After having successfully replaced the hardware in our master bathroom (with the gracious help of my father-in-law), we have decided to tackle the guest bathroom (GBA). We should have done it in the other order...
The master bathroom was past of an addition to the house about 20 years ago. So things are at least newer than in the original part of the house. Problem number one in the GBA was the normally simple task of removing the tub faucet. It would not budge, and after my expert guidance in the MBA told me it can take some torque, I did. I torque so much, and the old original copper piping was so "rusted", I torqued the spout piping about 2 inches from the elbow in the back. Thank GOODNESS our GBA has an access panel to the shower plumbing. Otherwise, there'd be a big ol' hole there (and a giant wet spot in the kitchen ceiling).
Upon learning what all my brawn had accomplished, I jerry-rigged a solution that kept any drips funneling into the tub (worked good enough for my Dad's visit I might add).
What is any home repair job without a pile of indistinguishable parts? These come, without instructions, from whatever plumbing parts wholesaler my wife used. Great price, just what we wanted. But be careful if you've never done this before. A great idea is to go to the library ahead of time and get a plumbing book. I've found all the Home Depot series books to be great.
Here are the original handle spots (original copper finish handles removed). See all that grout around the tubing? I thought that was the source of my next issue.
But it wasn't. The real culprit is what is in the back of the grout, which after removed made life no more simple. The tubing you see is steadfastly attached in the back (see future post/pic).
I was though, able to remove and install the shower head. Notice how I had to remove the original plumber's taping, which was too far up towards the wall.
As to fixing problem number 1 - we are in great hope that our amazing neighbor "Dave" will be able to come to the rescue. Yes, he can sweat pipes.
