How to re-install my tub faucet....? 1st post...be gentle

I'm working on a rehab right now, and plumbing is not my forte....probably because I dont know how to solder....so copper is out of the question (when I DIY, anyhow). sorry for my lack of plumbing vocabulary.

I was removing a bathtub surround, and broke off the faucet. Upon close inspection, I see that it's the threaded type of faucet which you'd normally just screw onto the copper stem( nipple) with a screwdriver or pipe wrench. BUT, this one is PVC, and that's what I broke (stem/nipple).

I want to replace this myself, but I'm not sure if PVC is acceptable. I'm almost sure that if I made another PVC stem/nipple, and tried to thread a faucet onto it, that it'd break. Not to mention, it wouldn't be as sturdy as copper.

So, what do I do? And also, how the hell did the guy before me manage to thread the faucet onto the pvc stem so tight that it didn't leak? Also, how can I remove the PVC fitting thats still threaded onto the faucet? It's obiously threaded onto the faucet, and the 1/2" PVs comes out of the hoolow faucet by about 3 inches.


Thanks !

faucet

We'd like to be gentle, but your description does not tell us anything about what is really happening. A picture might be more descriptive, because we cannot tell what the PVC part, if that is what it is, is used for.

Sounds like you don't have time. Call a plumber.

Is the thing that broke off the SPOUT? The faucet or valve is what turns on the water. The spout is what the water comes out of.

If the spout broke off, then your first problem is getting the remaining piece out of the plumbing (probably a threaded fitting) that is behind the surround.

If you can't get the piece out of the spout (try a pipe wrench or vise grips with a vise, or both), then you can replace the spout. If you have a shower with it, then you need to spout diverter if the old one uses a spout diverter.

If there is no need for a diverter, then you can just leave the nipple sticking out and let it squirt on you when you are in the tub. A lot of people pay extra for that feature in a high class tub.

You can get a brass nipple to attach the spout to the plumbing outlet, or you can solder one up using two 1/2" copper male adapters and a piece of copper tubing.

You could theoretically use a CPVC nipple, but you have just found out why that is a bad idea.