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OT-Shower Plumbing Question

bigais

Stainless
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
Etters Pa USA
I am interested in locating a new front body casting for a 30 yr. old American Standard Single lever shower control. I am no longer able to get the one threaded cap off of this body to replace the screens, pins or seats due to it corroding and rounding out the screw slots and the flats. My local plumbing supply can get me all the parts but this casting, which is brass. I would buy a whole valve ass'y and only use the front half as the back half is back of the tile and drywall and I'm not up to tearing it all out to replace it.I was hoping for a plumbing source like old car parts, NOS? Any help greatly appreciated. Dick
 
This might be obvious, and already considered, but can you possibly destroy the cap to remove it (save enough of the detail to measure it), and machine a new one from barstock?

Desperate times call for desperate men and desperate measures...
 
Dick,
Hajoca has probably sold more American Standard stuff for more years than any other supply house chain in existence. IIRC, their headquarters in in PA. I'd try contacting them to see if they could locate what you need where its possibly been laying on a shelf in one of their branches for years. Seems like they'd like to get rid of it if they happen to have one somewhere. Hell, their branch here in Asheville has countermen who haven't noticably moved in 30 years, so you may have a better chance than you'd think :D
 
Haven't got a clue about your sort of valve but if you drilled out the fixings, you can then retap the holes with a slightly larger thread and use new fixings. Get a piece of MS rod, counter bore the end to fit over your screw heads and drill a suitable guide hole all the way through ( or at least until a void is felt), the screw tapping size would be optimum. Remove the screw head with a counter sink. The valve front should now be removable. Sounds like a PITA, but not as bad as rebuilding the shower unit!
Frank
 
Chuckey, Thanks for your reply. I'm going to keep on lookin for a new or good used front valve section as everything in plumbing in my house has shutoff valves except this shower line and it would be a real pita to install them as it is above an enclosed drop ceiling in a finished, carpeted basement with the only shutoffs on the pump tank and they do not shutoff completely so I need to do this job in one quick motion.I can remove and replace it in 10 minutes if I have the part.It would probably take me about 10 screwups of the threaded caps to make one correctly as I never said I was an accomplished machinest just a hobby guy.Thanks Again.
 
In the UK you can buy a pipe freezer kit, this a piece of pipe insulation and a can of freezer spray. They do work, but the pipe needs a "ding" in it where its frozen, or the plug of ice will shoot out, followed by the contents of the local reservoir (don't ask :mad: ). Buy a new service ball valve ( 4$ in the UK), freeze the pipe, cut it, put on the service valve (turned to OFF). Now work at your leisure.
Frank
 








 
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