Help with leaking faucet stem at handle

Advertise with us
Support your community
shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Plumbing Forums

Help Support Plumbing Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
leemort

leemort

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2012
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Location
,
Hello, I have a bathtub with 2 handle setup, American Standard valve stems(#1520) and the cold water stem is leaking water out the front. It is a brand new stem I've just installed because the old one was leaking.

But after install, the new one is still leaking. I bought the replacement stem new, with all new washers and o-ring, so those should be good.

What would my next step be in addressing this leak? Something to do with the seat? I've tried looking up info, but hard to find anything other than replacing washer/o-ring on stem, and particularly hard since there's no info out there about these kinds of stems.

There is also a drip out of the faucet, which I assumed is being caused by the same problem.

I don't know if it helps or matters, but the cold water stem leaks even when I turn on only the hot water handle, and the cold is still shut off.

Also, the drip out of the faucet slows down to almost nothing after I take a very hot, long shower (via shower head adapter, this is just a bathtub setup)

Thanks
 
Last edited:
I did not replace the seat. Is that what I'm supposed to have done, or the next thing to try doing?

Any tips on removing the seat? I don't even really know what the seat is exactly.. Sorry for my ignorance

*Edit- just watched a video of a seat being replaced, so I have a better idea of what that involves now. I guess I need a seat wrench?
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the info- it is greatly appreciated! I will get a seat wrench tomorrow morning and give it a go.
 
Got the seat wrench and that worked easily to remove the seat. Installed the new seat with new stem, and still leaking at stem/handle and out of tub spout.

Any ideas? Could I have messed up the seat install? Seems straightforward.

I have not replaced the hot water stem yet. Plan on doing so, but am focused on fixing the cold first since it is the one leaking, and parts are not readily available at local stores.

I'm not sure what packing nut you are referring to Rickyman, but if you're talking about the stem, these do not have packing nuts as far as I am aware
 
Can you take a picture of the stem and post it?
 
I can take one a bit later as will have to remove it from faucet first, but here's a stock photo, Danco brand but same stem:

51-hEhzoUfL._SL1000_.jpg
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-hEhzoUfL._SL1000_.jpg
 
Last edited:
You haven't changed the hot water stem yet? What makes you think this leak is coming from the cold water? DO them both, look close to make sure the seats and rubber washers of the stems are smooth with no tears at all. report back.
 
I only did the cold first because there is visibly water leaking out the front of the cold water stem.

I planned on doing hot also, but only had 1 new stem at the moment and have to order the second

I did check the washers, and replaced the end washer that screws in with a new one just in case. The seat I replaced was new, and looks good

Here is a stock photo of the seat for this stem

KISS-55-0207-2T.jpg
 
If it is leaking out the stem, you are not seated deeply enough. Are you using Teflon tape on the threads? If so, remove it and add a light coat of Rectorseal on the threads, to act as a lubricant, so it gets seated all the way.
 
No tape or sealant.. I used some plumbers grease on both seat and stem and that was it.

Rectorseal on the seat threads or the stem threads, or both?

I had seen some recommendations to use a sealant but also was worried that if it is still leaking, then it will be very hard to remove again? I guess a light coating wouldn't cause much of an issue? Also is the silicone grease not good enough as a lubricant?

Thanks for the help
 
Would the Rectorseal potentially work better for this purpose? I'd be willing to try it, if so.

I will have to wait until morning to take it all apart again and thoroughly inspect all the washers, but everything looked good to me before and I will be surprised if I see any tears or anything.

Just to be clear, the seat is what you're saying is not seated deeply enough, or the stem?

I've got another stem on the way for the hot side, but I may end up trying that one on the cold if I can't stop the leak on the cold, just to see if the stem is somehow faulty.
 
If I were you, I would pull both stems and set them side by side. Please post a picture to see if there is a slight difference. If a stem is seated completely, and you have new seats, it would virtually impossible to get a leak from the stem.
 
replace with only American standard parts.....off brand parts often leak..lots of posts about repairs.....just something about those parts....try name brand parts.....i have had this same problem....
 
Ok, so I took out the new one and compared it to the old one, and they appear identical except for the front end of the stem is slightly longer. Everything else about them seems exactly the same, kind of seems like its two alternate models for different lengths of how much the handles will extend out from wall.

I would love to buy original American Standard, however as far as I can tell these stems are not available. I have only been able to locate Kessler and Danco, and only Danco is available in extremely limited quantities at a local store. Kessler has to be ordered... and I have not seen American Standard available online anywhere... I mean, its virtually impossible to even find anything online at all about the American Standard original stems.

Here is a comparison of the slightly longer stem model vs the shorter - both are stock photos of the Danco stems, but this is what I have.

I will try buying the shorter version and see if that changes anything, although it doesn't seem like it would since the part inside the valve seems exactly the same..

Thanks for clarifying that I should focus on how its seated

Danco 9C-23H/C
51FMtZgkNaL._SL1000_.jpg


Danco 11C-3H/C

51-hEhzoUfL._SL1000_.jpg
 
I was able to buy the shorter Danco (9C-23H/C) stem pictured above today and swapped it out - the leak at the cold stem seems to have stopped now, so either the shorter one made the difference or the previous stem was somehow faulty.

Still have a drip at the spout, but surely its because the hot water stem needs replacing also. So will have to go buy another one and see if that does it.

Unfortunately already ordered another one of the longer stems, but if this fixes the problem I'll be happy enough.

I will report back, thanks again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top