Need a plumber in San Jose CA

[Lithium381]

Is anyone here either a plumber/handyman and can help me with a leaky bathtub faucet? If not are there any recommendations you can give me? Yellow pages have a bunch of plumbers, but a personal recommendation from trusted forum members would be good.

I already tried to replace the stem washer and it still leaks.... help?

Either reply here in the thread or PM or both

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

But, then we'd have to ask, "Do you know the way to San Jose?"

You may need to replace the valve stem. Can you post the make and style of the fixture? Pics would help. $65+ an hour to fix a leaky faucet is kinda steep.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Is this for a sink or a bathtub? Pics of faucet?

 

[Lithium381]

It's a Price Pfister, it's a two handle with the faucet in the middle + a shower head up top. I don't have a camera with me at the moment.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

So, probably only one of the water valves is leaking. If the leaking water is hot or warm, you know it's that valve. If not, it's the cold. You can just replace the entire valve stem although it's a little pricier than replacing the bad parts. However, it sounds like you're not particularly handy. Do you know how old the fixture is or, can you guess?

 

[Lithium381]

The water leaking is warm water, i've already turned off my water-heater and shut off the water source to it and drained all the pressure using other faucets in the house. I got the valve off and replaced the rear-most washer which was brittle and cracked with a new one. I was hoping that that would be the end of it but it persists in its leaking. The valve seat does look to have a chip in it which would likely cause the washer to wear prematurely but i've tightened the F*** out of this thing so the water should at least stop for the moment...
As for not being particularly handy, I've never tried anything like this before and tried the (what i thought to be) easiest fix for it to no avail. So I have come here for help!

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The water leaking is warm water, i've already turned off my water-heater and shut off the water source to it and drained all the pressure using other faucets in the house. I got the valve off and replaced the rear-most washer which was brittle and cracked with a new one. I was hoping that that would be the end of it but it persists in its leaking. The valve seat does look to have a chip in it which would likely cause the washer to wear prematurely but i've tightened the F*** out of this thing so the water should at least stop for the moment...
As for not being particularly handy, I've never tried anything like this before and tried the (what i thought to be) easiest fix for it to no avail. So I have come here for help!

Take a deep breathe. I know it can be frustrating and, I wasn't asking for your man card. No one is born handy.

So, you've narrowed it down to the hot water valve and it sounds like you need a new valve seat. This makes it a little more complicated as many faucet valves require a special tool to replace the valve seat. Are there any other O rings or washers on the stem? If not, it may be an older fixture that you would be better off replacing. Most cities have at least one builders recycler center where you can buy fixtures and hardware to save a buck. You might try Habitat for Humanity if you don't know of one in your area.

 

[dr150]

I know a few guys in front of Home Depot that can help....

 

[Lithium381]

So i think i fixed it. I ended up getting a replacement seat and a replacement valve(the whole thing this time, not just washer) and that seems to have done the trick. Now I have what looks to be rust + hard water stains in the tub from the leaks. I've tried CLR and Softscrub with little results. What really seemed to work was a pipe-brush and just scoured it down... doesn't seem to scratch the porcelean at all, but it's really tedious......suggestions for cleaning?

 

[Leros]

http://www.angieslist.com/

 

[paperfist]

So i think i fixed it. I ended up getting a replacement seat and a replacement valve(the whole thing this time, not just washer) and that seems to have done the trick. Now I have what looks to be rust + hard water stains in the tub from the leaks. I've tried CLR and Softscrub with little results. What really seemed to work was a pipe-brush and just scoured it down... doesn't seem to scratch the porcelean at all, but it's really tedious......suggestions for cleaning?

Bleach works on hard water stains. Try a magic eraser on the rust.

You're saying the tub is porcelain so Lysol Complete clean power toilet bowl cleaner *SHOULD* be safe to use in there. It contains Hydrochloric Acid which removes hard water and rust stains from toilets. An alternative is Zep rust, lime and calcium remover sold at Home Depot and works way better then CLR.

 

[mrjminer]

MANHOOD CHALLENGE ALERT
Spit and elbow grease. If you can't do it, you are not a man.