Fixing shower tap

16 years ago

The cold water tap in our shower was leaking, so we removed the stem planning to replace the rubber washer.

When we unscrewed the stem, the valve seat came out, too. We have tried to replace the seat but it seems that the threads in the pipe have stripped (old house, old plumbing!) and there's nothing that the seat can "bite" into.

So we are now without water as I've had to turn it off at the main. I've called a plumber as this is a bigger fix than we're capable of.

After this long story, my question is this: Is there a temporary fix that the plumber might be able to do that doesn't involve replacing the pipe? We're about 4 weeks away from beginning a total gut of the bathroom and really don't want to spend a lot of money on major work here to fix the problem when it will all be replaced shortly anyway!

Thanks,

claire

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Comments (5)

lazypup
16 years ago
This is obviously an older mixing valve and most likely some of the metal from the threads on the seat has by now corroded away, leaving the thread a bit undersized.

While this is not a long term solution you may be able to effect a short term fix by first taking your seat to your local hardware store and matching it to a new seat that will have full threads.

You could then wrap about 3 wraps of single density PTFE (White Teflon) tape around the treads of the seat and try installing it. Having a full thread and a slight buildup with the Teflon should allow the seat to tighten into the mixer body for at least a temporary fix to carry you over to your rehab. (the downside of this idea is that there is no guarantee that it will work, but on the other hand, the upside is that a new seat will cost under $5 and another $1 for the Teflon and you can make the repair yourself.)

If that does not work, another solution would be to purchase the mixer that you intend to install during your rehab and have it installed now.
serendipity01
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks lazypup.

My plumber just left. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about the seat...it was just too far gone.

The temporary fix is that he installed a ball valve on the back of the pipe (located in linen closet behind wall). We'll need to turn it off and on when we want to shower for the next couple of weeks, but at least we have water in the house!

claire
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coolvt
16 years ago
Lazypup,
Is the corrosion on the seat caused by certain minerals in the water? In my area and in other areas I've dealt with hundreds of old faucets and have never seen a seat that had threads corroded enough to cause a leak.
lazypup
16 years ago
In my experience it is rare that we see corrosion on the threads of the seat. What we usually find is pitting or grooving on the face of the seat.

But to answer your question, i am sure it is a result of mineral in the water because in some regions the corrosion is common, while only a few miles away it may be unheard of.

Many of the older faucets have brass seats, which seem to be the ones most affected. In most cases the problem can be slightly relieved by replacing the brass seats with the "Monel Metal" seats, but for just a few cents more you can get Stainless Steel seats which generally eliminate the problems.
coolvt
16 years ago
i had a plumber come to one of my rental properties for a leaky tub faucet because I was busy and didn't want to deal with it. The tenant's boyfriend had removed the seat to replace and lost it. He turned the water back on and left. Of course it ran full flow for almost a day before someone noticed it.
The plumbing company sent a young kid for the repair. I caught him just as he was leaving and asked if it was fixed. He said, well it's better than it was before, but it's still leaking and you need a new faucet. I asked why and he said that there was a stress crack in the area where the seat screwed in and that's where it was leaking. I said I never heard of that before. He said it was common in that part of Florida with old faucets. Said he wrapped teflon around the seat and it still leaked so that meant that there was a crack. I took the thing apart and the seat seemed loose. I pulled out the other original seat and screwed it into a test board. Sure enough he had used a seat that was 1/32th " smaller than the original. Put the proper seat in and end of leak. Man I hate it when someone insults my intelligence with BS. I called the boss, told him what happened and he told me he wouldn't bill be for the call.