Threaded nipple too long for tub spout!

Users who are viewing this thread

cmose

New Member
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
Hello all, a diyer here at the tail end of a bathroom remodel.

The problem I'm having right now is with attaching my tub spout. The threaded nipple extends 1 5/8 inches from the finished wall. The very end of the threads in the spout end at 1 3/4 inches.

Right now, without any thread tape, I can't get the spout to go more then about half way onto the nipple and I've tried cranking the thing to the point that I was afraid I might actually bend the pipe...

I'm not really sure what exactly I can do about this problem - there's no way that I can see to decrease the length of the nipple from the finished wall and I very very very much do not want to have to remove a tile as that's been set up now for a few weeks at this point (grouted and sealed and etc.).

The spout came with an escutcheon that would push it an extra 1/4'' out from the finished wall. I'm tempted to take my recipe and nip off a 1/4'' from the end of the threaded nipple....How bad of an idea is that....?

help greatly appreciated!!
 

Bob NH

In the Trades
Messages
3,310
Reaction score
9
Points
0
Location
New Hampshire
cmose said:
I'm tempted to take my recipe and nip off a 1/4'' from the end of the threaded nipple....How bad of an idea is that....?

help greatly appreciated!!

The thread is tapered. The only effect that cutting off 1/4" is likely to have is to make it impossible to get the spout on the nipple.

If you got it at HD, they might thread it for you. I have seen a threading machine at mine. Or find a friendly plumbing supply house.

Another alternative is to make a "nipple" using two male adapters and a short piece of tubing soldered together.

You might also be able to do it with two shorter nipples and a coupling.
 

cmose

New Member
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
Bob,
thanks very much for the reply - I'm not positive I understand your comment. The current portion of copper pipe that extends from the finished wall is a piece of 1/2'' copper with a nipple soldered on to the end. There's no room for me, leaving the tile in place, to cut off the existing nipple and attach anything back into place....

Am I misunderstanding your advice? Thanks again, much obliged.
 

TedL

New Member
Messages
602
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
NY Capital District
With what you describe, and assuming the copper is sweated into the elbow in the wall, you would need to unsweat the male adapter that's at the end of the pipe, cut off the necessay half inch or so from the copper, and sweat a male adapter back on. A new male adapter may be easier than cleaning up the old.

Plan B would be to buy a new spout (with diverter if applicable) of the type that slips over a bare copper stub out, with a set screw to retain in place. About $12 at any harware place that has a halfway decent plumbing selection.
 
Last edited:

The old college try

Engineering Technician
Messages
104
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Missouri
I spent a couple of days trying to figure out how to get a nipple the exact size I needed, but the guy at the local hardware store told me to use the copper with male fittings on each end. It worked out great because I was able to get the exact length. It was actually a trial and error thing, but it worked well in the end. The soldered joints are extremely strong, so you don't really have to worry about cracking the joints (unless you get really carried away tightening the thing down).
 

OldPete

DIY Senior Member
Messages
185
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
NJ
Can I ask a stupid question about this thread?

If the nipple going into the wall was too long, why not just remove the nipple and replace it with one that was the proper length?

Inside the wall there will be a threaded female fitting, the nipple threads into that fitting, and the other end of the nipple threads on to the tub fill...

What did I miss???? I've read the thread three times.

Pete
 

Plumber1

Plumber
Messages
1,417
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Florida
put a 1/2" fitting on that spout less nipple and remove the nipple, that way you wont egg shape the old nipple, and then use a shorter nipple.
 

cmose

New Member
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
well, sadly the way I put it in is the idiot way (I had always learned to solder the copper stub in rather then using a double sided male adapter piece that screwed into the wall. Thinking about it now it's extremely obvious (painfully so) that it's blatantly stupid to do anything other then have a threaded elbow in the wall and have copper with male adapters on either end.

I'd thought about the route of trying to take off the current nipple and solder on a plain copper stub and use the slip on type of faucet, unfortunately, there wouldn't be enough copper sticking out of the wall for me to get any solder on (besides that - would a slip on faucet slip on over a slip joint; how many times can I say slip :D ). Assuming I couldn't get any solder onto the slip joint on the wall side, I'd have to use one of the pre-soldered fittings and I know a slip on faucet wouldn't fit over one of those things....

If I could find a way of contorting my solder enough to get at the slip joint behind the surface of the tile, is there any way a slip on faucet is going to fit over the copper stub AND the slip joint?

--edit--
I'm now simmering over the guy who taught me to solder the copper into an elbow in the wall; my own damned fault as it's quite obvious that isn't the best solution...
 

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,602
Reaction score
1,041
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
adapter

One problem is that you are calling it a "nipple" when it is really a male solder adapter. One solution, if you have a "good" plumbing supply store, is to remove the adapter, and then find a "flush male adapter" which is nothing more than a copper disc with male threads on the outer side for the spout and a hole that slides onto the copper tubing. You position it where you need it and solder it on. (You may have to do it a couple of times to get it "straight" since it is very narrow and can "tilt" making the spout not fit against the wall tightly). Because the thread is tapered, there is also a "front" and "back" side.
 

cmose

New Member
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
hj thanks much and I'm quite sorry for confusing my terminology and causing more confusion! I've never heard of nor seen such a thing to my knowledge - I'll have to find out if I have a plumbing store in the area. You don't happen to have a link to a picture of the piece you speak of do you; I'd like to be able to recognize it/better explain what it is if I'm looking for one? I did a quick google search and didn't turn anything up immediately.

At this point I'm also considering trying to get at the plumbing from the wall behind the tile (there is already a moderately well sized access panel) and see if I can just remove the current elbow and replace it with a threaded drop eared elbow - that strikes me as the best overall solution but I'm just not sure if I'll have the room and I'm hesistant to take that whole wall down at this point (the wife is getting a touch sick of the renovation ;-) ).

Thanks again for everyone's help and advice. I'm much obliged.
 

Bob NH

In the Trades
Messages
3,310
Reaction score
9
Points
0
Location
New Hampshire
cmose said:
that strikes me as the best overall solution but I'm just not sure if I'll have the room and I'm hesistant to take that whole wall down at this point (the wife is getting a touch sick of the renovation ;-) ).

You probably saved $1000 by doing the renovation yourself. Tell her you will do something to celebrate with her when it is finished (or sooner if you need to repair the relationship).:D
 

cmose

New Member
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
heh, indeed. She's actually pretty understanding but we've had a few strings of bad luck and a few oversights on my part that have caused some delays. I daresay I saved a bit more then 1k as the bathroom was a total gut job. Stripped down to the studs and new everything (and some tolerablely interesting tile work as well - nothing artistically stunning but at least a step or two up from run of the mill).
 

TedL

New Member
Messages
602
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
NY Capital District
You don't solder on a slip on. It slips onto bare exposed copper tube and seals against the pipe with an o-ring. You don't usually need much exposed pipe to use it.
 

Markts30

Commercial Plumber
Messages
625
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Phoenix, AZ
TedL said:
You don't solder on a slip on. It slips onto bare exposed copper tube and seals against the pipe with an o-ring. You don't usually need much exposed pipe to use it.

There are also slip on thread adapters which are just a thin brass sleeve which fits over the copper pipe and have the threads on them...
We use them all the time for flushometers but you can buy them separately as well...
They are solder ons...
They don't have the tendancy to become tilted as they are just like a fiting in socket depth....
 

cmose

New Member
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
well, I managed to cut the line going to the tub from behind the wall and solder in a connector and a threaded female brass drop eared elbow. Thought that would solve the problem but the instruction manual for the slip on faucet I grabbed must intend it's stated measurements as bare minimums - it stated 2 1/2'' copper from the finished surface for the slip on. Yeah, that didn't work. The thing leaks like the dickens. I suppose I'll have to unthread it from the wall and just put a nipple on but make sure it's in the right place this time ;-)

The other delightful issue I'm having is that I guess my pegasus mixer's cartridge isn't seated correctly as you have to finally balance the handle between the hot and the cold to actually shut off the water flow, it takes about 30 sec and lots of fine tuning to actually shut off the flow for good!
 

cmose

New Member
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
ahhh, ok, that makes sense now - that's soldered in place I assume?

Regarding the shut off for my mixer valve - the cartridge (hope I'm using the correct term - that's what the manual referred to it as) has 3 holes in the back - similar to this :eek: (best example I could come up with on short notice ;-) ).

How should they be aligned so that when the handle hits the bottom stop the water is cut off? Right now things are all sorts of screwy and the water can only be turned off with the handle halfway between hot and cold....
 

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,602
Reaction score
1,041
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
valve

The "cartridge" only goes in one way. The handle position is either fixed, or it is changed by rotating the handle on the stem. If the stem has splines on it, then the handle has multiple positions. If the handle has "flats" to position it, then there is only one location where it will work.
 

cmose

New Member
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
thanks - as it turns out, when they packaged it up the temperature limiter was on upside down :rolleyes: . Took awhile to figure out their diagram of the unit to determine that it was in the wrong orientation. (well, for me at least).

Thanks again - you've all been tremendously helpful. Just have to tackle this freakin spout (I couldn't find a flush adapter so I'm just going to unscrew the copper stub from the drop eared 90 and attach another sweat adapter - hopefully at the correct distance for the threads in the spout this time).

Now to figure out why the hell the wax ring on the toilet I dropped in is leaking (thank god the toilet hasn't been used yet!). I picked up one of the no-was thingamabobs - I'm hoping that'll do the trick (have a jumbo ring on there right now; the flange is flush to the finished tile floor, perhaps 1/8'' above).
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks