It started with replacing a washer on my tub faucet. Simple process. Undo a handle, then the stem and put a washer in. Tighten the screw and reassemble. Easy.
Well, not this time.
I woke up to some water on the floor. I was puzzled at first but then thought about what I had done the day before. I checked the shutoff valve. Nope, that ain't it. I then felt where the pipe- a very, very small nipple- comes out of the wall. Where the nipple (stop giggling, that is what its called) connects to an elbow was the location of the leak. Apparently it had been dripping all night. That would have been a good thing to know.
I tried to putty it up but that didn't work. I knew it wouldn't but I was desperate. I even tried duct tape. Hey, I said I was desperate.
This is where the over-thinking comes in. It is a tight spot to work in. Sure I could go in and try to fix it myself. I can get the hose off the valve and elbow. But it is the elbow/nipple connection that worries me. Any attempt to undo the elbow could undo the nipple from its connection behind the tile.
There is about 3-4 inches between the tub and the wall. For someone who has an idea of what needs to be done, working in that tight spot sounds like a guaranteed headache. And a chance to really botch things up.
I tried something similar a couple years back in my tenants flat but that did not work out well. The nipple crumbled when I tried to twist it out. I do not want to go through that process again.
To my untrained eye, it would appear that someone may have to remove the tub to do the job properly. They may also need to bust up the tile. The other way, if feasible, would be to open a hole in a closet wall and attack from the back. I doubt that would be the way to go but what do I know. I have a leak that I need to be repaired.
I wonder if I can push this off until later in the week. It would be nice to work from home on Friday before a camping weekend. I don't know if this can wait that long.
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