Leaking screwdriver stops - ID or find washer replacement?

[jms]

Sprucing up a bathroom installed in the '80s, replaced shower head assembly, tub spout / diverter, and lubricated and cleaned Price Pfister cartridge, feeling chuffed.

Then noticed a small leak from the screwdriver stops when they were turned back on, and decided "oh what the heck, I'm in here anyway..."

You can guess how this is going.

The screwdriver stops are add-ons, not integrated into the shower valve. The leak is not through the faucet, but instead straight out the stem, about a drop every two minutes, when the stop is open. When closed, there is no leak.

There was a badly degraded (what I thought was a washer when I first posted this, hence the title...) bonnet packing around the stem, behind the bonnet collar, and I am having zero luck finding a replacement: 3/4" OD, 7/16" ID, thickness guessed at 1/8". What's the bonnet packing size that corresponds?

Would spring for replacement stem assemblies if I could ID these. (Attempted to attach photo of assembly, 'file too large' was the error, it's a 273kB photo... limitation on new accounts?)

Thoughts? Family would like to be able to use this shower sometime this *next* year...

 

[Reach4]

I would use packing cord ( stem packing) on top of the degraded packing washers. I like the white PTFE kind, and others have a preference for the black graphite kind. I am not a pro..

Limitations on photos are 800 pixels and 200 KB.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[jms]

I would use packing cord ( stem packing) on top of the degraded packing washers. I like the white PTFE kind, and others have a preference for the black graphite kind. I am not a pro..

Obviously, neither am I. Assume I did the stupid and pulled the old packing washer out in pieces, not understanding what I was looking at. On the upside, there is a clean slate to work with here. On the downside, there is a clean slate.

Limitations on photos are 800 pixels and 200 KB.

Danke. And with that helpful hint...

I added the black O-ring just behind the tip, it looked like it clearly was intended for one. (Mistake?) There is also a brass washer that slides down the stem prior to putting the packing in.

Base of bonnet is flat, interior of valve assembly has flat face, so I'm assuming a flat/flat packing washer is needed, not tapered or domed. I can find *almost* correct sizes on sites such as Danco, such as 7/16" ID / 23/32" OD (note 1/32" too small on OD). What's the tolerance on this? Does the compression take up that last bit, or am I truly looking for a precise measurement on each?.

 

[Marlinman]

This is the most common integral stops used by the older manufacturers. You can use the stem assembly and scrap the body. Compare the bonnet nut first.

https://www.brasscraft.com/product/12-in-fip-x-12-in-mip-4/

 

[jms]

I think I solved it. (I grabbed PTFE stem packing cord just in case, but I ran across this this morning.) Copious notes in case the process helps anyone else.

The bonnet nut is the unusual part of the assembly I have, it is more or less inverted to the norm, and was making it difficult to match to what I've been seeing online. Also, the gap between washer and bonnet nut was of course open to interpretation:

Ran across an app called Stemfinder that has photos and text descriptions. In there, it showed this image:

Listed as a Price-Pfister Part # 3030685, size 1 3/8", Desc: "Price-Pfister Brass Compression Integral Stop Assembly".

Now, searching online for this wasn't fruitful, but it gave me the overall length, and that let me figure out the length of the needed packing bonnet. Bonnet is slightly less than the 3/4" of the width of the threads on the bonnet, and the washer. Call it 11/16". Assume the O-ring is 1/8" thick.

Packing bonnet size: 11/16" OD, 7/16" ID, 5/16" thick

Danco seems to be the current everything-old parts store, so I went to https://www.pscia.com/ASSETS/DOCUMENTS/ITEMS/EN/danco_catalog_2016.pdf and grabbed their online catalog to look up sizes of the packing. On page 154:

#30 OD 11/16" ID 7/16" 5/16" thick used by: American Brass, American Standard, Briggs Republic, California Brass, Empire Brass, Price Pfister, Speakman-Kent, Sterling, T & S Brass

I think a Danco #30, and an O-ring suitable for 7/16" ID and 1/8" thick is exactly what is shown on the image.

Thanks, all.