I fubarred when I applied too much force to remove the shower valve seats. I see discussion on the net of cutting a hole in fiberglass tub surround an d then using a "remodeling plate" with caulk yada to cover the hole. Is all tub surround fiberglass? If it's plastic, can I cut it with a grinder-type tool?
Can you access the valve from the other side of the wall? (Drywall is cheap and easy to repair.)
ts. I see discussion on the net of cutting a hole in fiberglass tub surroun d and then using a "remodeling plate" with caulk yada to cover the hole. Is all tub surround fiberglass? If it's plastic, can I cut it with a grinder- type tool?
ap and easy to repair.)
If he's lucky. IDK that it matters if some surrounds are made of plastic instead of fiberglass. The only thing that would matter is what his is made of and IDK how to determine that. If it's not accessible from the other side, I'd cut it with a reciprocating saw, but very carefully, so as to control the depth and not wind up cutting a pipe. I never saw one of those remodelling plates, but it must be pretty big to cover the necessary hole to be able to replace the valve assembly.
That may work but I just cut a hole in the drywall on the other side. Plenty of room to work and easy to patch. Actually, I did not patch it. It was easier to mount a mirror as it was on the side of the vanity.
What is on the other side of the wall? I opened up the inside of the closet behind the tub and changed the whole setup, then put a cover over it in the linen closet.
Hi all, it is a small house, about 800 square feet. On the other side is the exterior wall of the house, stucco'd. I did not see an access panel on the outside. Here is an example of a "remodel plate":
On Wed 13 Jun 2018 05:18:28p, Ed Pawlowski told us...
So now when someone buys your house and doesn't want a mirror there, they'll have to deal with repairing what you didn't. I'm surprised, Ed. :-)
No, they don't Bathroom has since been completely remodeled. Vanity moved to the other side of the room and that wall taken down and moved for a bigger shower. Kohler faucets that should last about forever.
The laundry was in that room originally and that was moved out to the other side of the house.
BTW, house will go on the market end of next week.
Better get your saw out fellah. When you caulk that plate, I wouldn't go all the way around, I'd leave at least part of the bottom open so if any water gets in, it can get out at the bottom.
On Thu 14 Jun 2018 04:59:48a, Ed Pawlowski told us...
Thanks, Ed. Nice changes. Best of luck with the sale of your house, and making a new home in your new house!
Alas, my bathtub backs up against my shower.
When I first moved in when someone took a shower in the bathtub, it dripped down into the dining room. Several of my neighbors with houses built by the same people had had to replace 4x8 chunks of dining room ceiling.
Fortunately for me, a) the water ran down the chain of the ceiling fixture and filled the sphere around the lightbulb. Didn't damage sheetrock. b) after a while I think the leak stopped altogether, probably patched with dirt and dead skin that washed off my body. Hasn't dripped in 20 years.
A plumber told me he once found a big moldy chia pet the size of a basketball growing on a drain pipe trap in a ceiling.
Thanks for the tip.
I appreciate everyone's input and am sorry I won't call out each of you by name. It's been a long few days of 'getting experience.'
The tub surround turns out to be fiberglass. It cut easily, like wood. I dr illed holes in the corners and used an inexpensive hacksaw to cut out a rec tangular hole.
I now know the name of the part into which the valve seats screw is a "roug h in bath and tub assembly." I cut the two vertical pipes (to the tub spout and the shower spout). The hot and cold water pipes are attached by unions . The assembly came out pretty easily. No injuries, and progress was steady .
This ended up being a lesson in "replace, do not repair." Gory details:
I started trying to get the two valve seats out with a #5 screw extractor. The screw extractor mangled the valve seats and made the holes larger. With the tip of the screw extractor, unwittingly, I put a hole right through th e hot water side of the assembly. My local radiator repair shop repaired th e hole for ten dollars. I ultimately got the cold water seat out with a #6 screw extractor. Then I destroyed the threads on the hot water side of the assembly with my #6 screw extractor, a heat gun, and an 18-inch breaker bar with another 18-inches of pipe on the end. If one has to apply this much t orque, and with a #6 extractor and heat, the assembly has a high chance of becoming fubarred? It did.
The big box stores do not have rough-in assemblies available. The packages Lowe's and Home Depot had included the rough-in assembly, spouts, and handl es. What Lowe's and Home Depot had on hand looked cheaply made. Finally I d iscovered that rough-in assemblies, without spouts and handles, of high qua lity are available online. I checked dimensions and ordered one made by Pfi ster for $45. It seems like a lot of manufacturers make this old style two- handle rough-in assembly, with the same dimensions and style of fittings. M eaning no re-piping necessary. Fit otherwise would have been tricky.
My friend and I will work on the remodelling plate after we get her hot and cold water to the tub back.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.