Tub Spout Help

showerhelp · 11-13-2008, 02:24 AM

Hey all,

The tub spout on the condo I'm renting started leaking out of the back when the shower was on (been living here 2 years, the place is ~30 years old).

The old spout came off with the slightest wiggle/turn which was kind of surprising... I can't believe it even held on with the water pressure coming out. Musta been holding on by a thread.

So i went ahead and bought a new spout just to be on the safe side.. but I'm having TONS of trouble installing it. The pipe is threaded at the end, so I bought the screw-on variety "universal" spout rather than one with a hold-screw.

My problem is that the pipe has a.... ring?.... around the very end of it. It's almost like someone tightened a metal ring onto the end of the pipe and it's gotten completely stuck over the past god-knows-how-many years.

The "ring" is over the top of the threads, it appears to be made of a metallic substance, and I can't get it off for the life of me. It's very corroded and falling apart, but the majority of it is still latched on there. I've tried unscrewing it with a wrench, hammering at it with a screwdriver, and ended up giving up after my neighbor started pounding on the wall and yelling.

I can't even fit the old spout back on, and the new spout won't fit on either. The 'ring' is about the same thickness as the copper pipe, which makes it far too big to fit into the tub spout.

I'm pretty sure I need to get this 'ring' off, but to be honest I'm not sure what it is or how in the heck I can get it off from here.

Any suggestions?

Mike Swearingen · 11-13-2008, 02:32 AM

Being careful not to damage the threads, cut the ring off with a Dremel tool or fine tooth hacksaw blade. If all else fails, just get or makeup a new copper nipple the exact same length
Good Luck!
Mike

showerhelp · 11-13-2008, 02:34 AM

Thanks Mike,

Kinda limited on tools here but I'll give it a shot tomorrow and let you know how it goes!

TazinCR · 11-13-2008, 06:09 AM

That ring is probably the threads of the old spout. Thats why it leaked. If you hold the pipe and put enough pressure on the ring it should turn loose.

buletbob · 11-13-2008, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TazinCR

That ring is probably the threads of the old spout. Thats why it leaked. If you hold the pipe and put enough pressure on the ring it should turn loose.

or it could be a sweet ed on male 1/2" adaptor?

AllanJ · 11-13-2008, 09:42 AM

I suggest cutting a notch, at least 3/8 x 3/8 inches, on the bottom of the new spout where it would meet the wall. This way, any leakage on the inside will drip out into the tub instead of into the wall.

A little heat with a torch to the "ring" might coax it off or make it crumble. Wrap a small wet rag around the pipe near the wall so you don't melt the next solder joint, back inside the wall.

If there is a separate piece (such as a sweat-on 1/2 inch male adapter) at the end on which the new spout screws, you could sweat that off and replace it. Again, use the wet rag as above.

showerhelp · 11-13-2008, 12:28 PM

Thanks for the replies all

I tried cutting into the "ring" with a razorblade this morning, it wouldn't even come close to cutting through it.

That's about the only sharp tool I've got available

I took a couple pictures to help illustrate the problem, maybe I'm just being stupid?

I copied the two pictures and edited them in their own files so that I could draw on it and annotate exactly what the problem is.

That metal-gray-colored ring makes the size of the pipe significantly bigger, so none of the 1/2" connections will fit onto it but the 3/4" adapter just slides on and off because it's too big.

Should I make a run to home depot and buy a dremel tool and try to use that to cut it off?

Thanks!!

EDIT: In that second picture (the side-view one w/ the white boxes for text), the text totally doesn't show up. Sorry about that. The far right bracket is the "ring" and the bracket to the left of that is the area of the pipe that is threaded and still has some teflon tape on it.

DUDE! · 11-13-2008, 04:35 PM

I'd spray some penetrating oil on the end, let it work in a while, then try turning it. Be some what careful trying to wrench it off, you don't want to bend your copper pipe.

buletbob · 11-13-2008, 07:23 PM

you will have to torch that off. It is soldiered on.heat it up and pull it off with pump pliers if you have them, or any pliers would work.
WHAT MAKES ME TO BELEIVE THAT ITS SOLDIERED ON IS THE GREEN RESADUE LEFT ON THE PIPE BEHIND THE FITTING WHICH COULD OF BEEN LEFT BY SOLIEREING PASTE. BOB

AllanJ · 11-13-2008, 08:15 PM

A razor blade is much too thin. A wrench or a Dremel tool could damage the real threads at the end of the pipe if you are not careful. You would want to see if you could pick at the ring-like mess with an awl or even a medium to large sized nail.

I do not think the ring is soldered to the pipe threads, just rusted on.

I could not see how thick the ring is relative to the threads; you got the camera too close to the pipe so it did not focus. You do not want to use a Stillson wrench or vise grip if the extra thickness of the ring is not substantial otherwise the wrench jaws will bite into and mar the threads.