Tub water running when off

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VannahHorton

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Our tub has always dripped just slightly when it was off, but last night we couldn’t get it to turn off. There is a steady trickle of water that is warm. I have no plumbing experience and no money to call a plumber. Our house was built in the 40s. Any suggestions?
 
Do you have an access panel on the backside of the wall the faucet is on. Check to see if it has shut offs and turn them off. With no plumbing experience and no funds to get a plumber not sure what else to do. The valve will more than likely need to be rebuilt and possibly change out the valve seats, or it could just be a washer replacement.
 
Sometimes opening the hot valve all the way, then closing it very tightly, and repeating this about ten times, can crush and flush the sediment and minerals that are collected around the valve seat and/or the sealing washer.
A slow-dripping faucet will collect crud inside like that.

However, if the old washer is breaking up (which can cause this slow trickle), this procedure can cause more chunks of the old decaying rubber washer to go bye-bye.

Probably time to scrimp and save somehow, live on peanut butter sangwiches and ramen soup for a week, and get a plumber out there.
Or talk to neighbors and co-workers, see if any are handy enough to try fixing it just for pizza and beer.

That old valve might be so rocked in there from minerals that it will be tough to get it apart to service it.

When it finally gets fixed, you will pbly want to remove and flush out the crud from your shower head, if your tub has one.
 
I went to Home Depot with an old stem and got the correct replacement parts. It was a Delta sink stem. I replaced them both and it still didn't fix the leaking.

What is odd is my husband turned off our main water supply from outside last night and it was still leaking water through the night and this morning. Even after turning the water on to drain the pipes, water was still steadily trickling out. Water wasn't coming out of any other faucet if turned on except the tub.
 
Even with water turned off, there is usually water in the pipes above the valve that will keep trickling down from gravity pressure.
Especially if your house has upper floors.
 
The pros here can advise you, but sounds like the valve seat that the stem seals against needs dressing (reshaping with a grinding tool), or sometimes the seat comes out for replacement.
 
And maybe your water shutoff outside is not shutting off 100 %.
Very common problem.
Especially if an old gate valve.
 
Many replacement stems and service parts look very much alike, but have subtle differences.
You might not have gotten the exact parts you needed.
Or there is another O-ring or washer or doodad that also needs to be changed.
 
if there are brass seats in the valve body they could be nicked causing water to pass by the new stem if you pul the stem either stick your finger into the body if there is a seat its back there if its not smooth it needs to be changed or get a flash light and look in the body ...if there is a seat you will see it
 

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