Removing Moen tub spout

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Sluggo

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I'm helping a neighbor who has a plumbing leak in the ceiling beneath the bathroom, and I'm certain that it is due to water from the shower head that runs down the wall to the tub spout and then goes through the wall where the supply for the spout comes through the wall. The back of the tub spout is about 1/8" from the wall and I can see that the penetration isn't caulked. It looks like the spout doesn't have a set screw, so I assumed it just screwed on. There is an opening on the underside at the back, but I only see copper pipe and no screw. I've exerted quite a bit of force (hands only...no tools yet) and can't get it to unscrew. It's an inexpensive looking plastic spout, and appears to be a brand I've never heard of (NEMO). Is there any trick to getting this off, or am I just not using enough brute force?
 
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hj

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IF it is all plastic, then more brute force. If it is metal, then "more" brute force but not enough to twist the copper stub out of the wall. In that case cut the spout apart until you can access the thread with wrenches.
 

Sluggo

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IF it is all plastic, then more brute force. If it is metal, then "more" brute force but not enough to twist the copper stub out of the wall. In that case cut the spout apart until you can access the thread with wrenches.
hj-
Thanks for the encouragement. I tried a rubber strap clamp and that didn't work, so I put the jaws of a wooden parallel clamp around it (since it had a squarish cross-section) and that gave me enough leverage to get it started. Whoever did the original job kind of had the right idea: the penetration was caulked...but with plumber's putty which had long ago dried out and fallen mostly away. And it was cast metal; just the parts at the business end of the spout were plastic.

Also, I have to admit that my ability to read names backwards in a mirror has declined: the brand wasn't "NEMO," it was "MOEN." Sounds like a good basis for a dyslexic plumber joke!
 
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