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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 2

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

If you haven’t seen How To Replace A Generic Tub & Shower Cartridge part 1, check that out first.

As you can see, the process is pretty straight forward and as a rule these cartridges are easily removed by pulling back on the center brass stem.

The cartridge itself is made up of a few individual components which are replaceable, but based on my past experience I found it more cost effective to replace the entire cartridge.

When Installing the new unit I always lubricate any “O” rings with my silicone lubricant which will aid in removing the cartridge if any repairs have to be made in the future.

Now it’s just a matter of re-installing the trim and you should be good to go. If you have a question about this or any of the videos on this website please drop me a line at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time…
HAPPY PLUMBING!

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!

Thanks To You We’ve Hit 10,000 Video Views Per Month on YouTube!

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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

I just wanted to say a big thank you to you all for visiting BobsPlumbingVideos.com and the BobsPlumbingVideos YouTube channel. Thanks for watching my home plumbing videos and for reaching out to me with your kind words by email, on Facebook, Twitter and other social sharing sites.

Its a big day today for BobsPlumbingVideos.com as we smash through the 10,000 video views per month mark on my YouTube channel.

BobsPlumbingVideos.com 10000 video views per month on youtube - thank you for your supportI started BobsPlumbingVideos.com to make simple step by step plumbing videos for those smaller plumbing repairs you may encounter at home. I can’t reach everyone’s plumbing problems in person, so I thought my videos could at least help you and serve you…

..and it looks like you’re enjoying bobs plumbing videos and they are helping you save money by tackling some of your own minor plumbing repairs. That’s great news!

I look forward to helping and serving you in the future and solving your plumbing problems with more high quality, easy to follow, step by step instructional videos.

Keep well and I’ll see you in the next video.

Happy Plumbing.
Bob

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!