Nipple pipe stuck to my bath faucet. Also not enough room to remove the nipple pipe from the wall. How should I approach this?

[dsticker]

Chisel until I can remove the pipe? Try to clean the putty/epoxy, whatever is stuck to the faucet? Chisel, remove the pipe and buy an entirely new one (if so, I have no idea how to make sure I purchase a correct similar pipe)?

Thanks

 

[Jeff Handy]

First of all, what is the problem that made you take off the spout?

Is there access from behind that wall?

If not, you might be in trouble.

It looks like that adaptor for your tub spout is soldered on.

Unless you can clean up that corroded adaptor, and find a new spout that will slip over it and seal properly, you might be in tough shape.

Access from behind would be life saving, you could rebuild out from there.

 

[Jeff Handy]

There is a threaded copper fitting, just behind the tile, that could be unscrewed, to start over.
But the tile opening is too small to get to it.
And unscrewing it without supporting what it screws onto might break something.
I think you will be calling a plumbing pro, no matter what.

 

[dsticker]

Thanks for the reply! So here's the update that make me think this fubar situation is actually salvageable:

Yes, you are correct, the tube is custom and has be soldered.

I originally had to replace the spout because the diverter doesn't function at all.

I've slightly chiseled and been able to remove the tube. I have successfully removed this custom tube from the spout with no damage. I'll work on cleaning it up. I've left the spout at Kohler for them to find an equivalent model.

When that arrives, my goals are: put plumbers tape on the newly cleaned end of the tube that goes in the wall, secure it, turn the water on to confirm there are no leaks, tape the other end and attach the spout and use silicone as needed. Make sense at all? Seem to be reasonable?

 

[Jeff Handy]

Is the end that goes inside the tub spout threaded or smooth?
If it is threaded, there was no reason to remove it from the wall.
It looked smooth in the picture.
So if so, my bad, sorry.
My eyes are blurry today.

If it is threaded, your plan should work.
As long as the new spout has a threaded receiver of the same diameter, and same distance from the tile wall.

The end that goes into the wall looks to have a female fitting.
If that is right, you will have to try to wrap teflon tape around the male threads that are deep inside the wall.
Or, put generous teflon pipe dope on those male threads, and also on the female threads of the fitting you are screwing on.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Is there access from behind there?
You never answered that.

 

[dsticker]

Trust me, I had no intention of taking the tube outside the wall. Whatever they used to originally secure the spout to the tube was completely stuck and took an incredible amount of force to remove - so when trying to unscrew the spout itself, the tube was what was getting unscrewed first.

That's my fault for not clarifying: what they soldered onto the pipe in the end that goes to the wall is indeed a male end, and what the spout is attached to is also a male threaded end.

There is no access to the wall, unfortunately

 

[Jeff Handy]

Whew, I was afraid I screwed you up!

What they did was create a custom nipple, instead of just using a brass nipple off the shelf.

Plumbers usually use a solid nipple, and by experience they know what length to use.
They are available in 1/2 inch differences.
If you have trouble finding an exact match for a tub spout with the same depth of the internal receiver, you can just get a brass nipple of the right length.

Allow about 1/2 to 5/8 inch insertion depth into both female sockets.
When you are guesstimating the nipple length.

 

[Rickyman]

We do the double male adapter and copper nipple when we don’t have the right size brass nipple on the truck. Not going to take the time to run to the supply house or hardware store for brass nipple.