Leaky tub faucet from the 1950s

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SuperNewUser

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Hi there,

first time poster. This faucet is dripping and I was trying disassemble the cold water side here. This is in an Eichler home from 1954. Presumably original.

Unfortunately I do not know how to remove the stem. To me it seems like the packing nut can be removed (I hope I have identified the right term for it), but it is a brass nut that is round and has two opposing straight sides. There is no visible hexagon anywhere. And you can see the margins are pretty tight. It also does not seem that the outer cartridge/stem body inside the wall is a hexagon.

Does anybody know what model / system this is and how I can remove the stem?

Thanks a lot for your help.

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SuperNewUser

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Hi John,

Thanks for your reply! I successfully removed the packing nut. But I can't remove the stem. Pulling does not seem to help. Do I have to use a wrench to keep turning the stem leftwards? How would I go about using the socket wrench? Are you saying it should go over the visible body that is inside the wall?
 

Terry

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I don't think the six sided sockets are going to help you. I would give it a day or two and see what other comments we get here.
I did grow up with faucets like that, a home built in 1952. In 1965 my mother took a sledge hammer to the bathroom and we wound up with a new tub and single handle faucet. It was Summer, so swimming three blocks away in the lake worked until we had the bathroom rebuilt.
 

Terry

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moen-tl2368ep-replacement-10.jpg


What I have done for three handle faucets to convert to a single.

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Moen Posi-Temp with the TL2368EP trim is one way. Or see if someone can identify the three handle setup you have.
 

John Gayewski

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This seems like what you have. But this type of thing isn't my strong suit. To remove the bonnet I think you would need a shower valve wrench. I think you would then be able to work the stem loose.

There may be someone with a better answer so yes keeping looking at the replies. I think pulling too hard on the stem without removing the bonnet might do some damage. On the other hand it looks like the stem should wiggle free.


Looking more closely-er this doesn't quite match. Sorry.
Good luck.
 

Jeff H Young

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Ive worked on many like that both 2 handle and 3. They are incredibly serviceable and I am not 100 percent sure but when I run into those in So Ca OC riverside , San bernardino or LA Im not kiding in my region Id say 90 or 95 percent were price pfister, parts totaly available . And the thing youll love is how fast those babys fill a bath tub. Your going to have to chip around the stems to get back in wall and use those " Cow Bells" sockets and youll need a seat wrench to replace seats. no no ypu dont need to remove packing nut. you gotta bust out around the stems mammer and chisel or screw driver a tiny bit at time they snap off easy. please protect your eyes the bits can cut hands etc. too. but turn that packing nut.
since the tile is tight around the stems it hasent been serviced since before the tile work was done. Dont know Eicher homes? name looks familiar Some famous mid century builder? Ha I nailed it on the mid century builder, I seen those in Orange and I think Fullerton lived in both citys
 

SuperNewUser

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Hi Jeff,

Ive worked on many like that both 2 handle and 3. They are incredibly serviceable and I am not 100 percent sure but when I run into those in So Ca OC riverside , San bernardino or LA Im not kiding in my region Id say 90 or 95 percent were price pfister, parts totaly available . And the thing youll love is how fast those babys fill a bath tub.

Agreed! They allow for a lot of water to flow. Very convenient.

Your going to have to chip around the stems to get back in wall and use those " Cow Bells" sockets and youll need a seat wrench to replace seats. no no ypu dont need to remove packing nut. you gotta bust out around the stems mammer and chisel or screw driver a tiny bit at time they snap off easy. please protect your eyes the bits can cut hands etc. too. but turn that packing nut.

So that's the part I'm confused about. My understanding is that I need to remove the packing nut (the brass nut with the two flat sides that sits in front of the black "cloth"-like stuff) and the continue turning the stem leftwards to pull it out. Could you elaborate a bit on what you mean by not having to remove the packing nut? Are we talking about the same part?

since the tile is tight around the stems it hasent been serviced since before the tile work was done. Dont know Eicher homes? name looks familiar Some famous mid century builder? Ha I nailed it on the mid century builder, I seen those in Orange and I think Fullerton lived in both citys

Yep, that's the one. Joseph Eichler. Built a lot of homes in SoCal. (I'm in NorCal though).
 

Jeff H Young

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Super new user maybe google or look at Price pfister two handle valve stem assembly . or even any home depot or hardware store . Its hard to explain but the packing nut dosent need to be removed Personaly id replace them , but even to change washer gotta unscrew the entire assembly and grab it with a deep socket. even try you tube , this site is great but I dont know how to post pictures of it or videos. After you see a video or the part youll understand why the tile needs to be chipped around the handles
 

SuperNewUser

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I found someone with the exact same stem: https://terrylove.com/forums/index....ng-1950s-pfister-2-handle-shower-stems.97424/

So I replaced the washer, but the faucet is still dripping a bit. I'll probably need a replacement set including seat now. This looks like the right family of parts: https://www.fergusonrepairparts.com/item/p021-075/cr-rb-kits//

I tried using my newly acquired seat wrench to get the seat out, but it didn't grip it and I could not really see a quad shaped or hexagonal opening when using my flashlight and looking into the hole.

I assume a regular tapered seat wrench should be fine, right? I must have been holding it wrong then.
 

Jeff H Young

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ive seen some of the seat wrenches need to have the cut tip down as the wrench tip can hit the back of the valve body preventing it from going in far enough and gripping the seat. hope this makes sence.
Darn it looks like you have crane valve and not what I thought. perhaps the samething with the wrench as I experiaced on the price pfister
 

SuperNewUser

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ive seen some of the seat wrenches need to have the cut tip down as the wrench tip can hit the back of the valve body preventing it from going in far enough and gripping the seat. hope this makes sence.
It does make sense and this is what happened to me probably.

Luckily I didn't need to replace the seat, because the leak is gone after greasing everything and properly tightening the packing nut. Also I learned about plumber's putty and used that too.

Thanks for your help! Amazing forum here!
 
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