Shower and tub fill valve

[supadart]

Not sure of the name of this, but here goes. It's the knob/valve that redirects the water from the tub fill to the showerhead.

It worked fine until about 1 week ago. Now it allows water to spray from the showerhead and from the tub fill. Lots of water pressure, so the shower is still useable. The knob makes 1.5 turns from closed to open. That hasn't changed. The bolt and retainer that holds it in place are OK too.

I'm assuming the problem lies within the valve.

I'm no plumber, so I wanted to get a bit of input as far as were the problem may be, and would I be able to repair this myself, or is this a job for a pro? Also, is there a technical name for the knob/valve?

Thanks -Gary

[kactuskid]

The knob is called a shower divertor valve and it's probably in need of new washers and o-rings. Here's a couple of links that'll show how to generically disassemble your valve. Take the stem and washers to the hardware store with you so exact replacements can be bought. Also buy some plumbers grease to lubricate the parts before reinstalling them. You may also need a handle puller if you have a hard time getting the handle off.

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/plumbing/faucet/washer/replace.htm

http://www.terrylove.com/pp_3.htm

[LazyPup]

The center knob is called the shower diverter and is a variation of a fauctt. Inside there is a stem and seat which works the same as in the hot & Cold facuetts.

When the valve is open the water flows to the spout (path of least resistance). When the valve is closed the path to the spout is closed and the water must now rise up to the shower head.

While it is necessary to shut the water off to service the hot & cold valves, the center diverter can be removed for servicing without turning the water off at the source or zone valves. (Be sure both the hot and cold faucetts are off though)

First remove the handle. There is probably a plastic trim cap on the center of the handle. Pry that out with a small flat screwdriver and you will see a screw inside. Remove that screw and the handle should pull off. Often if the handle have not been removed in a long time they are difficult to get off. In the trade we use an inexpensive Handle puller tool which is like a miniature gear puller)

Next remove the Trim escutcheon tube. Most of thenm are held in by a fine thread and can be unscrewed. I prefer to use a vinyl strap wrench to prevent scratching the chrome finish, but it can be done by wrapping a rag around the escutcheon an using a pair of channel lock pliers.

Once you have both the handle and trim escutcheon off you will see the diverter stem. (Ususally a brass body.)

Note where the handle shaft enters the diverter body. There is a packing nut there. Do not remove that nut. Under that nut there is a fiber packing that seals the shaft to prevent leaks from the shaft.)

There are normally some flats molded on the stem like a big nut to allow using a wrench to tighten or remove the diverter stem. If you can access those flats use a common adustable wrench to unscrew the diverter stem and pull it out of the mixer body.

If your mixer is recessed deep in the wall you may not be able to reach the flats with an ordinary wrench. If not, you will need a set of Plumbers sockets. (A full set of plumbers sockets can be bought at any hardware store for about $10.)

once you have the diverter stem removed look on the interior end of the shaft and you will see a common rubber faucett washer held in place by a Monel metal screw. Simple pull the screw and pry the old rubber bibb washer off and replace it with a new washer of the same sixe.

While you have the diverter out, check the faucett seat. It is inside the mixer body where the rubber washer makes contact. Often you will note a small groove on the lower part of the seat. If so, you will need to replace the seat also. ( I recommend always replacing the seat. They are cheap and once you have the stem out there easy to replace.)

The inside of the valve seat is machined with flats to allow installation and removal with a faucett seat wrench. The common seat wrench is a simple L shaped peice of metal that is tapered on each end. Some are tapered with 4 sides on one end and hexagonal on the other end. You insert the end of the seat wrench into the middle of the seat firmly, then unscrew the seat.

When installing the new seat, put a little bit of PTFE (Teflon) tape on the threads before installing. The easiest way to install is press the seat on the end of your seat wrench, then use the wrench to reach it into place and tighten it snug.

Before inserting the diverter stem, make sure you turn the shaft to the full open position to back the washer away from the seating area. then screw the diverter into the mixer body, tighten it in place with a wrencn and replace the trim escutcheon and handle.

I would expect the washer would cost about $.20 and a new seat about $1 or less, depending upon what brand and where you buy it. If you need to buy the handle puller or plumber sockets they are about $10 each and the seat wrench is about $5. Worst case scenario it will be under $30 in all, and you will have the tools for future projects.

The average time for an experienced plumber or maintenance tech is under 15 min. and i would expect a first time DIY'er should have no problem completing this in under 30 minutes.

Quite oftem people forget to unscrew the shaft when installing faucett washers. In that case, the new washer is forced into exactly the same position as the defective washer and it instantly distorts the new washer, which results in a leak.

[supadart]

OK, finally got around to it this morning. Everthing on my side of the tub wall went fine. However, the hole through the fiberglass wall is too small to get the plumbers socket through to loosen the stem assembly. I can get to the packing nut easily, but everything else is stuck deep inside the wall and there's no way to get a wrench or anything else in there.

I suppose I could file the hole out, but that would be quite a bit of filing. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

-Gary

[LazyPup]

The base of the stem is slightly larger than the flats where the wrench fits, therefore, in order to get the stem out you will need to enlarge the hole.

Begin by setting the trim esctucheon tube and trim ring back in place, then using a pencil, grease pencil or water base marker (someting that will wash off later) trace around the outside circumfenence of the trim ring.

You can then remove the trim ring and escutcheon tube and cut a larger hole carefully making sure you stay well within the pencil mark to insure the ring will cover the hole when your done.

You can easily cut the fiberglass with a mini-hacksaw or a Roto-zip. Just be careful not to cut too deep in the areas of the copper tubing to prevent damaging the tubing which would result in a leak..

[supadart]

OK, after some more inspection (with a bright flashlight), here is what I've found. I'll try to include an image for you rather than explain it all. Let me know if I might be missing something here, but this is what it looks like. There doesn't seem to be a removable stem assembly like in the pictures you guys have posted.

I removed the packing nut, contrary to Kactuskid's advice, as that seemed to be the only thing to remove - and to get a better view.

The stem sits inside of the (valve tee) and a nylon or similar washer is visible. It is light gray in color. I lightly tried to pull the stem loose, but didn't want to damage anything, so I left it in place until I got some more input. Hope the picture helps.

-Thanks again, Gary

[LazyPup]

First of all, let me say that illustration is excellant.

From what i can see in the illustration it appears that you have pulled the diverter body, but the stem is still stuck in the Mixer body.

Note the male threads on the inner end of the diverter shaft. They should correspond to some female threads on the inner end of the diverter body. Those are the coarse threads that move the stem in and out to open or close the valve.

I would try to carefully re-insert the diverter body into the mixer body just slightly, then turn the diverter shaft until the diverter threads come together and continue turning until the diverter shaft is pulled into the diverter body as shown in my illustration.

With the diverter shaft now screwed into the diverter body, unscrew and remove the diverter from the Mixer in the wall.

[supadart]

Thanks Lazypup! [8D]

Well it was in fact stuck inside the tee. Popped right out and replaced the o-rings and washers. Works great and didn't break anything else in the process (that I know of [:0] ).

Thanks for all your time, wisdom and patience.

-Gary

[LazyPup]

Thank you for sharing the final outcome with us and glad that we were able to help.

On the up side, I also have all the illustrations on file for future reference.

Hope you Enjoy a Happy New Year and we will be looking forward to helping you with future projects in the coming year.