luisangelmedia
173027
3701
22
https://youtu.be/2A2IdVVMo5w
My friend calls me on the phone as says his newly remodeled shower doesn't have any water. I get to his house and see the valve completely covered in grout. OUCH!
The valve cover was apparently attached with silicone because obviously the screws were no longer going to work here.
Whoever installed this valve, they discarded the valve dust cover during installation which is what helps you tile around the valve and give it the correct depth.
This is extremely delicate glass tile, so before I even begin touching this, I score the boundary line with a glass cutting tool because I do not want to replace any of these tiles.
My father came with me to help and he let me used this old Dremel tool he restored. It did a great job removing the grout around the valve.
I removed the grout between the tiles as well to make it easy to break off.
Good old screw driver and hammer.
Uncovered one of the valve body screw holes. I still can't figure out why they would cover up the valve like this.
These valves are commonly used in multi dwelling homes as you can shut off the water at the shower, rather than the entire building.
Finally, both hot and cold water ports are freed. They were shut off during installation and never opened again before they covered up the valve with grout, which should have not been done in the first place!
My theory is that the old cartridge began to leak during the remodel and the ports were shut off to keep the valve from leaking. Replaced that old cartridge with a new one as it wasn't turning smoothly anymore and had a bad gasket.
We can now properly attach the valve cover.
New handle as well, because they lost the old one, ha.
But that is not all! Tub spout copper pipe was installed at an angle!
Tub spout can't be installed because of the pipe.
My father helped me sweat the pipe again. Started with the threaded connection.
Coupler was also sweated again to help realign the pipe.
Tub spout turns evenly and sits perfectly flat on the tile now.
Adding silicone to seal off the pipe. We prefer to seal it here than to smear silicone all over the tub spout.
Adding a few turns of Teflon tape to seal the threads between the connector and tub spout.
Testing water temperature.
My friend still has a little bit of work left to do on this bathroom, but at least it's fully functional now and he can start using it.
nevinera
But is it okay if I cover the whole thing with grout?
luisangelmedia
No, you shouldn't cover it with grout as you may need to access the valve in the future and the repair man will not like this.
Donk4donk
Great save!
luisangelmedia
Thank you!
usernamesarereallystupid
*Why does he keep circling the valve in each pic…and I’m a dumbass.
luisangelmedia
The valve was covered up and that was incorrect. The pictures show the process to uncover it and open the inner cold/hot ports on the valve
ahnteis
I think he means your markings on the tile look like you added to the picture after. :)
StevieMcSteveface
Why didn't he just ask you to do it for him in the first place?
luisangelmedia
We are both contractors and fairly scheduled. My guess is he wanted it done sooner rather than later, but it came at a price.
cbmech7
You get what you pay for. Friend probably paid a pittance to some untrained jack-off. God only knows what else he fucked up.
luisangelmedia
Yes, very true. Good thing this was easily reversible and not a huge mess up.
mity0k23
How much would you bill a customer for this rescue job?
luisangelmedia
For this exact procedure I would have charged $500-$750 depending how busy I was, how “urgent” they wanted this done.
JustaLawAbidingCitizen
Having some remodel done on our house.. These guys installed every door crooked and stripped the screws. Send help loo
luisangelmedia
That’s rough man, I hope you guys can fix it and turn it around.
butari2babe
Great job, but why aren’t the remodelers fixing their bad job?
luisangelmedia
I guess my friend had enough of their sloppy work. He knew I was busy, but when he showed me this, I couldn't leave him hanging.
butari2babe
You’re a good friend.
luisangelmedia
Thank you!
FeloniousMonk13
tub spout should've been installed originally with a 1/2 dropeared ell, makes it much stronger, and u can then choose a nipple to length.
luisangelmedia
That’s the proper way to do it before the wall is tiled up, in this case here, we just work with what we got so the job doesn’t get bigger
Iamhereforyourviewingpleasure
Nice. Now can you please do mine?
luisangelmedia
Give me about a year or two and we can soon schedule this in lol
hotaru251
whoever they had do shower needs reported and fired.
luisangelmedia
Unfortunately it was just a friend of a friend. They were just looking for work and thought they could pull it off.
Grizzlious
There’s no free plumbing. I hope your friends knows this!
luisangelmedia
Hey, true that!
Grizzlious
You’re awesome for helping a friend and for making s good post. Cheers, mate!
v
wobblecopterrrr
Nice, those tiles look like a pain to work around. +1
venomlash
a pane, even
OtterAvalanche
I was a tiler in another life... I detest glass tile. It causes quite a bit of problems on install that just aren't a thing with ceramic
luisangelmedia
The blades to cut glass tile are expensive as well and go dull quickly.
triptolemus510
Like what?
luisangelmedia
Yeah, I actually never worked with full glass tiles like this. I’m glad none of them broke!
OtterAvalanche
I have. They're a pain in the ass to precision cut in visible spots. Brick pattern on a tub with cuts all along the trim? Noooo thank you
counterfeitdreams
No fun & u gotta wipe the grout like 10x before it’s actually clear. Tile guy prolly thought I’m not getting paid enough 2care abt plumbing
counterfeitdreams
Not that it’s a good reason but if you don’t know it’s gonna be glass tile you’re gonna lose money
OtterAvalanche
It's no excuse but I get it, yeah. I never quoted without knowing the tile style/size though. That generally affected my $/sqft
DontAskMeAboutMyUsernameOkay
You're an awesome friend OP and your dad too!
luisangelmedia
Thank you!
ForceAwakenWasLame
What can I use to fill up a hole, 1-inch wide, in the bathroom tiles?
jeeps005
epoxy?
jeeps005
and imgurian, the time it took to document everything
JackieTreehornProductions
*sends bill for $650. 20% friends discount. Lol
kjtodd11
I wish I would have gone to trade school instead of college. I already know how to do this, but I don’t have any certification
luisangelmedia
It’s a nice career if you don’t mind getting drown and dirty.
OdinYggd
Depending on the laws where you live, certification might not be required. Just a working knowledge that you can demonstrate to an employer.
CakeShapedPie
Its not too late. You can often challenge the exams for 1 or 2 years depending on where you are.
Iwasoutedbyatroll
I hope he showered you with praise!
Carl99
luisangelmedia
Omg lol!
EricPisch
As long as he didn’t faucet on you
captainswoopty
Chimponzoo
And a stake, I typically bill my friends in beef.
KermadecCypher
Praise is golden.
Ragnar2099
So is money
akelamishari
I read this wrong, as: "I hope he showered with you, praise!" And I'm like well that's a great thank you payment!
GuerrillaGnome
Putting PTFE tape on the hard way I see...
luisangelmedia
Lol, this is how I always done it, never thought to think there be another way. How do you suggest it to be done?
CakeShapedPie
Not a plumber, but I would turn your roll 180 so its easier to keep some tension while you wrap it
GuerrillaGnome
I am a plumber. This is correct.
GuerrillaGnome
If you flip it over and pull from the bottom, the tape holds its tension as it is rolled onto the threads.
slyvic
This is what happens when you hire cheap labor. Those tiles are so even its triggering my OCD.
luisangelmedia
They are hella uneven bro. I feel bad for my friend. But it's lessons we learn you know.
TheCriticsWereConciseItOnlyTookFourLines
@OP, a tub in our house has grout in the corners where there should be caulk. Any recommendations for the best way to get it out?
StephenDaniels
If its built strong enough grout is fine. If the grout falls away over time replace it with color matched caulk.
luisangelmedia
I see no problem with grout vs caulk in the corners. If it’s about the look, I would use a utility knife like I did.
TheCriticsWereConciseItOnlyTookFourLines
I'll give it a try. Thought it would be too hard for that. Issue is it is cracked (which is why I thought you didn't grout corners)
amagiciannamedgob
Someone caulked around our bathtub with tile grout. It was so dumb. I was going to Dremel it out, but we moved haha. So maybe try that?
TheCriticsWereConciseItOnlyTookFourLines
Yeah, this is what we moved into.
JennieBee
My biggest complaint about that entire industry is that if you're not going to do it right the 1st time, don't do it at all until you can.
stehenallein
If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"
JennieBee
Yup!
JennieBee
I don't understand how people don't understand that you can't rush it! And that doing it wrong ends up costing you more in the long run!!wtf
luisangelmedia
Yes, exactly!
thecakehasfrostinginalltherightplaces
I'm too stupid to understand what happened
luisangelmedia
Short answer is: shower valve should have not gotten filled in like that. You need to leave space around it. It’s basic shower valve install
thecakehasfrostinginalltherightplaces
Thank you.
Acronymicon
It’s like filling in a light socket so a bulb can’t be screwed in, but with water and more expensive
SF500
Good save buddy……come to my place next
luisangelmedia
Thank you! and for the right price, I may go haha
VanZaiden
we have a saying about that - the craftsman "left his hands"
luisangelmedia
Ha, I tried to look that up, but wasn't able to find the meaning.
VanZaiden
translation: he did a shitty job ×_×
lurkerman45
You’re a helluva friend
luisangelmedia
Thank you!
Micro2112
And you sent a bill to the original tile guy right?
luisangelmedia
Oooh! I wish I would have thought of that! But his a close “friend” just didn’t know what he was doing.
Churchofthesubgenius
I mean there are usually instructions with the valve set, he could have done it right if he bothered to read them. You are charitable sir
RtsWillH1Mself
As a plumber, if I come in and somebody is covered up my valve I tell them to call their tile guy back
Churchofthesubgenius
Yep, it’s not your job to fix their job
luisangelmedia
Lol, hope that never happens to you, and if it does, that you get paid extra!
badgerbadgerbadgermushroommushroom
This is what professionals do. They do a job thoroughly. The attention to detail is clearly evident. I wish I could reno my shower like this
mikeatike
Reno911
luisangelmedia
Lol I kept reading this and finally understood it!
Espeer
Ha ha ha ha. Omg. This guy hasn't seen any newly built or remodeled homes by "professionals" in decades....
luisangelmedia
That's the problem though, many people call themselves professionals now I guess, but their work says otherwise, so maybe they are not?
Espeer
They are currently raking in cash so, yes, professionals. The average person can't tell quality or doesn't care.
tupacshomie
I did the entire redo of the master bath in our last house. Tons of youtube and take your time. You can do it.
luisangelmedia
That's great to hear. Gratz on the new master bathroom!
tupacshomie
Previous home unfortunately. Still need to redo current house we recently bought. I really hate garden tubs and standup showers.
theshinobi23
Big question, to me, is who installs a faucet of any kind and leaves without turning it on to make sure it works and doesn't leak?
BklynPunisher
Whoever did it deserves one of these
BSwann
In the UK we call them cowboy builders will ride off into the sunset once they have the money.
idog4927
Measure twice, cut once.
luisangelmedia
This, right here!
OMGamIImguringCorrectly
The first won't be like this but the third or fourth will. Don't be afraid to fail. Practice and get good.
Quisibinomenimposuit
Especially if you get to practice on another house (in general. OP is CLEARLY not in practice mode anymore)
luisangelmedia
This right here!
TsubakiTragic
I had my shower reno'd a couple of months ago by a young lad who is not a tradesman. Go on, ask me if I'm a happy camper :) Absolutely!
luisangelmedia
Thank you so much. It can be a lot to grasp, but I've seen some decent DIY bathrooms, just takes lots of patience and lots of effort!
Thelonite09
Next time you try this, use relief cuts on the glass V shaped wide side towards waste side. Also needs to cut faster as glass "heals"
MoopsyLD
dont forget planning. most dont plan properly which screws up any project
dudeloveall
And lots of YouTube tutorials
b1candy2
We use 'professionals' for our work, but keep getting idiots. How do we find the good ones?
TowerJunkie
Soooo what I'm hearing is that I won't redo my bathroom. Got it.
NotLuckyDucky
Same! I would rather hire a professional who knows what they are doing. I hate paying extra money but it’s worth the peace if mind.
PrincessBride1
Awesome of you! Why I'll never hire trades to work on my house again. Bad experience even paying top dollar to recommended every time.
GreySeasAbound
Nice job. You are a great friend.
luisangelmedia
Thank you!
TheGoudeAbides
So much of our world would be better if folks just RTFM.
Snowman25
Or got proper job training
luisangelmedia
True that!
lovit487
Can some one explain to an European how this thing work. How do you set the flow and the temperature? I can only se one handle and one pipe.
luisangelmedia
So the cartridge I took out has 2 “compartments” that as you turn it counter clockwise it starts to open the cold water followed by the hot
Ulthirm
Cheaper ones, flow and temp are the same, hot is also the most flow, cold is the inverse. You twist the knob, increasing in twist is hotter
Ulthirm
and more flow, decreasing is colder and less flow. Really common in my state annoyingly and most people just buy shower heads with controls
Ulthirm
to reduce on the pressure if they like the head
BlindGardener
The angle of the handle is the flow the position the temp.
BlindGardener
So the knob is on a rocker so you can lift or lower the knob.
lovit487
Aaa. that make sense.
lovit487
In Sweden we have two pipes (hot and cold) going in to a "mixer." One "wheel" to adjust the temperature. Another to set the water flow.
Anonawesome
That's how it should be. In the US, we have a tradition of fiddling around trying to find the right temp EVERY time we shower, instead of
Anonawesome
just having a separate thermostat that you can leave alone forever once you find your optimal temperature.
Anonawesome
There's all sorts of fun dynamics too, like barely tapping the handle and it makes a HUGE temp change. Fun if you've never showered there b4
Churchofthesubgenius
You can set American valves to do the same thing. It usually by changing to position of the ring around the valve, or adjusting stops