleeve without any damage.

Although we live in a world of Single Lever anti-scald shower body’s, rest assured that their are thousands of these shower body’s still in service and at some point they’re going to need repair. I laid out some recommended tools for this repair so check them out before you begin and if you have any questions, drop me a line at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com. I’ll see you in part 2:
Three Valve Shower Body Repair – Part 2

Happy Plumbing!

Diverter Stem Replacement

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In this video I show you how to remove and replace the the center diverter stem in a three valve shower body. 

If you have never attempted a diverter stem replacement then I suggest you also check out my video series titled three valve shower body repair. You can watch them for free here:
Three Valve Shower Body Repair – Part 1
Three Valve Shower Body Repair – Part 2

I walk you through the steps on removing the hot and cold water stems along with some tool suggestions for getting the job done. The function the diverter stem is solely to direct the water to the shower head or the tub nozzle and with this repair you won’t have to shut off any water to the fixture itself. Just make sure the hot and cold water sides the shower body are in the off position.

To remove the stem you simply follow the same instructions out lined in my video “three valve shower body repair” where I demonstrate the removal of the hot and cold water stems. As you can see this stem looks a little different and has a two way function. When the stem is pull back away from the seat the water will travel through two openings in the stem that direct the water up to the shower head. When the washer is  closed against the seat the water travels full flow down through the tub nozzle. Their is also a seat inside the body that should be replace when you install a new stem, don’t forget to make sure the stem is in the fully opened position before placing in back into the body. If it’s in the closed or halfway position, you’ll chance damaging the stem and or shower body.

In a world of new style single lever pressure balanced tub and shower faucets, the three valve shower body still exists and when they fail, the repairs have to be made. I hope the video shed some light on the subject of replacing the stems and seats in these style shower bodies, and if you still have questions about this or any of my videos, you can e-mail me at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

How a Pop-Up Assembly Works

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So your basic lavatory pop-up waste assembly is not so mysterious after all. Let’s take a look at how a pup-up assembly works.

A simple invention designed to keep the water inside of your lavatory to shave or perhaps wash your face. Most of the ones I have installed are similar in design with the exception being that the material was either plastic or solid brass construction.

The one featured in the video is of solid brass construction which has always been a reliable unit, fact is, I prefer brass pop-up’s to the plastic versions.

Simply put they just work better and last longer. As you can see it’s a pretty simple concept, pull up on the lift rod and the stopper goes down. Push down on the lift rod and the stopper goes back up.

For me, the most important part of the installation is that in addition to placing a ring of plumbers putty around the chrome flange before you place it into the sink, I also place a ring of putty on the beveled washer that seals the bottom of the pop-up against the bottom of the sink.

This is one step that although in theory is not required, can save you from having to disassemble the unit and doing it all over again. Trust me I speak from experience, if I have to make a return trip for a nuisance leak, it costs me money! Not to mention the inconvenience to my customer.

The other point I’d like to make is that when I set up my lift rods, I always make sure my stopper ends up being in the fully open position when my lift rod is pushed completely down.

I often see that when the lift rod is fully down, the stopper is only partially up which causes the water to pool in the sink which is just a nuisance.

Before you set your rods, make sure the stopper is in the fully up position and you can’t miss.

Check out the video and if there is something I missed, please drop me a line at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!