How to replace a clawfoot tub faucet and waste and overflow

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Terry

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Replacing an old clawfoot tub faucet and tub drain.
This one below was a little old.

clawfoot_2209.jpg


clawfoot_2211.jpg


The owner had picked up a new drain and new faucet with shutoffs at the floor.

clawfoot_2212.jpg


The first thing is to shut off the water to the home and remove the old one.

clawfoot_2213.jpg


This one had copper 1/2" Male adapters. Normally with older installs, you will find galvanized pipe nipples through the flooring.
The slip joint nut is at floor level for the drain.

clawfoot_2217.jpg


Either tape or pipe dope the threads and tighten the new stops on. These supplies from Sign of the Crab came with rubber cone washers and friction rings.

clawfoot_2218.jpg


The threaded portion of the tub drain needs thread sealant before installaton.
So unthread the ends, apply the thread sealant, and reassemble.
 

Terry

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clawfoot_2216.jpg


New faucet installed. New faucets come with a tall spout that is higher than the top of the tub. This is new plumbing code. Well...........at least new since 1920

clawfoot_2215.jpg



clawfoot_2222.jpg



clawfoot_2223.jpg


All ready for a shower curtain
 

Wet_Boots

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Does a "classic tub" install like this get a pass from complying with any anti-scald valve requirements?
 

Terry

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To make it code, you would have a tempering valve on the system.
For this install, it could have been in the ceiling of the room below where the access panel was.he
Some homes use a tankless set at 120, or have a tempering valve either at the tub, or for the entire home at the water heater.
 

Terry

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Terry where did you get the shower curtain holder?

The curtain holder came with the shower faucet. Sign of the Crab.
It's a two man job for sure! My main worry was that we would trip over it and bend it in half. :)
 

Wet_Boots

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To make it code, you would have a tempering valve on the system.
For this install, it could have been in the ceiling of the room below where the access panel was.he
Some homes use a tankless set at 120, or have a tempering valve either at the tub, or for the entire home at the water heater.
Thanks. That three-handle tub valve reminded me of a long ago practice of soaking in a bubble bath with the hot tap just cracked open to allow a trickle of hot water (probably very hot - it was long before anti-scald valves were marketed) to keep the feet comfy-cozy. I don't think codes allow for that any more :(
 

JohnfrWhipple

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The curtain holder came with the shower faucet. Sign of the Crab.
It's a two man job for sure! My main worry was that we would trip over it and bend it in half. :)

How much? Looks pricey!!!

My favourite kind of fixture.

Do they come in chrome plated brass?

JW
 

Mike Fleming

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Hello! Not a plumbing question per se- but I am a first time homeowner renovating my bathroom, and underneath all the tile board and drywall I found wide wood planks running horizontally in the shower area. I'd love to be able to keep the wood visible. I plan on putting in a clawfoot tub and re-directing the water lines so they come out of the floor. I will use a shower ring with surrounding curtain, so I'm not anticipating any water getting directly on the wood walls. Also plan on having a nice new vent/fan installed. However, a search on the internet for "wood shower surround" leads to a lot of polarized opinions. A lot of people think it is the worst idea ever- not even something to be considered. They seem concerned with moisture getting into the walls, maintenance, etc. So seeing this photo made me wonder- are the logs and chinking sealed with anything special? What is y'alls opinion on having wood in the shower area as long is it isn't getting directly wet? Do I have to worry about moisture getting into the wall (same boards on other side) and potentially traveling upward and causing some kind of damage in the ceiling? I'd love to be able to seal the wood and just leave it as is. The only photo I have is below- you can see the old shower head top right. Would love to hear people's thoughts!



img_9186.jpg
 

the13bats

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Mike, I'm working on a 100 plus year fixer upper, as you will see by my post i think very outside the box, down right eccentric.

To me if i want something i ignore noisy negativists telling me it won't work, I find a way and make it happen, the irony of your questions, the OP'ers entire bathroom is wood, i have seen many set ups as you desire, somewhere somone makes it work, then again I read somewhere online clawfoot tubs are a unspeakable evil to be avoided at all costs, I have 3, one so big a sasquatch could lay out in it, I'll keep my tubs.

So my questions, I wanted to make my own steampunk faucet and shower diverter but found and bought this,
s-l400(5).jpg
It's modern but installed will look basically like what the OP replaced,
My wife grinned and said it looked like a fixture off a cappuccino machine,

So in my case i will buy or make a shower curtain frame hung from the ceiling, it will also support the shower riser pipe, like the OPs.

if you look at my faucet mixer body where the outlet connects, that's a nut with 1/2 hole, inside is a rubber cone washer,
My question to soothe my OCD is that how the outlet pipe attaches, just a compression connection? Then a short pipe with threads for the screw on tub fill value, another threaded pipe into the top of it ran up to the shower valve, then the connect of the riser pipe to curtain rob is where stability comes in? Like what the OP replaced.

Hope I didn't just confuse the hell out of that,
Happy holidays to all,
Cheers
B
 

the13bats

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Thank you for the reply, yes, that riser has a rubber cone washer, no thin metal washer, might be missing and the nut hole is just big enough for 1/2 pipe, so i believe im good there.

I really need some more help though, likely very simply but my OCD gets in the way, exasperated by the way plumbing pipe and fittings are measured,

Here are my new faucet parts gold ( for upstairs ) compared to the tub down stairs, silver,
Basically the supply/mounting are the same size,
The down stairs silver supply appears to be a common ridged supply line,

20191227_173237-400x707.jpg

So i head to my close by ace, no ridged supply lines in stock, so a further trek to Lowe's and no ridged lines, I ask the worker can I just use an adaptor and braided stainless from cutoff to faucet, they dont know, they never saw a tub mounted faucet before.

So an even further trek to home depot, woohoo they have metal ridged lines, so i have that gold part from the faucet to test fit and it does, so i am thinking im good to go, not so fast bat,

A worker pops up asking whats that faucet for, I say bath tub he says no, you cannot use that supply line its only 3/8 and tubs require 1/2,

I tell him it certainly looks like what is on our other tub, he goes on to say then our other tub is wrong that it will take forever to fill the tub and the shower will lack pressure, ( we have not experenced either of those issues, ) i asked so where is the 1/2 supply, he said we dont have them, so i left empty handed,

The hole in that gold nut seems to measure 9/16 but a 1/2 copper pipe will not fit into it, so how could a 1/2 supply like even fit? so can I use the 3/8 supply line, or is there somewhere to get a 1/2 supply line that will work with the nut that came with the gold faucet? Yeah, I let my nerves and OCD confuse stuff.
20191227_175206-400x413.jpg


Many thanks,
Cheers
B
 

Terry

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3/8" works fine for the shower head. And I would think it would be fine for the tub spout too.
They make
3/8" OD
1/2" OD
and 1/2" ID which is 5/8" OD

You're going to 1/2" pipe threads I believe with a rubber cone washer. They make the cone washer in different sizing too. You need to start with whatever your shutoffs are.
 

the13bats

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I sure do thank you for your time and trouble, I believe the feed line hurdle it conquered.

Here is the tub shut off,

20191228_091854-400x255.jpg
20191228_091947-400x329.jpg
As you see the idea is when assembled it will look like the orginal old set up of the one you fixed up and changed in this thread,

So i got really confused, Here is the hole, these are the same on both tub cut off and shower valve,
20191228_094036-400x469.jpg
It appears at 9/16 hole edge to hole edge, however when i tried to screw a threaded pipe into that hole ( guessing and it appears tapered ) the pipe that fit and screwed in was labeled 3/8, huh?

The other end of that threaded 3/8 was too big to fit it the feed hole from the faucet, :-(

20191228_094758-400x382.jpg
Oddly a piece of 1/2 copper pipe will fit in that hole.

So i gave up left home depot and ended up here trying to figure it out or rather hoping you can clue me in,

Again, many thanks for your help.
 

Reach4

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t appears at 9/16 hole edge to hole edge, however when i tried to screw a threaded pipe into that hole ( guessing and it appears tapered ) the pipe that fit and screwed in was labeled 3/8, huh?
See O.D. (outside diameter) on this picture. The ID of the female thread will be smaller. The nominal diameter (such as 3/8) is approximately the ID of the associated pipe, but the actual ID varies with pipe wall thickness.

pipe-thread.gif

from https://www.engineersedge.com/hardware/pipe_thread_installation_13424.htm

I did not follow the feed hole thing, but maybe the intention was that the feeding would be with 3/8 tubing or even 1/2 inch tubing. Tubing is named by the OD, whereas pipe is measured by the approximate ID.

Nice-looking fixtures.
 
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the13bats

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TY, reach4, for both trying to clue me in and the kind words of the fixture, saved that pic to have on hand,

I'm on a fairly tight budget, I got the faucet cheap as the finish on the main body had a couple small flaws, it just looks so steampunk cool i had to grab it.

So if I'm putting this puzzle together correctly what i need is two supply lines that are 1/2" OD, and a cut off valve for the floor feed line that is 1/2" copper pipe going into it and 1/2" OD going out, sound anywhere near the right path?

It's what appears to be on that down stairs tub, ( done by previous owner about 20 years ago, )
however im not having any luck finding a hard line in this 1/2 od size, many clawfoot tub suppliers have custom made one with high prices but i need generic to bend as needed,

Ace and Lowe's only carry the braided stainless with screw ends, and home depots hard lines are 3/8,

Again, many thanks all,
Cheers
B
 

Reach4

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So if I'm putting this puzzle together correctly what i need is two supply lines that are 1/2" OD, and a cut off valve for the floor feed line that is 1/2" copper pipe going into it and 1/2" OD going out, sound anywhere near the right path?
The cooler feed if visible would be to use chromed riser / supply tubing. That would take some study. But if this is going to be hidden, the flex lines are available with all kinds of choices of ends.
 

the13bats

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The cooler feed if visible would be to use chromed riser / supply tubing. That would take some study. But if this is going to be hidden, the flex lines are available with all kinds of choices of ends.

The feeds and drain will show, the PO who did or had the copper pipe ran to that bathroom didnt plan it out the best, and did a really messed up hodge podge to connect new to them pvc drain to a well rusted and gunked up plugged up tight 100 ? + - yo galvanized drain pipe that fed to the main dump pipe, ( why they didn't replace it all or check the gal' pipes condition is anyone's guess, so about this time last year i tore out all the old gal pipe and ran all pvc drains to that main iron waste tube which is in great condition, they tore a hole about 20x20 where the tub drain was, not sure types or how many different tubs have been here, this one is a beast, huge, they did a very odd pretzel of the 1/2 copper feed lines and tub drain, they didn't have a P trap, so last year i did kind of a mock up with pvc tub drain parts, P trap etc until I could round up brass parts, which i have, and when i get all these faucet parts rounded up i can do all that at one time, it's my ADD OCD curse.

So I'm a step closer in my quest,
I can sweat a threaded fitting to my 1/2" feed coming out of the floor, then screw this to it,
046224051015-400x400.jpg
They have them at Lowe's, threaded in and 1/2 OD compression out,

However, I just cannot at this moment find generic 1/2 OD feed lines like used down stairs, lots of 3/8s no 1/2 perhaps they were phased out in the last couple decades, and in this case like you said the rigid lines would look way cooler plus if I have to fall back on the stainless braided i have the hurdle of the faucet end unless that adaptor isnt hard to find, I'll look at that option,

Thank again
B
 
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