Please help me fix this faucet fast!
October 13, 2010 12:12 PM Subscribe
I took apart the tub faucet. Now I don't know what to do, and Mr. Cyndigo will be home in two hours. HELP!
The tub faucet still has half the water running out when we turn the shower on. I got a screwdriver and took it off, but now I don't know what to do.
The little thing at the bottom is what makes the shower go.
I'd like to fix it before Mr. Cyndigo gets home. Or I will have some SPLAININ' to do. Pic here! Please help! Thanks!
The tub faucet still has half the water running out when we turn the shower on. I got a screwdriver and took it off, but now I don't know what to do.
The little thing at the bottom is what makes the shower go.
I'd like to fix it before Mr. Cyndigo gets home. Or I will have some SPLAININ' to do. Pic here! Please help! Thanks!
My non-plumber assumption of how that works is that when you push in the button it is supposed to block the flow of water down to the faucet and thus force it up through the shower head. If it is not completely blocking the water there is probably something wrong with the mechanism. Are you able to cut off the water supply to the shower? You might want to put the cover back on and call a plumber for this one.
posted by ghharr at 12:22 PM on October 13, 2010
posted by ghharr at 12:22 PM on October 13, 2010
IANAPlumber, but it sounds like the piece that diverts the water into the showerhead isn't making a good seal. I can't see into the wall (too dark) to see the actual plumbing. If by "fused" you mean welded, you could be better off replace the old fixture entirely.
posted by InsanePenguin at 12:23 PM on October 13, 2010
posted by InsanePenguin at 12:23 PM on October 13, 2010
Best answer: Uninformed anecdote: our shower (~50 years old) has the standard vertical plunger thingy on top of the faucet. It isn't as tightly fitted in its socket as yours looks to be. I notice that the angle of said plunger makes a big difference in how much water comes out. If I move it a little to the side, against the resistance, it can slow from half the water (as you've said) to an acceptable trickle.
So maybe it's got some kind of link/catch/whatever on the other end of it, like the thing that makes the drainplug go up and down, that needs to go at a particular angle in order to be depressed fully so that the water gets diverted properly.
Do you know what brand your fixture is? You might be able to find some help online, even if it's old.
posted by Madamina at 12:26 PM on October 13, 2010
So maybe it's got some kind of link/catch/whatever on the other end of it, like the thing that makes the drainplug go up and down, that needs to go at a particular angle in order to be depressed fully so that the water gets diverted properly.
Do you know what brand your fixture is? You might be able to find some help online, even if it's old.
posted by Madamina at 12:26 PM on October 13, 2010
Oh, yeah, call a plumber. Meant to add that.
posted by InsanePenguin at 12:27 PM on October 13, 2010
posted by InsanePenguin at 12:27 PM on October 13, 2010
Best answer: Also not a plumber but I live in an old house that falls apart regularly, and my experience with plumbing fixtures is that
1. The seals and gaskets are usually what's failed. These are cheap and easy to find at hardware stores but they come in a zillion different sizes so you should bring the old ones with you or, ideally, the whole fixture.
2. Getting at those seals and gaskets usually means tearing apart the fixture to a scary extent. Not something you can do with a screwdriver - you need wrenches of various types and a whole lotta confidence in your ability to grok mechanical devices.
3. Don't tear into anything (apart from removing decorative caps and knobs) until you've found the water shutoff valve and shut it off. Even then, expect a big gush of water to hit you in the face as the pipes drain. Wear old clothes and protect the floor.
4. Every plumbing project requires at least 3 trips to the hardware store.
So I don't think you'll be able to fix this in 2 hours, but maybe you could devote a weekend to it if you're handy (and/or brave).
posted by Quietgal at 12:34 PM on October 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
1. The seals and gaskets are usually what's failed. These are cheap and easy to find at hardware stores but they come in a zillion different sizes so you should bring the old ones with you or, ideally, the whole fixture.
2. Getting at those seals and gaskets usually means tearing apart the fixture to a scary extent. Not something you can do with a screwdriver - you need wrenches of various types and a whole lotta confidence in your ability to grok mechanical devices.
3. Don't tear into anything (apart from removing decorative caps and knobs) until you've found the water shutoff valve and shut it off. Even then, expect a big gush of water to hit you in the face as the pipes drain. Wear old clothes and protect the floor.
4. Every plumbing project requires at least 3 trips to the hardware store.
So I don't think you'll be able to fix this in 2 hours, but maybe you could devote a weekend to it if you're handy (and/or brave).
posted by Quietgal at 12:34 PM on October 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Some sort of seal in the tub faucet may be old or faulty. Without poking at it, I'm not sure what it would look like but you may be able to hit a home improvement place with the part and go 'I need one of these' (assuming that's the problem, of course).
You could also do your best until he gets home, and then say 'Okay Mr Cyndigo, I've figured out X Y and Z with this thing, let's figure out the rest and get it fixed.' Unless you have a hot date with him tonight and/or he's hellishly busy, in which case put it back on for now and bring it up when you're not occupied.
(IANAPlumber, but I do take random things apart for fun to fix them.)
posted by Heretical at 12:37 PM on October 13, 2010
You could also do your best until he gets home, and then say 'Okay Mr Cyndigo, I've figured out X Y and Z with this thing, let's figure out the rest and get it fixed.' Unless you have a hot date with him tonight and/or he's hellishly busy, in which case put it back on for now and bring it up when you're not occupied.
(IANAPlumber, but I do take random things apart for fun to fix them.)
posted by Heretical at 12:37 PM on October 13, 2010
Response by poster: Hooray! Thanks for all the quick answers! Per madamina, I futzed with the little plunger, and found that when it's all the way in, water pours out the spigot, but there's a sweet spot where it's ALMOST all the way in, and that gets all the water (except for a trickle) up to the shower. Got the plate back on and will need to re-caulk but that can wait until tomorrow.
Bonus: taking off the plastic cover allowed me to soak it in vinegar to remove all the accumulated soap scum, which pleases my anal-retentive neat freak little soul.
The BF builds things that can go to the moon, literally, but for some odd reason despises little home repair jobs.
MeFi to the rescue; thanks again!
posted by cyndigo at 12:43 PM on October 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Bonus: taking off the plastic cover allowed me to soak it in vinegar to remove all the accumulated soap scum, which pleases my anal-retentive neat freak little soul.
The BF builds things that can go to the moon, literally, but for some odd reason despises little home repair jobs.
MeFi to the rescue; thanks again!
posted by cyndigo at 12:43 PM on October 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Congratulations on your success.
This is apparently not your problem, but sometimes mineral deposits or corrosion can make things not go where they used to go. The drain lever on our then 4-year-old tub was completely frozen when I went to use it for the first time in a long while. Had to disassemble it and soak it in vinegar to free it up again.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:09 PM on October 13, 2010
This is apparently not your problem, but sometimes mineral deposits or corrosion can make things not go where they used to go. The drain lever on our then 4-year-old tub was completely frozen when I went to use it for the first time in a long while. Had to disassemble it and soak it in vinegar to free it up again.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:09 PM on October 13, 2010
We have a similar fixture in one of our bathrooms. The rubber "diverter" piece tore and it would partially block the flow, but not enough to get a decent shower. I replaced the push button "diverter" portion with a new assembly from a big box home improvement store. It's a pretty bad design and doesn't keep 100% of the water flowing to the shower head, but it does a good enough job until I can figure out how I'm going to fully replace it.
posted by ganzhimself at 6:35 PM on October 13, 2010
posted by ganzhimself at 6:35 PM on October 13, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cyndigo at 12:16 PM on October 13, 2010