Replacing shower valve - galvanized pipe?

rjniles

I need to replace a tub - shower valve and the arm up to the shower head is threaded galvanized pipe. The acess panel in the back gives me access to work on the valve and the pipe to the tub spout. If I cut off the galvanized I have no way to remove and replace the pipe up to the drop ear elbow. Is there any trick short of demo-ing the wall all the way up to the drop ear?

mstplumber

RJ,

There is a SLIGHT possibility that you may be able to cut the pipe, get a pipe wrench on it and twist it one way and then the other and work it loose at the top. If you are able to do this you might be able to screw a new drop ear elbow to the backing in the wall. I would be ready to demo the wall because the chances of this working are pretty small if the original plumber did it right. As long as you are ready to cut the wall anyway it can't hurt to try.

Also, even if you have to get in the wall you should be able to just cut a hole right behind the drop ear and not all the way up.

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Mstplumber

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skymaster

Remember 2 things; First you have to unscrew the gooseneck for showerhead and sadly the gotcha! The screws/nails holding the drop ear are in FRONT of where you will be working. they face the gooseneck NOT the back of the wall. What most probably has to be done is open the wall at the drop location enuf to really work in there. If it was meI would just open from diverter up, you will wind up doing it anyway; Next cut out the blocking holding the current elbow. Cut,fit all ur pcs, solder to new elbow,attach elbow to new blocking, attach it where you need to, ( run NEW gooseneck into it just by hand to hold it ), then finish attaching to diverter, re-rock.
If you dont know it already DO NOT SOLDER ANY JOINTS WHILE IN THE DIVERTER!!!!!!!!! Make it all up b4. Since you will need threaded adapter to valve body, solder adapter to a short pc, get it cool, use a SLIP COUPLING to join both pcs. I would use about 6" pc on the adapter.