Shower leak

[Sue]

Hi- Recently a guest got my hot water shower handle stuck in the on position. To solve the problem, I wrenched the handle off and shot the water off using the long copper pipe sticking out. The handle was stuck on there pretty good, despite the WD-40, so it took some elbow grease to get it off.

So now what I have is a medium pipe that ends at the wall and a longer copper pipe that comes out of it.

The handle used to be attached to the longer copper pipe and it seems to control the flow of hot water.

So far so good.

However if I turn on either the hot or cold water, water comes shooting out the from between the larger pipe that ends at the wall and the smaller copper pipe.

There seems to be someblack grout in between the two, but I am not sure if that is all that is meant to hold the water back, or if I have damaged something else by taking the handle off.

Any ideas? Many thanks, Ryan

[cm]

Yep,

Call a plumber or good handyman.

cm

[Jeff Wisnia]

Yes, if your post wasn't a troll, you're already in over your head.

Your poor description of the situation indicates that you don't really have enough knowledge of how the water flows through your shower system to be able to fix it yourself.

Call a pro and hope he doesn't use your clumsy handling of the situation as an excuse to overcharge you.

You might be better off telling the pro it was "the guest" who messed it up, he might take pity on you as being a victim of someone else's screwup.

Sorry I can't be more positive about your situation, but that's life.

Jeff

[Sue]

Oh, come on.

I'll admit I screwed it up, but I just bought the house and am new at this.

You can not give me any guidance? How complex can a water mixer be?

[Jeff Wisnia]

Well, your first task is to determine the manufacturer of the item you need to repair or replace.

You mentioned hot and cold faucets, so I take it they are still there and functioning normally.

Unless I've misunderstood your description I believe the valve you call a "water mixer" is what's generally called a "shower diverter valve", one which causes the water to come out either from the tub spout or the shower head.

If you could snap a photo of what's left of the valve, and maybe one of the handle you say you "wrenched off" and then post a link to them, some of the folks here may be able to identify the manufacturer and you could take the photos to a well stocked plumbing supply house which and see if they can sell you replacement parts.

Until we learn how little or how much damage your houseguest and/or you may have done to that valve it'd be hard to tell you how difficult the repair will be. If something is snapped off the valve body you'll be in for ripping out tile or punching through the wall behind the plumbing to be able to solder in a new diverter valve. (Hope not.)

Jeff

[Sue]

Okay So the whole story is I had some cleaning people come over to clean my home. They called me at work and said the hot water was stuck on. I told them there was a shut off valve above the water heater. They threw the water heater valve and the furnace valve. This caused by radiator to overflow and the basement to flood. There was a lot of clean-up.

I posted the pictures below.

The water comes out between the long copper pipe and the wider pipe it sits in, that stops at the wall.

[cm]

Pictures worth a thousand words......Take that picture to the hardware store and buy a new Price Phister valve to replace the existing. I would buy all new parts for the hot and cold sides so you won't have to mess with either for the next 5 or 10 yrs. You may also need to buy a seat wrench and a valve wrench to disassemble everything. When you buy your new valves make sure the screw holding the black plastic washer on the bottom is snug before installing the valve. As a handyman I would charge a minimum of $100.00 + parts to repair both sides. the whole repair would likley be less than $150.00.

Have fun/good luck,

cm

[Sue]

Wow, that does not sound too bad.

Both the $150 and the process.

Thank you very much for the advice. Hopefully I can pass it forward some day. Most likely on a different forum though Thanks again Ryan

[Jeff Wisnia]

See, it doesen't sound all that bad, does it?

BTW I think that thing you keep calling "the long copper pipe" is really a valve shaft.

You may well get by spending less than $75 at the parts store, including any special tools you may need.

Good luck, let us know how you make out.

Jeff

P.S. Who's Sue?

[Sue]

Sue's my wife. The one who is not very happy about showering downstairs, but the one who wanted the cleaning people.

I'll bring the pciture into the hardware store, but just so I understand, there is a seal that goes around the valve shaft that blocks the water coming from the larger pipe?

And is there any easy way to remove the handles?

I should probably replace the cold water one while I am at it, but it is really stuck on there.

Thanks again. Ryan

[cm]

Ryan,

Yes there is a seal. To remove the handle just tap on it with a hammer and work it a little side to side until it works off. If that doesn't work just cut it off with a hacksaw so you can get the valve stem out and replace the whole thing. As with any plumbing job this will take at least three trips to the store...he he he. Start in the morning so you have plenty of time to complete the repair.

cm

[Phil Munro]

Did anyone mention that you have two choices?

1) Replace the WHOLE valve means getting behind the wall and replacing the three valves all at once since it is one unit that will have two water feeds to connect and the shower pipe going up plus the tub spout coming out. OR,

2) just replace the guts of one, both, or all three valves after perhaps buying kits of parts to do that. You will have to have a few special sockets to get it appart, and you will probably break some of the grouting or caulking around the faucet.

I would suggest you f> Ryan,

[buffalobill]

[Al Bundy]

"Sue" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Google: Faucet Handle Puller

You may very well find buying the whole kit which gives you all new everything is darn near the same $ as replacing parts here and there. In the long run it WILL be cheaper. You'll get all new valve stems as well so, no disassembly of anything and trying to find internal parts.

You should get the same brand so the wall piping that the stems go into is compatible.