I've got a leak in my tub faucet because of the hot water side - the spindle
needs to be replaced on the hot water handle. It simply cannot be shut off
all the way. A plumber who looked at it said it would involve opening the
wall (taking off the tile, etc.) and cutting out the old and welding in a
new one. It is totally worn out and out of play, if that's the way to
describe it.

We rent. Our landlord has been great regarding maintenance. They've owned
this house since the 1960's, so even with the currently deflated real estate
market, they stand no chance of coming up short if provoked to sell. We
don't want to provoke them, as they've already recently put a lot into this
place.

So is there some other thing I can personally do to stop this leak? Should I
attempt to shut the outflow valve (if that's possible) from the hot water
heater so that the only amount that can leak overnight is whatever was
already in the pipeline to the bathroom?

Thanks,
Be

On Dec 15, 8:58 am, BE <n3wsr3a...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> I've got a leak in my tub faucet because of the hot water side - the spindle
> needs to be replaced on the hot water handle. It simply cannot be shut off
> all the way. A plumber who looked at it said it would involve opening the
> wall (taking off the tile, etc.) and cutting out the old and welding in a
> new one. It is totally worn out and out of play, if that's the way to
> describe it.
>
> We rent. Our landlord has been great regarding maintenance. They've owned
> this house since the 1960's, so even with the currently deflated real estate
> market, they stand no chance of coming up short if provoked to sell. We
> don't want to provoke them, as they've already recently put a lot into this
> place.
>
> So is there some other thing I can personally do to stop this leak? Should I
> attempt to shut the outflow valve (if that's possible) from the hot water
> heater so that the only amount that can leak overnight is whatever was
> already in the pipeline to the bathroom?
>
> Thanks,
> Be

The "spindle" as you call it, is a "stem" in plumbing lingo. You
should be able to get a new one from a plumbing supply store for under
$20 (though some run more than that). Usually, however, you can get
away with simply replacing the washer and seat. From the language in
your question, I'm not sure you are up to doing this yourself. Maybe
you need a "second opinion" from a different plumber.

It is possible that the faucet was junky to begin with, or that parts
aren't available, but 90% of the time these things can be fixed, even
if they are 50-75 years old.

You can turn off the water into the hot water heater every night, but
imagine doing that for the next several months.


JK