Bath tub spout "SWEAT" question

[jaadland]

I recentely gutted my entire bathroom. I had a plumber professionally install the piping for my new shower and tub. However, he didn't complted the install because I wanted to tile the tub surround. I am now done and the bathtub spout sticks out way to far. Is there any way I can cut that off and sweat a new pipe on. I saw a "liquid sweat" at a home store does that stuff work or is standard sweating still the best. Is this something a novic can do or should I have a professional come out?

[jadnashua]

Spouts generally come in two types: screw on or push-on. A push-on one will have a set screw to keep the thing aligned. A scew-on one won't.

You can take the existing one off and shorten things as needed. Keep in mind that if it is a screw-on one, you have to measure very carefully, if you make it too short, you might not be able to tighten it down enough to prevent it from leaking! If it is a press-on, just loosen the setscrew push it back, then retighten it. If you are unlucky, the setscrew was originally tightenend too much, and deformed the pipe, and the seal when you push it back just aligns with the deformed part. If so, then you'd have to remove the pipe and replace it or buy a different spout that had the seal in a different location so it missed that area.

If you need to solder things, use the real stuff, don't try the epoxy or whatever...it will create problems down the road if you ever do need to service it.

[hj]

There are several different kinds of spouts, and each has its advantages depending on your situation.

[Verdeboy]

I recentely gutted my entire bathroom. I had a plumber professionally install the piping for my new shower and tub. However, he didn't complted the install because I wanted to tile the tub surround. I am now done and the bathtub spout sticks out way to far. Is there any way I can cut that off and sweat a new pipe on. I saw a "liquid sweat" at a home store does that stuff work or is standard sweating still the best. Is this something a novic can do or should I have a professional come out?

If you go with the "clamp-on" type of spout instead of the "screw-on" type, then you'll have nothing to solder. If you have a threaded fitting on your current stub, you can cut the pipe, just before the fitting, with a tubing cutter, not a hacksaw. Then install your spout by slipping it on over the pipe and using an allen wrench to tighten the set-screw. If it's still sticking out a bit, you can caulk the small gap. If it's sticking out a lot, cut some more pipe off.