Shower leak problem

[Jeff H Young]

in post number 24 you said "only when water hits the valve does it leak" it should be appararent where water is coming from its spraying on it from inside the shower when you tear what apart will you explore how water is infiltrating ? I thought that was established? I mentioned the gasket when you said it was entering around the handle .
its possible you never checked to see if the cartridge leaks out around the stem? perhaps remove handleand trim run water and see if its leaking around the valve , Sorry I thought you solved where water is coming from its a bit confusing what the problem is now that you are revisiting the diagnosis

 

[KineticoUser]

There is no leak coming from the cartridge. That was one of the tests I already ran. The leak comes from water being sprayed from the handheld toward the valve. I need to tear it apart so I can see where the opening is and then block that opening. Moen tech support says there is no gasket, so I have to tear it apart to learn how I can improvise a barrier or gasket to keep water out of the wall. I won't know what I'm dealing with till I get there next Tuesday, unless someone else has knowledge they can share about a similar experience with this valve.

 

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[Jeff H Young]

There is no leak coming from the cartridge. That was one of the tests I already ran. The leak comes from water being sprayed from the handheld toward the valve. I need to tear it apart so I can see where the opening is and then block that opening. Moen tech support says there is no gasket, so I have to tear it apart to learn how I can improvise a barrier or gasket to keep water out of the wall. I won't know what I'm dealing with till I get there next Tuesday, unless someone else has knowledge they can share about a similar experience with this valve.

ok well then you do know where the water is coming from . I told you make a foam gasket and tuttles told you how to make one here is a third way . Take a piece of foam scrap maybe 3/8 thick like a square round dosent matter say 2 x2 3x3 might work cut hole in middle smaler than the valve tubeular escutcheon and glue it on the back of the plate, i maean you could go but 20 feet or whatever sometimes you dont have something on hand and you gotta make it happen .
the old moens always had a gasket , tech support could be wrong the gasket isnt a seperate part , I cant remember ever seeing no type seal whatsoever on the back side of the plate

 

[KineticoUser]

OK, I finally got to the rental and tore the assembly apart. It is the Adler 82603 sitting on a Smitty plate. Though Moen said there were no gaskets, there is an O-ring on the back of the Adler cover plate. It was in sad shape, so I replaced it with plumber's putty. There is also another foam gasket that was sitting inside on the stop tube, but not touching any other surface. I placed it on the outside with plumber's putty underneath and then I added the putty on top, also, to seal any potential opening. I noticed when I tightened the screws, it pulled the tub spout out 1/4" from the wall. You can see it in the picture below. I then looked at the Smitty plate and saw some openings around the edges, so I decided to remove the Smitty plate and put plumber's putty under it. When I did it, I discovered only one bracket was holding it in, and the second bracket is frozen. I am considering cutting it off the plastic Smitty plate and putting a torch to it to break it free and then retapping the bracket and replacing the bolt. If I can't free the frozen bracket, where can I find replacement brackets? Here is what the Smitty plate looks like: Smitty plate Here is a YouTube video showing the installation of this valve and plate: Installing the Adler and Smitty plate video As far as the spout goes, should I just add another 1/4" spacer, or should I cut the copper pipe with 1/2" male adapter and then solder a new male adapter onto the stub? I placed the white spacer under the spout, as there is a broken tile it covers up. Can you recommend an inexpensive 1/4" spacer? I may have some 1/4" plastic sitting around I could cut for this spacer. What are your thoughts on all of this?