February 24, 2004

• The New Bathtub Faucet Washer

  
  

   

  
  

  We live in an old house.  My wife went to the county seat a few years ago to look up old deeds and coupled with some info from the elderly neighbors concluded our house was built around 1875.  The neighbor lady’s grandmother had built the house and lived in it for a while before building the one next door and moving over there, where the elderly neighbors now live.  This house has no redeeming historical value or features and sometimes just feels like an old house.  So what?

  
  

   

  
  

  The bathtub faucet has been leaking.  I had this problem once before and took the hot water valve apart and replaced the rubber washed inside it.  It wasn’t an exact fit, but seemed to work okay.  I noticed when I looked in the trap door in the wall behind the plumbing that the tub was built in 1947.  That makes it older than I though I’m not sure if the faucets, spigot, etc. are that old but they are certainly too old to buy parts for.  Anyways, we had developed another drip which I suspected was the cold water faucet.  I have been content for quite a while to let it drip until Sunday when I noticed that the drip was approaching the consistency of a stream and decided it was time to change that washer.  I didn’t want to be contributing to the waste of good water.  The last time I did so, it took me less than an hour so I figured I would have it done in record time.

  
  

   

  
  

  It was about 1:00PM. The first thing I had to do was shut off the water to the whole house because there were never any shut off valves in the water lines to the tub.  Kathy was in the middle of doing laundry and the time between loads seemed like a good time to shut the water off.  I dismantled both valves and then attempted to match up the washers for them.  I had both a variety pack and a pack of the type I had used the last time, which also contained new screws for holding the washers in place.  The problem was they both seemed to have different sized screws even though they were both identical valves.  I attached one and the screw was a bit tight and the head broke off.  (Oops, Dale, you shouldn’t say things like that!) I had to grab it with a pair of pliers and was finally able to remove it.  Next I went to reinstall it and I found out I had, in the removal process, bent one side of the round nut into which I had to screw another nut inside.  I could find no way in which to get the inside nut started to try and reform the outer nut, even with lots of prayer.  So, it was time to round up Kathy and go to Lowe’s and buy new plumbing hardware for the bathtub/shower (though she wasn’t terribly disappointed as she’s wanted me to remodel the bath for quite a while).  Anyways we went to the store, made our selection, went to the fittings area and bought the required fittings (plus a couple of extras to be safe), got a section of copper tubing and went to the check out.  The new hardware was priced at $119.00 and I had a $50 gift card from a previous purchase so I figured we weren’t doing too badly.  When the lady printed out the receipt she said, “Oh there must be a rebate” as the additional cash register receipt printed out.  Turns out we’ll get an additional $20 back so hey, we are blessed, right?

  
  

   

  
  

  We got home around 3:30PM and the first thing I did was cut off the lines and solder new shut off valves under the tub so we could get the water turned back on for the rest of the house.  At least then we could use the toilet and Kathy could resume doing the laundry. The first solder joint was kind of difficult so I cleaned the second one a little better and it went well and the water was back on.  So far, no leaks!  Now I could relax a bit and work at my leisure though I was holding out some small hope we could still get to our small group at 6:00PM.  (There’s always great food to eat there.) I removed the old hardware and placed the new valves in the holes and after a little trimming they were a good fit.  The next step involved getting the old pipe that ran to the showerhead out of the wall, which required removing a strip of the plaster and lathing.  No such luck with the strip as large chunks broke off when chipping out the small section.  (Watch that language!) No problem though (except for enormous volumes of choking dust) since the wall has had paneling over it anyways (the paneling has been off because of remodeling the daughter’s room).  I took my reciprocating saw and cut the lathe and removed the pipe. 

  
  

   

  
  

  I then started to methodically measure and cut the various pieces of copper piping to get them ready to solder together and get everything hooked up.  I cut the longer piece to the showerhead first to be sure I had enough pipe, even allowing a bit extra just in case.  After soldering the first connection I discovered I had bought the wrong fittings.  No problem, Kathy can run to the local hardware store and get me the right ones except, she reminded me, that it was 4:30PM and they close at 4:00PM on Sunday.  So I found the old pipe I had cut off which had a fitting the size I needed, cut it off, and she was off with one of the daughters to return to Lowe’s (about 10 miles away) to return the wrong fittings and buy the correct ones.  While she was gone I continued to measure pipe and get a couple of other preliminaries out of the way in preparation for the installation of the new hardware.  I also used the time as a chance to get something to drink as I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since breakfast and to plot further strategy.

  
  

   

  
  

  Upon Kathy’s return, I set about soldering the various parts together so I could get them installed.  I proceeded to solder the first piece on the top of one of the valves I had previously installed (the first one that was a bit “shaky”) and all seemed well.  I was then preparing to solder the piece on the top of the second valve when I heard one of the daughters ask, “Why is there water dripping through the ceiling?”  Upon closer examination, the first solder joint I had done must of loosened from the heat of doing the top of the valve and the water was coming out, running down the line, and dripping above the ceiling until it ran through the ceiling tile below. Oh no!!  Now it’s back to shutting off the water for the whole house again.  (More bad language?) It was now going on 6:00PM and time to call and tell the small group we wouldn’t be there.  God bless them, they offered to come and help but the small place I was working in didn’t allow but for one person to get in there so I declined their considerate offer of assistance.

  
  

   

  
  

  I removed the valve, cleaned the pipe and fitting thoroughly and reinstalled.  I then installed the piece on top of the second valve then turned the water back on.  No leaks so hey, I’m in good shape now.  I hooked these lines unto the bathtub spigots then went to work on the faucet.  I had to solder a fitting on the top to screw into the spigot and a threaded end into which I could screw the faucet itself.  This work went fairly smoothly though when I installed the faucet I thought the pipe could have been a little bit shorter.  Some caulking would fix that problem.  I turned on the shutoff valves and ran some water and no leaks! (Hooray!  Good language! Praise God!) I then started to install the line to the showerhead.

  
  

   

  
  

  I soldered the fitting on one end and screwed it into the valve body only to find it was a slight bit too short to reach the hole from the old showerhead.  It’s now around 8:30PM and all the stores are closed.  Now what? (Lord help me!) Hmm…maybe I’ve got an old piece in the basement.  Our basement is unfinished and the rafters are filled with various pieces of “junk” I’ve held on to.  I found an old piece of copper pipe I had removed from something or another and it was plenty long enough for my needs.  I very maliciously gloated to Kathy, “I bet that’s one of the things you told me I should throw out!”  She said she hadn’t because it was up and out of the way. (Sorry!)  I got that cut and installed the showerhead.  I then went to the other side (of the wall, not to the dark side) and screwed the handles on the hot and cold-water valves.  Now we were ready for the final inspection!  I returned to the other side of the wall and told Kathy to run the water in the tub and in the shower.  Both were working well and all my solder joints were holding!  But wait, what’s that?  A leak?  A forged fitting that converts the pipe to allow for a threaded fitting was cracked and leaking.  Oh well, (No stress this late in the game.) I thought ahead and bought an extra.  Had I screwed in the fitting too tight and stressed the fitting enough to crack it?  I removed the plastic bag from the extra fitting and upon inspection found it was cracked also!  Now what?  Everything is closed.  (Time to pray again and ask for inspiration.)

  
  

   

  
  

  The basic operation of the hardware is that when you turn on the taps, the water comes out the faucet into the tub.  If you pull up the handle on the faucet, it blocks the faucet and forces the water to the showerhead.  So what if I removed the line from the faucet and plugged it up, then at least we could use the shower, which we usually use anyways.  I had no idea where I’d get a plug but lo and behold, for some reason, the way the old valve had been connected, it had a plug in it and it was the right size.  After much effort I removed it and installed it in the new valve and there were no more leaks.  It was now around 9:15PM and time to test out that shower!  (Works great and I like the new showerhead!  Praise Him!!)

  
  

   

  
  

  So, Monday I got a new fitting and will need to solder it on and get it connected to the valve so we can install the new faucet, though it might wait another day or two.  I also need to repair the wall in the daughter’s room, which, thank God, was the last one yet to be fixed from remodeling their room. I had left it undone while deciding whether to install a removable panel for when we remodeled the bathroom. We now have all this nice new shiny hardware and the pressure is on me (both self imposed and otherwise) to get the rest of the bathroom remodeled which will involve a new tub/shower surround, etc.  There’s lots of work to do in an old house, even when just changing the washer in the bathtub faucets.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  God IS Good!
  
  Go Ahead! Say It! Believe It! Confess It!
  
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  Go to The Prayer List , don't forget the others in need!

  
  

   

  
  

  "Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." - D.L. Moody

  
  

   

  
  

  Due to some confusion as to where to send prayer requests I want to clarify that you can use the email link at Isaiah56 (The Prayer List) or use this link (Click Here).  Please include your xanga address so I know who you are!

  
  

   

  • 4:42 pm
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