How To Repair a Leaking Shower Valve | Ask This Old House

[@akpeagles]

I love how the show gets the home owners involved in working on the upgrades!

[@AdultsSwim1]

Man, I wish I had someone like Richard in my life 😄 SO. MANY. HOME. PROJECTS.

[@reaperbot5226]

swear they have done this type of video multiple times already on the TOH channel. but it's still nice to have a refresher course once in a while.

[@monkeyoperator1360]

i think they have been slightly different each time

[@janebutz5375]

I will watch anything with Rich Trethewy! He makes plumbing fun!

[@JimDean002]

This is really the only channel that I have an alarm Bell set for. If they post it I want to see it.

[@edwardthegreat1382]

One project I did 75 moen remodel kits. Learned a lot at that time!

[@GalacticTradingPost]

kindness and decency go a long way for a contractor. i bet he could charge higher prices and the homeowner would still leave him 5 star reviews.

[@jasonsgroovemachine]

It's amazing to me after the comment about keeping so much of the original detail in the house that the chosen repair here - which was not the only option - was to do exactly the opposite of that. This is a good fix for a lot of folks... but not for these folks.

[@Vincerama]

Three handle showers are illegal now in many states, due to the scald danger. Repairing it would have required pulling the stems and either somehow rebuilding them (new washers, if you can find or make some to fit) or replacing them (if you can find replacement parts of that ancient valve system). However, due to the mud wall encasing the valves, it's very hard to remove the stems. My house, build in 1938 has a similar three handled shower, but worse ... it still has galvanzed pipes. The house in the video has had a re-pipe done to swap in copper, and that's probably why there is an access panel there ... from whoever did the repipe before, but they kept the original valves/handles and now they have gone bad. I think the homeowner wanted the original tiles, not necessarily the old handles. And of course "This Old House" wouldn't make the swap if the homeowner didn't agree to it. The new shower valve is safer and much much easier to repair in the future.

[@blad170]

Excellent explanation to that symmons temp balance shower spindle rich! You’ve been a great teacher during my time of plumber. God bless you sir

[@quercusrubra777]

I would vote for a solution that didn't require cutting such a large hole.

[@williammentink]

I'm right there with you. It looked to me that the hole would need to be the size of the valve plus some clearance. It pained me to see the size of it.

[@nick4leader]

Yeah,I have no idea why the hole needs to be so big

[@hitdamatazaza5744]

@@nick4leaderit need to be that big cause it got to cover the holes on side the trim alone won’t cover those holes

[@dancollins4372]

yeah, looks waaay too big, given they had access panel.

[@Jaredshapiro1]

@@dancollins4372I think it’s just easier. They needed the repair plate to cover the old 3 valve holes, so why make a smaller access hole when the biggest one possible will also work. It also ensures he won’t need to cut more if the original was too conservative.

[@DavidVazquez-ol5fd]

Just I love all your videos. I solve few problems in my job just watching a video from you. Thanks a lot

[@danielmaldonado9781]

Dang I wish it was that easy to access behind old houses like those in Texas

[@JimDean002]

It's not a bad gig. If you have an oscillating saw. I would suggest cutting a small enough hole that you can shine aight in there and see what might be behind there

[@rebokfleetfoot]

same situation here but there be no rear access, it was a challenge

[@leemp337]

does the cap need to be sealed with silicone?

[@cardo1111]

As always very nice work Richard 👍🏽

[@a.l9313]

I have a similarly constructed bathroom. However, I don't have an access panel. Time to add cutting out an access panel to my list of projects, before calling the plumber out to replace the valves.

[@mabdub]

I'm shocked! Could this situation not have been fixed using some other method so that the original beautiful fixtures and tiles could have been preserved??? Surely, there must have been a better solution. Actually, watching this video was heartbreaking.

[@kevinadamski224]

You can also replace the three handle shower valve with another three handle valve but most place's by code you have to have a "pressure balancing valve" shower valve.

[@kylefogle6022]

If you wanted to preserve the tile you could have installed a remote pressure balance valve upstream and repaired or replaced the existing valve. Kind of bazaar to see you chose not to considering the available access.

[@valenzaplumbing]

Three handle valves are garbage and ancient in their lack of tech. He could have removed the washer/stem and replaced them with ceramic cartridges. But it’s a lot of money to spend on something that’s 80 years old.

[@mahomv9824]

No gasket no caulking

[@lukpac]

The cover plate has a built-in gasket.

[@awesomepumashoes]

No waterproofing on the edge of the face plate?

[@engrpiman]

I would have put a support board to support the valve

[@Sifu-intraining]

that looked really nice

[@kylefogle6022]

If you were interested in preserving the tile, as i thought the homeowner was, you could have installed a remote pressure balance valve upstream of the old valve. That would have allowed the existing valve to be repaired or replaced with something identical, and satisfy any plumbiing code. Given all the acces available, its difficult to understand why you didn't go that route. Those remodel plates are hideous.

[@skewdtchr85]

I have a clinker brick house too!! Love it!

[@wollinger]

Oh man.. could use some of that at my place.

[@2006rm250]

Wth was it necessary to punch a hole that big????

[@JacobConkin]

Yes. The biggest the better

[@sterlingodeaghaidh5086]

Manufacturer recommendations, best guess is this is meant to go in a shower that doesnt have an access, so you have to cut a hole big enough to remove the valve anyway, this just allows you to cut just enough to do the job without having to redo tile.

[@Vincerama]

@@sterlingodeaghaidh5086 exaclty. The access panel was lucky. The manufacturer of the escutcheon just provided a template for the giant hole so that you could access the pipes more easily from the front. From the front, the we can see from the front that access to the pipes is much easier. However, if he didn't have that access plate, removing the old plumbing would have been a lot harder

[@JimDean002]

7:09. After they marked out the template they could have literally held the valve back up from the chad and marked around the valve spout. That's the only thing that had to come through the wall. I would have much preferred that. You would have still had 2/3 of your tile there

[@SALESPRODUCTIONS]

( Was an apartment maintenance for 4 years in south Florida ) 20 units etc . . The showers had NO access panel AND the water in south Florida is so hard it EATS all the plumbing starting with all rubber gaskets - ( fossilizing them ) and at junctions and other random places it eats cooper piping from the inside ( galvanic corrosion ) and springs a leak inside the walls etc . . Also I had valves that were literally fossilized in place and no amount of stem pulling - heat - ( mapp gas ) - kinetics ( banging on them ) would remove the valves. So I had to break open the walls on the other side remove the entire assemblies - sweat new ones in - and then drywall and paint. It was bedroom walls. HARD WATER DESTROYS older piped plumbing.

[@workingshlub8861]

20 years apartment tech here...i hear you on the hard water....ive worked in places where toilet flappers would last maybye 6 months...

[@keithgiosa]

I’m curious why 1) no shut off valves were added when the fixture was removed making repairs easier in the future and 2) why Richard used sweat fittings rather than crimp. Great video, regardless! We need this in an old shower.

[@sterlingodeaghaidh5086]

Solder fittings are still the best option for longevity, as for the reason no shutoff valves are installed, its just due to labor, its extra labor and more materials to add for no other benefit other than isolating a single point that doesnt need frequent changing unlike a sink faucet or something else.

[@workingshlub8861]

dedicated shutoffs are not required for shower faucets...

[@GalacticTradingPost]

@@sterlingodeaghaidh5086 also rats seem to be attracted to the softer plastics in the pex tubing that you guys are talking about.

[@JackTheAwesomeKnot]

Title: How To Repair a Leaking Shower Valve. Richard: Rips it all out and replaces it.........

[@adamblackwell2718]

Another good solution and video. I love this show and have done since a kid, but whats with the music on American shows? They are fitting a shower it's not a drama!

[@keithhastings4092]

Did the new hole really need to be that big?

[@grayfox9911]

Thanks for the video.

[@jasonpartridge7533]

This isn't repairing a leaking valve, this is replacing a valve. And, as an added convenience, has a huge access panel already in place. How does one go about actually repairing a valve, without changing the tile, where an access panel does not previously exist?

[@herbieherbie-kj1es]

I'm thinking of cutting an access panel in the bedroom closet for the same job.

[@xoxo2008oxox]

I have same shower valves. I just replaced them with same valves. Sure, its hot on a flush, but that is the nostalgia. Still having this as an option to replace and update the plumbing... just curious why Richard didn't go proplex fitting sans soldering?

[@dgrblue4162]

Licensed plumbers may not be able to just fix the leaky valve without giving the homeowner an anti-scald. They have rules to follow. Also, the plumber doesn't want to be sued.

[@slicktmi]

Cost probrably or didn't have a pro press the amount of pro press fittings would cost as much as that valve not worth it imo.

[@camicri4263]

Always a solution! Blessings 💕🤗

[@robertwioch3691]

Hello Very Good Work. Gave you thump up and A 100% feed back for you... From Robert 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@christopherlipfert1790]

Thanks

[@2-old-Forthischet]

That's the reason I hire a pro when needed. I know my limits.

[@danmar007]

I've been watching TOH since the 90's. I can't think of another show I have watched for so long. ATOH came after, so ... :-) What I'd love to know is how to access a leak you can't get to.

[@malikdigger4544]

Richard from (TOH) know ur professional plummer & etc. but 8::26 u going trust heat torch instead of caulking or fasteners around gaski.

[@Eric_thedisciple]

Richard you know good and well that hole didnt have to be that big

[@workingshlub8861]

you have to put those symmons valves spindles in a certain way or they will bind up....

[@georgepmr]

Armchair criticizing...I would stabilize that handle with a piece of wood considering how many times your going to use it, then that beautiful soldiering will last forever! :)

[@geoffsayers8736]

I was just thinking if the homeowner didn't shut the water of properly, richard would have a big surprise 🤣🤣

[@Vincerama]

Nah, even with the water shut off, you have to open up a faucet (most likely the one he's standing at ... the tub faucet!) to let the water out. They just didn't show it.

[@dgrblue4162]

Rember professional plumbers have to follow the codes and laws of the state and area they operate in. Which may require that pressure balance valve be installed. Homeowners, can replace like for like, but they accept the, and have to do the work themselves

[@vc8424]

I must of missed something, why was such a big hole necessary?

[@Dino_Buk]

Why plumbers never caulk around these plates??

[@traktion9]

The new ones come with their own water proof gasket for a cleaner look.

[@moemanncann895]

​@@traktion9 That view through the access panel showed that the foam gasket didn't seal properly against the tile, hole was made too big. I would put a nice thin bead of bathroom silicone around the plate in front to make sure

[@chrisf9607]

Grinder works

[@jaxsoncarter5058]

I don’t need a pressure shower i have pumped water and i can run every sink and flush the toilet and pressure stays the same

[@oldskoolwayy]

Amazing how they took out character items for boring modern attachments..you can tell he wanted to keep those tub knobs.

[@knowledgeispower6192]

Anyone else notice the covered electrical box near the floor. Im surprised they didn't address that

[@alpachino7663]

*It's never about the fireplace,* lol

[@dannyburl5324]

Hey guys my outside facet is leaking can you help me?/

[@peoplethesedaysberetarded]

I’d be careful in asking this. Given what we just saw, they’d blow out your exterior wall completely to do that work.

[@charlesfinnegan7930]

The Symmons remodel escutcheon plate is big but looks decent when no other options (other than tile repair) are available. I remember doing a few of the old Moen ones that were ugly as hell. They look like the front of a championship belt from WWE or boxing. Completely heinous.

[@HAMRADIOJOE4178]

i can watch tommy all day

[@JamesAutoDude]

So basically the answer is a bigger plate/hole, and a big enough rear access 😂 tbh with how much rear access they had, the huge hole was unnecessary

[@lawrencematos7493]

Now he needs to put some caulk around the plate and fixtures ..

[@lukpac]

No, it has a built-in gasket.

[@timc1341]

Richard, buddy, you've never heard of autocuts?

[@MrJdebest]

Recently, our 18 story hirise was completely re plumbed. All the old pipes were replaced with Pex pipes, no soldering. Just an expander tool and slip fitting, a minute later, the pex contracts onto the fitting, and it's done. The crew of dry wallers and painters followed - most excellent results. 👍 Supposed to last 30 - 50 years. *** I mentioned this because it is very easy to work with, no soldering skills required.

[@williammentink]

That house is nearing a hundred years old, one would think that the plumbing is that old as well.

[@JimDean002]

Expansion pex fittings are starting to show some issues with the expansions splitting after several years. Apparently they don't have quite enough elasticity to maintain that much of an expanded profile without eventually giving away. It's not common but it's definitely a thing that's happening. Sadly the only thing that still holds true as the best one going is plain old copper

[@MrJdebest]

@@JimDean002 Yah, the only thing forever is the Earth 🌎 and sky. !

[@terryhunt691]

Wrong title. This is a great video if you want to switch fixtures, not repair existing fixtures.

[@4212daniel]

no need for that whole to be that big unless there wasnt a access door

[@DavannaJoinery]

❤️

[@DM7817]

Dude really loves his 50 year old subway tile...at some point it's worth remodeling the bathroom, friends.

[@Dino_Buk]

Why? There's nothing broken and it's completely functional bathroom.

[@invisiblerevolution]

So if you had a 57" Chevy.... you'd sell it for a Tesla, because the 1950's was years ago!

[@DM7817]

@@invisiblerevolution what a bad analogy

[@invisiblerevolution]

@@DM7817 Nope!

[@1971mav]

The real reason to keep the original tile and other things is because it's cheaper.

[@frdradio]

Dude has 1972 shower valves but pro-press sutoffs on new copper in the basement. Not staged at all.

[@hitdamatazaza5744]

Lol not to mention empty closet

[@ekujj13]

Looks like “original” tile from the 70s

[@williamvaszocz1150]

“We love all the original details” yet put in a hideous remodel plate.

[@scotttovey]

"How To Repair a Leaking Shower Valve" Repair? That was more like how to replace a leaking shower valve. I really don't care for the valve design in this particular valve.

[@larogersii1]

I dont like the solution he picked for this. He damaged the old tile more that needed to be replaced a few o rings and seat.

[@charlesdatri2318]

Beautiful copper work by Richard but what an ugly flimsy front end with a completely unnecessary and unsupported giant hole (there are good quality three stem controls) . Wait till the water starts to work its' way behind the plate.

[@BiggMo]

Sad … the three valve is part of that original character

[@invisiblerevolution]

I know right!!!!!!! 😫😫😫😫

[@miguelangelvster]

You damaged the tiles , so the idea it was do not touch the tiles

[@natersalad889]

Wow horrible solution.....

[@williamfabiano9407]

That’s ugly

[@yaosio]

Somebody tell Richard the mask doesn't work unless both straps are on his head.