Tub faucet leak, 3 handles- could middle/shower handle cause leak?

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colin72

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Hi

I'm trying to fix my parents' leaking tub faucet. It's 3 handles and very old (30+ years). I don't know the brand. I'm very much a novice when it comes to DIY plumbing.

After reading and watching videos online, I did some work that I thought would solve the problem but it did not. For both the hot and cold handles I replaced the seat washers, the valve seats, and the packing washers (all were rotted/damaged and needed replaced).

When I turned the water back on, the tub faucet still leaks as it did (more than a little drip). I did not do anything to the middle/shower handle. Could it be causing the leak? Do I have to replace it's parts as I did for the other handles?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I really appreciate it.

Colin
 
If you don't know the brand how do you know if you put the correct seats in (Just trying to help). The divetrer will not cause the leak, water enters the hot & cold sides of the valve before making it's way to the diverter. Post some photos of the stems and someone might be able to ID.
 
If you don't know the brand how do you know if you put the correct seats in (Just trying to help). The divetrer will not cause the leak, water enters the hot & cold sides of the valve before making it's way to the diverter. Post some photos of the stems and someone might be able to ID.


Thanks for the reply.

I wanted to rule out the diverter (didn't know that term) being the cause first. But yes, it cold be the seats or a couple other things.

I took the old seats to the hardware store with me to get new ones. I didn't even bother going to Lowes. The hardware store I went to has existed since the 1850s. No, that's not a typo. They had a couple dozen different seats. None were an exact match but the guy who helped me gave me one that he said would work (whether that's true, I of course don't know for sure). He said the one he gave me was basically the same size but had one thread more/was a tiny bit "thicker". He claimed that would not matter.

I will have to take some pictures and post them to explain the other potential issues and get some advice.
 
Here is a comparison of the old and new seats. You can see that they are slightly different but as I said, I was told the new ones would work.

03.jpg


04.jpg



Here are a couple pics of the stems. This is how they looked after putting on the new hardware. The faucet still leaked when they were put in and as you can see the seat washers are already worn/indented.

Not too sure of my terminology so please bear with me... I replaced the packing washers (below the brass washer). Also, I tried replacing the brass washer but could not find ones that were exactly like the old ones. The ones I found were half as thick - it's hard to see from the photos but they are already bent/warped.

01.jpg


02.jpg
 
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The seats don't match. You need a seat that matches the original.

Thanks johnjh2o.

As I said above, the hardware store I went to had a couple dozen different seats. None were an exact match but the guy who helped me claimed the one he gave me would work. I knew he might be wrong (and obviously was).

I'm in a small town. My other option is Lowes and I seriously doubt they have one to match if my local hardware store doesn't.

Any ideas on how I find one to match?

Thanks again
Colin
 
A plumbing supply house may be able to find a exact match for you. Or if you post a picture of the faucet, not just the stems we may be able to identify the make for you and point you in the right direction.
 

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