Trying to find a replacement for an old shower diverter valve.

[MageDK]

Hello all. My shower/tub has been leaking for a while so I finally went out and bought new stem valves to install. It's an old bathroom that looks like it was done in the 70's. It's a 3-valve setup (a stemfor hot, cold, tub/shower diverter). I was able to replace the hot and cold stems without any issues. The problem I am having is the diverter valve.

The new diverter valve threads are not catching in the pipe no matter how hard I try to seat it. The old valve is threaded all the way to the end of the stem, but the new one is not like that. The new stem is not threaded all the way like that and only has a few rows of threads before the cut outs for the water.

Old Valve:

I cleaned up the old valve as best I could and I reinstalled it for now. I would like to replace that diverter valve so it matches the other 2. Right now I had to put on the old fittings over the stem to be able to use it.

Any ideas on what brand/model I could use to replace it?

It's not an emergency. I turned the water back on and nothing is leaking, but it's pretty old and work out so I would like to replace it for that and cosmetic reasons.

 

[GReynolds929]

How'd you replace the hot and cold if you don't know the manufacturer?

 

[Twowaxhack]

How'd you replace the hot and cold if you don't know the manufacturer?

That’s a good point.

 

[GReynolds929]

Could you post pics of the original stems, diverter and handles?

 

[MageDK]

I looked around and found a hot/cold stems that were similar to the originals. The only big difference was the part you attach the handle to was a little thinner and longer on the new stem. Other than that the valve part was almost identical. The hot and cold are installed just fine the water is on and there are no leaks and works great.


Here is a pic of the hot/cold stems. I've tried looking for markings but haven't been able to find any.


here is the escutcheon and handle


The only identifying mark I found was this little TL, but I have no idea what brand that might be.

 

[GReynolds929]

Looks like American Standard Tract Line. Here is the diverter stem. There are also full rebuild kits available including new handles and hardware.

 

[Twowaxhack]

It’s Definitely American Standard Trac-line.

 

[MageDK]

Awesome, thanks for the link. I went ahead and ordered it from Home Depot.

 

[user 32496]

Awesome, thanks for the link. I went ahead and ordered it from Home Depot.

Are you dead set in keeping the three valve system rather than converting to a pressure balanced or thermostatic controlled valve?

 

[MageDK]

I'm fairly handy, and I have some experience working with copper plumbing (cutting, soldering, etc) but I am by no means a professional. My ultimate goal was to fix the slow leak that I had. Changing the hot and cold valves accomplished that. I plan on replacing the diverter valve just so I don't have to worry about it again for many years.

That being said, I have thought about it over the years but one of the main issues that has stoppeed me from doing so is finding a tile to match the existing shower. The bathroom was tiled a long time ago and over the years I have tried to find a similar tile to match the rest of the bathroom. Retiling the whole bathroom seems like overkill to me just to change the shower faucets that does its job for the most part.

I'm open to any suggestions though.

 

[user 32496]

That being said, I have thought about it over the years but one of the main issues that has stoppeed me from doing so is finding a tile to match the existing shower. The bathroom was tiled a long time ago and over the years I have tried to find a similar tile to match the rest of the bathroom. Retiling the whole bathroom seems like overkill to me just to change the shower faucets that does its job for the most part.

I'm open to any suggestions though.

There are several examples on the Internet but here’s what I did in one of my bathrooms. We have a house that was initially started in 1970 but has numerous additions over the years. I too had a three handle tub/shower faucet diverter setup.


I replaced the valves just like you did but the temperature still fluctuated during a shower, which was my original complaint. I decided to put a new pressure balanced valve in.

I strategically cut a hole behind where the new valve would go.



I used a hand grinder to cut through the tile.




I used a cover over the hole.



Cut a hole for the valve



Screw shut off valves on the existing pipes.



Added this support brace for the new faucet



Bought hole covers off Amazon for old faucet holes.



The new valve works wonderfully! No temperature variations at all. It’s a Moen valve that has replacement parts everywhere.

 

[user 32496]

On a side note: the tile in this bathroom was pink. Someone, before we bought the house three years ago, painted the tile white. I wouldn’t have thought painted tile would work well but this shower was used several times a day for the last three years until recently when I completed our bath in our bedroom. The painted tile has held up perfectly.

I went to Lowe’s and got some paint mixed to touch up some spots that got dinged. It works better than I thought it would.

 

[MageDK]

I really do hate the color of the existing tile, but not enough to retile the entire bathroom. I had never considered painting it though. That's an interesting idea though.

Luckily for me, I don't get any temperature fluctuations in the shower. So the existing faucets are fine in that regard.

Making the bathroom look a little more modern would be nice. So maybe painting the tiles and replacing the valve for a more modern look in the shower would be good. The only other downside is the other side of the shower wall is one of the bedroom closets. The closet is paneled with red cedar, so I would have to cut through that. I could make the panel door out of the red cedar. I will think about it.

thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I really do hate the color of the existing tile, but not enough to retile the entire bathroom. I had never considered painting it though. That's an interesting idea though.

Luckily for me, I don't get any temperature fluctuations in the shower. So the existing faucets are fine in that regard.

Making the bathroom look a little more modern would be nice. So maybe painting the tiles and replacing the valve for a more modern look in the shower would be good. The only other downside is the other side of the shower wall is one of the bedroom closets. The closet is paneled with red cedar, so I would have to cut through that. I could make the panel door out of the red cedar. I will think about it.

thanks for the suggestion.

Don’t paint your tile. Trust me.

 

[user 32496]

Don’t paint your tile. Trust me.

Mine has been painted for at least three years and 2 months now. I say "At least" because that's how long I have lived here. I don't know how long before that it was painted.

What experience did you have?

 

[user 32496]

The only other downside is the other side of the shower wall is one of the bedroom closets. The closet is paneled with red cedar, so I would have to cut through that. I could make the panel door out of the red cedar. I will think about it.

thanks for the suggestion.

The closet access would be perfect! Out of the way and easy to hide.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Mine has been painted for at least three years and 2 months now. I say "At least" because that's how long I have lived here. I don't know how long before that it was painted.

What experience did you have?

I’ve been a repair plumber for 35 years. It simply doesn’t hold up. The finish is soft and it eventually peels. I’ve seen hundreds of painted tubs and tile. It’s a common request of real estate agents to sellers in order help sell the house.

A quick “ makeover “ lipstick on a pig approach.

 

[Rickyman]

I’ve been a repair plumber for 35 years. It simply doesn’t hold up. The finish is soft and it eventually peels. I’ve seen hundreds of painted tubs and tile. It’s a common request of real estate agents to sellers in order help sell the house.

A quick “ makeover “ lipstick on a pig approach.

It works great

 

[user 32496]

Yes, I wouldn't think painting a tub or a sink would work very well!

It's a good lesson though. People in the 70's thought pink was a stylish color for the bathroom but nobody wants a pink bathroom now. Think about what is stylish now that won't be stylish in 10, 20 or 30 years.

 

[arctic bill]

That’s a good point.

take the cartrigde to a real plumbers supply counter, they will know