Where do I start with a bath tub/shower plumbing repair?

Question

The tub faucet works, but no water comes out of the shower. There was a long term leak which caused a lot of mold, so i've pulled out most of the drywall and cabinetry that was affected (moldy). Now the plumbing for the tub/shower is exposed and i would like to repair the bathroom plumbing completely before reinstalling walls. ............is there maybe a newbie site for this sort of thing that someone can recommend. .....or perhaps even give me some idea of where to start and what to look for with this repair?

tyia :)

Answer 1

I can answer any questions you have however you have to give me a little bit more information

Answer 2

Yes, go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy a house repair book for $20.00.

All houses have some problems. So you may as well buy a book on learning to repair the basic ones.

As for the plumbing. Start by shutting off the main water line.

Your next step depends on how old your home is as to whether you need to know how to sweat copper or to glue pvc.

Answer 3

If the water is coming out of the faucet itself ok, then the problem is the diverter.  On some showers, this is a seperate k**b, handle, lever, etc... and on some older ones, its just a pull up stem on the spigot itself, hehe.

Do you know where the leak was at originally?  Was it fixed, and if so, how?  This may be a seperate issue from the lack of supply to the shower head itself.

Here are a couple of sites you can check -

http://www.ehow.com/articles_2475-plumbi...

http://www.theplumber.com/handbook.html

And of course, there's always This Old House, hehe -

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/plumbing

Many community/state colleges also offer basic courses in plumbing and other trades, some as short as a few days.... good for any homeowner to check into, if they like DIY  :)

If you take the diverter valve out, you can usually find a replacement at most hardware, building supply stores, etc.  Its handy to take it with you to the store to get the exact type needed.  It's probably $10 or less for a new one, depending on brand.  You may need a valve wrench like one of these -

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pr...

You might also try posting some photo's of the plumbing, the valve, etc....to get more detailed answers.

Have Fun