[The Dane]

Does anyone here know of a way to repair a tub spout copper pipe from the front? Customer slipped in tub and twisted the spout submit.

Normally I would open up behind tub but I'm looking for a way to do it from the front as ther is a kitchen with a lazy Susan behind the tub so it will be pain to go that way. Need be I'm willing to crawl in the cabinet and open cabinet and wall and swear like a sailor to get the job done.

Any ideas guys?

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[Sstratton6175]

The only thing I can think of... there are guys out there that specialize in repairing fiberglass. You can cut a hole in the tub from the front with an angle grinder make the repair then have the tub wall patch put back in. The times I’ve seen it done it was a repair that you’d only see if you were really looking for it. Pretty seamless. That could be better/cheaper than ripping out the cabinet.

 

[Debo22]

You need to pull off the spout to see how bad the damage is. You might be able to open up a bit of the fiberglass to make the repair and use an oversized tub spout trim ring to cover it.

 

[The Dane]

You need to pull off the spout to see how bad the damage is. You might be able to open up a bit of the fiberglass to make the repair and use an oversized tub spout trim ring to cover it. View attachment 129028

It was just something like that I was thinking of but I have never seen one and not sure I I could get one around here or for that matter if it would fit nicely with the spout I would be using.

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[The Dane]

The only thing I can think of... there are guys out there that specialize in repairing fiberglass. You can cut a hole in the tub from the front with an angle grinder make the repair then have the tub wall patch put back in. The times I’ve seen it done it was a repair that you’d only see if you were really looking for it. Pretty seamless. That could be better/cheaper than ripping out the cabinet.

I have the phone number to the local fiberglass repair guy but the tub is from 96 and yellowed so I doubt he would be able to get it to look good. Plus it would be a bigger Hassel fir the customer and more expensive than to crawl in the lazy Susan and open up the back.

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[skoronesa]

Assuming the 90 is ok you could probably take the cartridge out and blow your torch down the nipple to unsweat it. Might even be able to unsweat the 90 and sweat a new one on if it's not too far back. I'd sweat the 90 to a new nipple before trying to sweat it back on in the wall.

Never had to do a spout 90 but I have successfully replaced 3 of the 5 drop eared elbows I've tried through a hole covered by a standard escutcheon. Pretty good odds in my opinion. Like Debo said, get that bigger trim ring and have at it!

 

[Logtec]

I’ve done a quick repair on something like this before, but I’ve warned the customer (not client) that it is going to “be ugly cheap bandaid repair only, no guarantee”!
I cut a 6” x 6” hole, with a deemed or metal blade in a sawzall, so that the spout is coming out near the bottom of the 6x6 hole.
That should give you enough room to fix the 90/piping behind the wall.
the at cheapo depot get something like a ridgid plastic sheet, an access door... (cut to flat), etc, what ever you can use to cover the hole. (If they’re not willing to spend $$$ to do a proper fix, then don’t go out of your way to try to match fiberglass, color, blah blah,. )
Cut said plastic 8” x 8” and stick it on with silicone, and a few screws. Attack the slip on tub spout slather with silicone
And be done with it.

If they don’t like that, then they need to suck it up and have it fixed properly.

 

[The Dane]

I'd sweat the 90 to a new nipple before trying to sweat it back on in the wall.

But the 90 is in the wall so what do you mean by sweating it on a nipple before sweating in the wall? The 90 is in the wall no matter what.

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[The Dane]

I’ve done a quick repair on something like this before, but I’ve warned the customer (not client) that it is going to “be ugly cheap bandaid repair only, no guarantee”!
I cut a 6” x 6” hole, with a deemed or metal blade in a sawzall, so that the spout is coming out near the bottom of the 6x6 hole.
That should give you enough room to fix the 90/piping behind the wall.
the at cheapo depot get something like a ridgid plastic sheet, an access door... (cut to flat), etc, what ever you can use to cover the hole. (If they’re not willing to spend $$$ to do a proper fix, then don’t go out of your way to try to match fiberglass, color, blah blah,. )
Cut said plastic 8” x 8” and stick it on with silicone, and a few screws. Attack the slip on tub spout slather with silicone
And be done with it.

If they don’t like that, then they need to suck it up and have it fixed properly.

What I normally do is to cut a 14"X14" access in just the right spot in the back then I can now or later on also have room to replace the whole valve. Push in plastic panel or left open if they feel like replacing sheetrock. I suggested to just replace the whole valve since I would have to be in there anyway making a hole. We will see what happens. They also have a toilet that needs replaced and a new subfloor first. It that one needs a new flange then I'll be in a crawl space too. Sounds like a ****ty days worth of work but oh well its work and I need it desperately right now. Even did a small handyman job today alongside some plumbing just because I need what I can get right now. Funny thing is that the original local plumber actually gave this customer my number since he is backed up for weeks (he did not know it was a ****ty job)

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[skoronesa]

But the 90 is in the wall so what do you mean by sweating it on a nipple before sweating in the wall? The 90 is in the wall no matter what.

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Take the cart out and blow your torch into the nipple. Both of the joints on the 90 will melt. If you wiggle the nipple up and down it should take the 90 off with it. Then when you go to put a new 90 on sweat it onto your nipple, cool it, prep the other side, and then stick it in the wall and solder it on.

 

[Logtec]

What I normally do is to cut a 14"X14" access in just the right spot in the back then I can now or later on also have room to replace the whole valve. Push in plastic panel or left open if they feel like replacing sheetrock. I suggested to just replace the whole valve since I would have to be in there anyway making a hole. We will see what happens. They also have a toilet that needs replaced and a new subfloor first. It that one needs a new flange then I'll be in a crawl space too. Sounds like a ****ty days worth of work but oh well its work and I need it desperately right now. Even did a small handyman job today alongside some plumbing just because I need what I can get right now. Funny thing is that the original local plumber actually gave this customer my number since he is backed up for weeks (he did not know it was a ****ty job)

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I meant cut a 6” x 6” in the front, to save the hassel from the back, which would be a nightmare from inside a cabinet, but we’ve all been there.....

you could also a shower valve replacement using a “Moen valve and their Reno Plate”
That would solve all the tub/shower problems..

 

[Logtec]

Take the cart out and blow your torch into the nipple. Both of the joints on the 90 will melt. If you wiggle the nipple up and down it should take the 90 off with it. Then when you go to put a new 90 on sweat it onto your nipple, cool it, prep the other side, and then stick it in the wall and solder it on.

am I missing something here?

 

[skoronesa]

........... ther is a kitchen with a lazy Susan behind the tub so it will be pain to go that way. Need be I'm willing to crawl in the cabinet and open cabinet and wall and swear like a sailor to get the job done.

Knee walls in 200yr old houses are awesome places to snake tub waste assemblies from. FML sometimes.

 

[skoronesa]

am I missing something here?

Sorry, I'm not exactly the Bob Ross of word pictures.

 

[The Dane]

Take the cart out and blow your torch into the nipple. Both of the joints on the 90 will melt. If you wiggle the nipple up and down it should take the 90 off with it. Then when you go to put a new 90 on sweat it onto your nipple, cool it, prep the other side, and then stick it in the wall and solder it on.

Ahhh I see what you are saying now. Though this is a moen valve from 96 so I have a bad feeling that I might end up needing a new cartridge and then with my luck it would not work right again and now after all that I would need a new valve anyway. I will keep it in mind and consider trying it. Would there not be a chance of the solder joint in the valve itself also melting?

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[skoronesa]

..........Would there not be a chance of the solder joint in the valve itself also melting?
......

I wouldn't think so if it's like 6" or more and you clench your butthole tight enough to spit a diamond turd.

A couple years ago I was replacing a floor roughed stop in the 2nd story of a house. The nipple came off with it :0 . I tried putting a new nipple in the 90 in the floor and that fell off inside the floor!!! I managed to sweat a new 90 and nipple on the same way I just described you should do. My Butthole is still clenched to this day!

 

[Nazareth]

Ah nah yea you're fcked.

Realistically debo has the best option, but even then, that's a big maybe

 

[Dontbitenails]

Not that it helps but lately when roughing in tub / shower valves I have been using threaded drop ear 90s for the tub spouts in the wall . Stouter and easier to slide in tub surround panels. I know it doesn't help your situation. Try unsoldering joint from out front like others have suggested. Use spout ring if necessary. Don't burn the place down and it's all good

 

[sparky]

Does anyone here know of a way to repair a tub spout copper pipe from the front? Customer slipped in tub and twisted the spout submit.

Normally I would open up behind tub but I'm looking for a way to do it from the front as ther is a kitchen with a lazy Susan behind the tub so it will be pain to go that way. Need be I'm willing to crawl in the cabinet and open cabinet and wall and swear like a sailor to get the job done.

Any ideas guys?

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Simple just take cover off faucet,cut water and shower head line and remove faucet and repair,also I should have said to mark the outside edge of the faucet plate,remove plate and cut fiberglass back to as wide as possible and plate still make contact,this will give you as much room as possible and I have replaced many faucets this way,it's the only way you can fix this and be a hero lolololol,you can always patch with hydraulic cement lolololololo if necessary

 

[sparky]

am I missing something here?

Yes you are,this will not work and will catch the house on fire lolololol