Need anyone with plumbing knowledge please.

[RottenWillow]

We replaced the dial on our tub yesterday, and the little plastic stem to which the dial attaches was looking chewed up and we wanted to replace that as well. The plumbing dood in Home Depot said that little plastic stem was part of a manufactured piece he called "the cartridge" and it could only be replaced from the other side of the wall, in other words it couldn't be pulled out from the front. Sounds like a big job, so we left it alone, and just superglued the new dial into place to reinforce the attachment. Worked fine.

About an hour ago the whole fucking "cartridge" popped out when I turned on the tub. Clearly the thing does NOT pull out from the back. The little metal ring that screwed over the cartridge we learned was not just decorative, but is the only thing that holds it in place against the water pressure. Now the problem is we trimmed down the plastic pipe the ring screwed into to push the dial further down on the stem as it would fit more securely. We never would've fucked with that thing if dingledick in HD hadn't told us the cartridge can only be removed from the back. Now there's no fucking way to screw on the retainer ring again. WTF!

All we need is some way to secure the cartridge in the pipe so it won't pop out when we turn on the main water line again. I'm sure a plumber would have 3 different cheap and easy ways to do that for which he'd charge $978. Any ideas, PLEEEEEASE!?

 

[Spartacus]

sounds like a job for rsnoble-im-back

 

[jack sparrow]

Rule # 1. : Don't ever trust dingledick from HD. Dude is a a total wanna be.

Given the fact that the cartridge was plastic says that the contractor that installed the original plumbing was a cheap fuck. You want that stuff to be brass.

Sad to say, but if you want to fix the problem for real, you may have to rip out the wall and install some real hardware.

In the interim, shut off the water, "drain down" the house, and disassemble the entire piece of crap fixture, and match it up with some good brass parts from a real hardware store (take the pieces parts with you and show them to the nearest old guy when you get there).

This may solve your problem when it's all put back together, but when in doubt, rip the place apart and start over, I always say.

 

[RottenWillow]

Ok here's an idea.

I'm sure they make plumbing pipe caps that size with fine threads to terminate pipes, right? We could buy one, drill a hole in it big enough to allow the water control stem to go through and screw that fucker on. Wouldn't that work?

 

[Spartacus]

 

[RottenWillow]

Rule # 1. : Don't ever trust dingledick from HD. Dude is a a total wanna be.

Given the fact that the cartridge was plastic says that the contractor that installed the original plumbing was a cheap fuck. You want that stuff to be brass.

Sad to say, but if you want to fix the problem for real, you may have to rip out the wall and install some real hardware.

In the interim, shut off the water, "drain down" the house, and disassemble the entire piece of crap fixture, and match it up with some good brass parts from a real hardware store (take the pieces parts with you and show them to the nearest old guy when you get there).

This may solve your problem when it's all put back together, but when in doubt, rip the place apart and start over, I always say.

The fixture is already out. Nothing but a plastic pipe with inside and outside threads sticking out of the wall.

Yes the cheap cartridge was the original problem, but now the problem is the too short pipe and no way to screw a retainer ring into it. I just need a way to securely attach some sort of retainer onto that pipe to hold the cartridge.

 

[jack sparrow]

Ok here's an idea.

I'm sure they make plumbing pipe caps that size with fine threads to terminate pipes, right? We could buy one, drill a hole in it big enough to allow the water control stem to go through and screw that fucker on. Wouldn't that work?

It might rabbit, but probaby not.
Even if you seal the threads of the pipe plug with teflon or dope, you still run into the problem of water spewing out of the lack of seal in said newly drilled orifice.

My advice would be to get a new fixture altogether. Spend the few extra bux to re-tile and grout around the replaced baddie.

 

[jack sparrow]

The fixture is already out. Nothing but a plastic pipe with inside and outside threads sticking out of the wall.

Yes the cheap cartridge was the original problem, but now the problem is the too short pipe and no way to screw a retainer ring into it. I just need a way to securely attach some sort of retainer onto that pipe to hold the cartridge.

Is it copper or PVC?

 

[redsamurai]

I'm sure a plumber would have 3 different cheap and easy ways to do that for which he'd charge $978. Any ideas, PLEEEEEASE!?

aint got the cash eh??..........
call these guys........http://rectalrooter.com/tour.html






ps. jus funnin wit ya RW.........and................NSFW people!!!

 

[RottenWillow]

Is it copper or PVC?

PVC. It's got a brass lining I guess to seat tightly around the cartridge, and the PVC is meant to extend beyond the brass lining probably 1/8" and the retainer ring threaded into the inside threads of the PVC. We trimmed the PVC down flush with the brass liner piece so the knob could be pushed further down on the stem, so now there's no way to thread that ring down again. Like I said we thought the thing was only removable from the rear, so figured that ring was just cosmetic like the outer ring that threaded onto the outside of that same PVC.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

you listened to one of those sales goofballs?

holy hell thats sad

call a general handyman - the type that do maintainence on lots of houses for rental places. flirt with him. he'll probably fix it with stickytape.

 

[ceo]

I can lay pipe pretty damn well!!!!!!!!

 

[Sub-Zero]

sounds like a job for rsnoble-im-back

lmfao

 

[puddlemonkey]

I'm gonna need some pics and pie graphs so I know exactly what I'm dealing with here.