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Bathroom Remodel:
Replacing A Bath Tub
Faucet
Part 1 of 2
Removing The Old Faucet,
Plumbing Preparations
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| In
This Article:
We gain access behind the tub
faucet, prepare the new faucet valve, cut a hole in the wall
for the valve, the tub spout, and the shower pipe. |
Related Articles:
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| Skill Level:
3-4 (Moderate +) |
Time Taken:
5 Hours |
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
Start:
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This dreary old bath tub had an ancient
faucet... and NO SHOWER HEAD!
My task was to install a good tub/shower faucet and make
this house a bit more livable for the next few years...
until it's time to bulldoze the place and build anew.
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| Notice how the faucet is below the tub rim?
That is a major code violation today.
Why? There is a rare phenomenon called
back-siphoning
that can occur with this arrangement. |
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In the adjacent bedroom, there was an access
hatch behind the tub.
But I needed access to the entire height of the wall. |
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So I removed the trim around the floor and
ceiling.
The baseboard was damp and beginning to rot. |
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| I pried the paneling up with a flat pry
bar. |
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There was drywall underneath the paneling. |
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A closer look at the tub revealed a lot of rust
and signs of water leakage over the years. |
| Some previous owner had used 3/8" copper
flexible tubing to connect the water supply. This tee is a
"flare fitting", which requires a special tool for flaring the
ends of the tube. |
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I don't have tools for flare fittings, but I can easily connect
to the 3/8" copper tubing by using compression fittings,
which are widely available.
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The overflow tube was loose and could not be
tightened. Note how the front screen holes are visible (red
arrow). |
| Old House Weirdness:
Note in the pictures above that you can see the rounded
edge of the top of the bath tub. This is an old clawfoot tub
that some doofus turned into a contemporary built-in tub by
building a false front and filling in around the corners.
Very weird. A lot of work just to save a few bucks. |
| But before I could do any repairs, I needed to
locate the studs in the wall (above this access hole) and remove
some drywall. |
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I made a mark along the center of the stud, in
line with the edge of the original access opening.
Then I made several cuts with a sharp knife. |
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And I broke away the drywall.
The existing hot and cold supply lines are barely visible
here (red arrows). |
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Back in the bathroom...
I laid out the center lines of the faucet and the tub
spout, according to the manufacturers instructions.
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| This is a Moen 82519 single-handle tub/shower
combination faucet. This one uses threaded fittings, which are
1/2" iron pipe (IP) tapered threads. |
 |
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Moen's instructions say to install this plastic
plate temporarily. |
| Using a drill with a 1/2" chuck, and a 4-1/2"
diameter hole saw, I made a hole for the faucet.
This hole could also be made with a jig saw, a
reciprocating saw, or even a simple jab saw (skinny saw for
drywall cutouts).
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Then I drilled a smaller hole (1", I think) for
the tub spout pipe. |
| I also drilled a hole for the shower head pipe,
completely disregarding how the location blended in with
existing decor. |
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I made a pair of adapter pipes for the hot and
cold water supply lines. On the left side of each pipe is a 1/2"
male pipe thread adapter. On the right end is a 3/8" compression
fitting adapter. |
Note:
Don't even think about trying to mate compression fittings or
flare fittings to pipe threads. Iron pipe threads are tapered,
so the fittings get much tighter as they are turned more.
Compression threads are just regular machine screw threads (not
tapered) and they rely on a brass or plastic "ferrule" to seal
against a smooth seat in the fitting while squeezing tightly onto
the tubing.
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Tools
Used:
- Heavy Duty 1/2" Drill
- 4-1/2" Dia. Hole Saw
- Plumbing Tools For
Sweating Pipes
- Tubing Bender
- Tubing Cutter
- Large Adjustable Wrenches
- Basic Hand Tools
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Materials Used:
- Tub & Shower Faucet, Moen
82519
- ½" Male Threaded Adapters
- Adapters: ½" Copper Sweat
to 3/8" Compression
- ½" Copper Pipe and
Fittings As Needed.
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