Shower valve threaded connections use marine epoxy?
Hello everyone. Would really like some opinions on what I've got going on here.
I'm remodeling my bathroom. Installing a new tub and re-doing the walls. I have used copper pipe and fittings for the whole process of installing/ aligning the new shower valve. For about 2 days the walls were open with the new valve installed. There were no leaks. I checked it at the end of both days and felt and saw no wet spots/ leaks/ drips. I proceeded to installing the cement board and then tile and finally grout. When applying the last bit of grout with the float over by the hole for the valve I saw the leak! Yikes! It was a small wet spot where the threaded shower valve connects to the female copper fitting on the hot water inlet. I wrapped all the male threads in about 4 wraps of teflon tape. I admit I must not have cranked down on the female copper fitting(s) well enough. After testing the water for the tub spout and shower head, I noticed the valve supplying the shower head was having a small leak at the threaded female fitting as well! UGH!! Instead of taking the wall apart and re-doing the whole thing like I should have, I used this marine epoxy from orielly auto parts. I cleared away the showing teflon tape, sanded the brass threads as best as I could, sanded the female copper fitting near the leak, and wiped it all off with 70% alcohol and let dry. I mixed epoxy as instructed and applied with a latex glove. I used an inspection mirror to see the back side of the leaking areas to make sure I missed no spots.
I am curious as to how long a repair like this can last? I see no leaks anywhere as of now. I have read a few forums posts about it and saw that repairs with epoxy have lasted up to 8 years. Should I re-do this? I could have gotten to it from the drywall on the other side of the wall and not ruined this shower valve. :( Looks like someone already did that exact thing before if you check out the pictures. What do you think about this?
Thank you!
Comments (17)
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6 years agorandy427
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Tub spout/shower valve problems....help!
Comments (0)[Cross-posted from Plumbing in case anyone over here with recent bathroom renovation experience has any insight!] I'm wondering if anyone might be able to offer some ideas or advice on an issue we're having--thanks! We had a 15-year-old Delta shower/tub setup with a leak. At the time DH thought it was an issue with the valve and tried to fix it...and wound up breaking it by turning it too hard. So we had a plumber come out and install a new valve....but the leak persists. Pretty sure it's the spout diverter at this point. So question #1: we have a universal plastic Delta adapter. The new valve is Kohler (pressure-balanced temp only) and I plan to buy the Kohler trim set that includes the diverter spout. The options are slip-fit or 1/2" NPT. Neither, I assume, is compatible with the Delta universal; can I simply take the plastic piece off and use a slip-fit (or cut off the threading and put a slip-fit over the plastic) or do I need to replace the entire pipe? There seems to be a short copper pipe underneath. AND....we've developed a new problem now! When we run the tub, we now hear gurgling sounds from the showerhead (a handheld showerhead, so there are multiple connections---some of which seem to leak even when we're just running the tub). When we turn the tub off, the gurgling continues intermittently, and water runs out of the spout each time it gurgles. Is this also related to a bad diverter in some way? It didn't happen before we had the new valve installed, so I want to be sure it's not a problem with the valve or the installation before we tile everything back in. Any help would be much appreciated---thanks!...See MoreHow to connect a female threaded valve to an unthreaded riser?
Comments (2)Thanks kgwlisa - I saw that part, but I don't really understand how it works. I can't tell from the pic, but it looks like that piece must have threads on the inside of at least one end, right? Well, my valve has threads on the inside too, so they won't fit together (at least not without some sort of adaptor piece). Also, the riser has NO threads, so how does it fit into that slip joint? And what holds those 2 pieces together - solder? Gravity? I am SO confused by this!!! Thanks for your help!...See MoreHow to connect a female threaded valve to an unthreaded riser?
Comments (4)Okay, wait, I think I understand what Aliceinwonderland is saying - basically, I need to get a long chrome nipple like this... http://www.clawfootsupply.com/product400 ...and use it in place of the bottom section of the riser. Right? The only problem I see there is that the female part of the valve is too small to fit the male part of that riser, but I assume there are adapters for that...right? Formula1, still confused about what you posted - can you clarify? I really appreciate everyone's help!!!...See MoreAnyone use Grohe Grohtherm Smart Control valve?
Comments (43)I have measured flows on my hand held shower head: max flow = 8.5 l/min, min flow = 5.6 l/min. (max flow=volume control all the way clockwise, min flow=volume control all the way counter-clockwise, flow reduction of 34%) Even with the hand held shower head removed (no restriction at all, free flow out of the hose) my min flow stayed about the same while max flow obviously have increased therefore bumping up flow reduction to something higher than 34%. Since my max flow is fine for me and I would like to see my min flow decreased, the solution of removing flow restrictor will not work for me. There is an option of adding flow restrictor to the Smart Control Cartridge which will reduce max flow, but it should hopefully also reduce min flow which I would like to see. I might try it, but it is a bit painful to disassemble the whole setup. Hoping this info helps someone....See More
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