Leaking Old Two Handle Pfister-Price Shower valve.

[Siri]

The home I purchased 10 years ago came with an old pfister-price two handled shower. I replaced the valve gaskets about every 3 years. Finally realizing I wasn't going to put in a new single handle shower I decided to replace the shower valve seats. I ordered the parts and put in new gaskets as I had ordered extras in the past. The shower sealed fine, then began to leak, not so much that I couldn't stop the leak by turning off the valve at the shower head. The parts came today I had found a kit which included the seats, valves, gaskets and trim for about what I would pay just for the seats, gaskets and trim, so I bought the kit. The project went well, with the exception that the cold water seat was stripped. Clearly the prior owner had tried replacing it as the seat on the hot water had a square aperture, and cold a hex aperture. The cold water seat had already damaged the new gasket and a flashlight revealed that the cold water seat had mineral deposits on it.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the seat was stripped, but came out easily with a #7 extractor. The treads were examined, cleaned with a new brush we use for rosin, and the new seat went in easily. Unfortunately the exchanger still leaks cold water. I re-installed the original valves and the leak is the same. The only thing I can think of is that I haven't tightened the gaskets enough. I plan to give that a try in the am. Is there another possible source for a leak? I would think with 2 new seats and 2 new gaskets, the shut off valves should not leak.

 

[Marlinman]

Make sure the valve seats are properly sized. Not all of the Chinese replacement parts are to the manufacturers specification. The size is 21/32-18 threads per inch. Plumbing supply and most hardware stores will have a gauge. Most times the seat is stripped and not the valve body due to it being cast brass. Use a good quality teflon based paste on the threads when installing. If the problem persists remove the seats and replace the stems with Price Pfister ceramic cartridges.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Siri]

Make sure the valve seats are properly sized. Not all of the Chinese replacement parts are to the manufacturers specification. The size is 21/32-18 threads per inch. Plumbing supply and most hardware stores will have a gauge. Most times the seat is stripped and not the valve body due to it being cast brass. Use a good quality teflon based paste on the threads when installing. If the problem persists remove the seats and replace the stems with Price Pfister ceramic cartridges.

Thank you. I think before I go the ceramic route I will replace the manifold with a single handle. The problem is the back side of the wall is my refrigerator and that space is small to begin with so not much space in the kitchen for the refrigerator to hang out, so I was planning on this for a spring/summer project when I could just store the refrigerator on the porch for a couple days. Also I wanted to replace the tub in the other bathroom with a taller tub. That way I could score some of the (same) tiles to make the shower look clean. I am pretty sure it is the threads leaking as when I put the water back on, it does not leak while the toilet tank is filling, and water pressure is down. I guess if I plan to replace the whole unit this spring, I can just silicone the seat into place and call it a day.