Bathtub Faucet Replacement

[Silkgypsy]

Hello, I have a 1984 Jayco 28 Jaycrane RV, yes, it's very old. The bathtub faucet is leaking and I need to replace it. However, the faucet was cemented onto the shower wall and it seems that the only way to get it off is to cut around it and take it off. But the wall is pretty thick and I have hard time to cut into the wall. I think the shower wall is made of ABS, a very hard plastic on top of the wood panel of the RV itself.

Can anyone give me some suggestions how to get the faucet off so I can replace it with a new one? I looked behind the wall and there's no space between the faucet connector and the hot water tank connector, so I couldn't even disconnect them as there's not enough space to separate the connectors. As of now, I have to turn off my water mainline whenever I am not using water so I won't waste any water, which is very inconvenient.

I live in a rural area, if I use a plumber, it'll cost me at least over $600 for them to come over, which is a lot for me to spend.

Any suggestions/comments are much appreciated.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A photo of the faucet & wall might help us better understand what you are facing.

Sounds like you might have to cut the faucet & adjacent plumbing out and rebuild it around a new faucet. That's a fairly common problem because RVs are rarely assembled with future maintenance in mind

 

[Onyrlef]

Im not saying it wasn't glued on but that would be highly unusual. Are you saying you can see the backside of the faucet, inside the wall, and there's not a retaining nut between the water line connection and the wall.

 

[Silkgypsy]

Yes, I

A photo of the faucet & wall might help us better understand what you are facing.

Sounds like you might have to cut the faucet & adjacent plumbing out and rebuild it around a new faucet. That's a fairly common problem because RVs are rarely assembled with future maintenance in mind

I have tried to cut the faucet but the shower wall and the wood panel it was attached to are pretty thick, almost an inch thick.

 

[Silkgypsy]

Im not saying it wasn't glued on but that would be highly unusual. Are you saying you can see the backside of the faucet, inside the wall, and there's not a retaining nut between the water line connection and the wall.

It was glued on and it was really tight as I couldn't cut through between the shower wall and the back of the faucet. I can see the connectors between the faucet and the hot water tank through the hot water tank closet door. I can loosen the connections but just couldn't separate them as there's no space to move. The pipes from the water tank to the faucet cannot be bent as they are very hard.

I have attached photos of the faucet front and inside the hot water tank closet for you all to see.

Thank you all.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Use a powered jig saw or a drywall (aka jab or keyhole) hand saw. You can get metal-cutting blades for them is needed.

The area where the faucet is mounted typically has a plywood backer for reinforcement but it's rarely very large. You may want to cut around the backer board instead of close to the faucet itself. You will have to repair the wall regardless.

Just saw your photos...
That type of faucet is usually only sealed around the edges with a caulk, usually silicone. Not actually glued in. You should be able to pry it loose with a flat pry bar or trim puller tool. First unscrew the water line connectors on the back of the faucet. They will slide over the water line as they unscrew and release the connection.

 

[Silkgypsy]

Use a powered jig saw or a drywall (aka jab or keyhole) hand saw. You can get metal-cutting blades for them is needed.

The area where the faucet is mounted typically has a plywood backer for reinforcement but it's rarely very large. You may want to cut around the backer board instead of close to the faucet itself. You will have to repair the wall regardless.

I bought a Goldblatt folding drywall/sheetrock saw (jab/hand saw) since it's small and could be used to cut around the faucet, but I need to get an opening first. I tried to drill a big hole at one corner of the wall near the faucet and that's when I realized the wall is almost one inch thick (between the shower wall and the wood panel which I think is plywood, of the RV) and the drill had hard time to go through the wood panel part.

 

[Onyrlef]

Remove the water lines and using a punch and hammer tap the retaining nuts loose, counter clockwise, tap on the ears. That was likely adhesive caulk inside the tub wall. Not sure why they’d have needed to glue it with those nuts on the backside.

 

[Silkgypsy]

Remove the water lines and using a punch and hammer tap the retaining nuts loose, counter clockwise, tap on the ears. That was likely adhesive caulk inside the tub wall. Not sure why they’d have needed to glue it with those nuts on the backside.

I was able to unscrew the connectors but was not able to separate them since there's no space to move around. The only way the water lines could be separated is for the faucet to come off from the tub side which is what I have difficulty doing so. The water lines are made of hard plastic, unbendable.

 

[Rene T]

What is actually leaking? The valve assembly looks in pretty bad shape but if it’s just leaking out of the spigot, you may have been able to get replacement parts to stop the leak.

 

[Rene T]

Remove the water lines and using a punch and hammer tap the retaining nuts loose, counter clockwise, tap on the ears. That was likely adhesive caulk inside the tub wall. Not sure why they’d have needed to glue it with those nuts on the backside.

I agree. Those nuts are what is probably holding the shower valve assembly to the shower wall. We can see them in your picture. You shouldn’t need to separate the pipes from the valves. Just unscrew them and slide them as far as you can then remove the nuts we’re talking about.

 

[Silkgypsy]

What is actually leaking? The valve assembly looks in pretty bad shape but if it’s just leaking out of the spigot, you may have been able to get replacement parts to stop the leak.

The part where the shower hose connected to the faucet was broken (see attached, the white plastic part) and water leaked out from the opening.

 

[Silkgypsy]

I agree. Those nuts are what is probably holding the shower valve assembly to the shower wall. We can see them in your picture. You shouldn’t need to separate the pipes from the valves. Just unscrew them and slide them as far as you can then remove the nuts we’re talking about.

I did unscrew the nuts all the way but since the faucet was "glued" to the shower wall, I couldn't separate the faucet connector and the tank connector since there's no space to move around.

 

[oldwildman]

I did unscrew the nuts all the way but since the faucet was "glued" to the shower wall, I couldn't separate the faucet connector and the tank connector since there's no space to move around.

I think there are two nuts. The gray ones hold the supply line on. Inside the hole in the plywood, it looks like there are black retaining nuts on the same shaft. Looks like the same setup as with residential sink faucets. Did you loosen those ones?

 

[Kirk]

Keep in mind that an RV which is now 40 years old has probably had several owners and it is quite possible that what you have is not original to the RV.

I think there are two nuts. The gray ones hold the supply line on. Inside the hole in the plywood, it looks like there are black retaining nuts on the same shaft. Looks like the same setup as with residential sink faucets. Did you loosen those ones?

In studying your second picture I agree with that suspicion. It is possible that the water heater was removed to gain access to the mounting. That would explain why the faucet set does not come loose.

 

[Silkgypsy]

I think there are two nuts. The gray ones hold the supply line on. Inside the hole in the plywood, it looks like there are black retaining nuts on the same shaft. Looks like the same setup as with residential sink faucets. Did you loosen those ones?

You are a life saver! I have never noticed those two black ones that against the faucet back. I unscrewed them and the faucet came off! I replace the new one and now everything is working great. There was a small leak on one of the connector, I tighten the connector as much as I can, hopefully it'll stop leaking soon. The leak wasn't serious, I can use some water-proof tape and tape it.

Thank you everyone for the help. After trying to remove the faucet for over two months, who knew two small nuts solved the issue right away.

Again, thank you everyone.

 

[Rene T]

You should have probably had a foam washer at the end of the pipes. You should replace them even if they’re not leaking. When new, they are cone shaped. The ones you take out will not be cone shaped because they were compressed for years. When you replace them, do NOT use any tools to tighten the nuts. Only tighten them using your hands. If you use tools, good chance you’ll over tighten them and they will split. They are designed to tighten only by hand.

 

[Silkgypsy]

You should have probably had a foam washer at the end of the pipes. You should replace them even if they’re not leaking. When new, they are cone shaped. The ones you take out will not be cone shaped because they were compressed for years. When you replace them, do NOT use any tools to tighten the nuts. Only tighten them using your hands. If you use tools, good chance you’ll over tighten them and they will split. They are designed to tighten only by hand.

Thank you, I'll do that.

 

[John From Detroit]

It is possible (Not saying the odds are good) that if you start taking that apart Remove knobs. some nuts and such you will find the faucet has parts that can be replaced (the valves) without removing the entire thing.

 

[MoInEd]

There is a pair of nuts behind the faucet lines (in between the water line and faucet) that hold the faucet tight against the wall. Loosen them and completely open the water lines. Use a utility knife to score/cut around the possible silicone/sealant around the faucet and it should come off. Nobody would glue that in.