The tub diverter spout will not move!

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Vegas_sparky

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I know the pipe extractor will bite. Would a cordless impact with the extractor help to break it free?

Can plumbers grease be applied over/under Teflon tape to keep this from happening?

Crusty old fittings are always a nuisance for us amateurs. Its always a relief when the damage is only to the part being removed on the outside of the wall.
 
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Cephus

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Tub spouts go onto pipes. Either copper, which this one isn't using, or a pipe nipple.
A pipe extractor allows the removal of the pipe barely at the wall.

attachment.php


A very standard tub spout that uses a pipe nipple.

That's what mine looks (looked) like, but an extractor wouldn't help remove the old diverter because the diverter is over the pipe as you describe. It would help me remove the pipe from the wall but that's not what I'm looking to do. I've drilled out the end of the cover, as I showed in my picture and I even had a fleeting thought of using an extractor but it just doesn't work for my application. To be honest, I don't know that my 18v drill would turn it regardless.
 

Terry

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I've tried to explain what I would do. And you are very close to finishing now.

I hold onto the end of a pipe extractor with a wrench. A drill won't help even a little bit with turning the extrator.
It's not a job for everyone. And it's not the type of job that is good to do, if you favor your wrist joints.
You should consider bringing somebody in that can turn that wrench. It's not the type of work I expect everyone to be able to do. It can be that hard.
 

Cephus

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I use brass nipples so I don't have a corrosion problem with my installs.

Which would be great, had I installed this in 1928 or whenever it was done, but I didn't so I have to deal with the shortcuts and bad practices that the people who built and/or renovated the house took. Trust me, this thing is going to be better than ever when and if I am ever finished, I just wish I could do more. There just is no access to the plumbing behind the tub and I'm not about to re-tile the whole thing to do it.
 

Cephus

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I've tried to explain what I would do. And you are very close to finishing now.

I hold onto the end of a pipe extractor with a wrench. A drill won't help even a little bit with turning the extrator.
It's not a job for everyone. And it's not the type of job that is good to do, if you favor your wrist joints.
You should consider bringing somebody in that can turn that wrench. It's not the type of work I expect everyone to be able to do. It can be that hard.

I just checked and the biggest extractor I have on hand is a #6, which isn't big enough. It looks to me like this is 3/4" pipe.
 

Cephus

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Well, after a ton of hard work, I finally got it off. It literally took me hacking it into little pieces and beating it out with a hammer but finally, I split it down the middle, broke off the remainder of the chrome, then took a pry bar to the brass and it broke away. Thank you for all of your help, now I'm going to put it back together the right way.

Tub Diverter Removal Final.jpg
 
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Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

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