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Reusing faucets and shower fixtures

13 years ago

I want to reuse some sink and some shower hardware I have, but my plumber and his boss looked disapproving and told me if I did they would leak. None leak now and all are in excellent condition. Has anyone reused faucets? I'm changing vanities and making one into a double sink from a single and want to swap faucets from one bath to another and also reuse a pair of faucets I have from elsewhere.

Some are by Waterworks, so are very high quality- or I would hope so from their original price, others are not. I like reusing things, both to save money and to be green. I don't want to have to buy four new faucets when I have nice ones already.

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Comments (5)

MongoCT
13 years ago
I've had to pull and reset old plumbing a few times over the years. Never had a leak after the secondary installation, but it can be a pain to do.

Care does need to be taken to not overheat the valve guts when breaking the soldered joints. Depending on what it is, I'll often take the valve apart to protect any o-rings, spindles, any plastic parts, etc. One time I had to reuse everything, but usually I'll get a "valve rebuild kit" from the manufacturer if they are available. Prices can vary, $10 to much higher depending on the mix of plastic/rubber/brass in the kit.

Matter of fact last Thursday or Friday I wrote a valve manufacturer asking for guidance about a rebuild kit for a valve that I'm guessing to be around 15 years old, I got an email yesterday that they are sending me one free.

Without a doubt, it's easier to use new everything. Breaking the old soldered joints, taking apart old stuff, cleaning the old solder/flux/gunk to get to clean metal...new is definitely easier.

But sometimes the old has to be preserved, so you do what you gotta do.
sunnyflies
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for replying. A valve rebuild kit makes sense. I'm going to look into that. I really want to reuse the Waterworks faucets as they are beautiful, almost like jewelry for the bathroom.

The head guy told me, for 15 minutes easily, what a lot of trouble it was to get washers and gaskets for a used faucet - probably what you are calling a valve rebuild kit. He said that his firm had charged one person for five hours of searching for one on the internet. He was surprised that the customer got upset and told him that he (the customer) could have done the searching for him for a huge amount less. I told him agreed, I would be happy to do the hunting down of anything needed. I run to the plumbing supply place as it is now to pick up what's needed, just to save time and money.
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If thats the case, once they are assembled at the factory and I assume tested with water, dried out, then sit on the shelf in the warehouse and then the store they're no good to use........... The rubber O-rings in the faucet aren't going to rot unless you keep them in a hot attic. Put them in a plastic bag and store them in the basement. should last for years.
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Sink faucet, shower head, sure they can be reused. The shower head threads on to the arm, easy to R&R. Faucet hot and cold water supplies are connected with threaded unions, simply unthread. Drain tailpiece can be unthreaded from the trap assembly. Faucet itself is usually attached to the countertop by a threaded nut, you can use a wrench or a basin wrench to unthread that. The shower supply valve? You can do it one of two ways. I'm sure there are others, but I'll mention these two. 1) You can cut the supply tubing that is soldered to the shower valve's ports about a foot or so away from the valve. When the new tubing is made up, the old valve with its 12" stub outs can be connected to the new plumbing with couplers. That prevents you from having to de-solder and re-solder the copper at the valve ports. 2) If you can't or don't want to do the above, you can remove the copper that is soldered to the shower valve's ports. I'd first remove the valve cartridge, and o-rings, etc, anything that can be damaged by heat. Heat the joints, break the joints, then clean them up really well with emery paper to get rid of any solder or flux residue. You want shiny metal. Then the valve can be soldered back in. You already made repairs on one valve. If any other valves you're reusing are old, I'd recommend replacing the cartridge and o-rings with new ones like you did with the other. Hope it makes sense!
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MongoCT
13 years ago
As a follow-up, sink faucets? There should be no argument at all. All you need is a couple of wrenches to remove and reset the water supply compression fittings under the sink. Easy. If the faucet isn't leaking now, it shouldn't leak after being removed and reset.

Soldered in valves, like an in-wall shower valve, would be my only worry. That's where heat is needed to break the solder.

I find it easier to use a tubing cutter to cut the copper tubing leading to and from the shower valve, then remove the valve with the copper stubs from the wall, then break everything apart while working on a workbench.
char_35
13 years ago
Do you think the plumber is not comfortable redoing the old fixtures? If not, maybe find someone who has a track record of changing the valves and other parts and is comfortable doing the job. Just a thought.
cupofkindness
13 years ago
What about reusing less expensive hardware, such as low end Kohler shower faucets and valves? The ones that I'm talking about are 5 years old, have never leaked, but I don't want to take any chances with the new shower that is going in. I'd rather spend a few hundred dollars now then call a plumber in to repair a leak down the road. What do you think?

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