How to Remove Tub, Spout without Access Panel?

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Holegrain
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 7:50 am

Removing everything from our guest bathroom, in order to replace subfloor. Every other source of water in the house has some kind of access to the plumbing, except this bath/shower. Only way to remove the faucet seems to be through the wall of the bedroom next to it.
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Greg
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Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

That is the way our's is set up. I just carefully removed the whole panel and reinstalled it with screws.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
Mark440
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:33 am
Location: Anna, Tx

I ran into the same thing when the cheap plastic faucet gave out. Due to the configuration, I wasn't able to use a 'regular' shower faucet. Lowes did carry the standard cheap 'mobile home' faucet. Being it was pretty much the same thing...I decided to plan on it failing sooner than later.

I cut a square hole in the wall in the bedroom to gain access. I picked the largest panel insert I could find. Mounted the trim, snapped in the panel, and then painted it out to match the room. Of course, I then slid a bookcase in front of it just to hide it.
Opportunity has a shelf life.
UmpJJ
Posts: 110
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 11:39 am
Location: Brazil, IN

I actually hired a plumber to do this job since the piping has worked loose from what anchors it to the wall. I'm not sure where it anchors, so rather than rip up the whole wall I called a guy. He's coming tomorrow so I'll watch how HE does it and report back!

UmpJJ
Mark440
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:33 am
Location: Anna, Tx

Ah yes! I remember that! The idiots who built this place used 1 drywall screw to hold the whole shebang in place. I guess its important to note they used a 2" screw at the molded elbow thing where the shower head screws in...and screwed it in about 1/4". Naturally, thanks to gravity, the weight of the shower head bent the elbow enough that it popped a leak.

It is an absolute crying shame that a fully pre-fab building has such P-poor workmanship and quality. But, just like stick builts - the drywall is used to hide all of their stupidity and unconcern.
Opportunity has a shelf life.
UmpJJ
Posts: 110
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 11:39 am
Location: Brazil, IN

The plumber came. First thing he did was take measurements so as to center the faucet on the OPPOSITE side of the wall (where there was no access panel). He said because the staples used to fasten the drywall it was problematic trying to remove the entire sheet of drywall, so he cut an access panel. The hole he cut was just big enough (about 8" X 10") to access the water supply lines. The old fixture was fastened to the drywall behind the fiberglass shower wall, and over the years that drywall had gotten wet and fallen apart, so the fixture had pulled away from the wall. He thought about putting a plate or board behind the fixture to anchor it, but the wall stud ran right down the middle of his access panel, so after deciding the fiberglass shower panel was sufficiently sturdy he fastened the fixture to it (from behind). He put a good coating of glue to firm up the job, and closed up the new access panel.
It was a job I COULD have done, but my wall hole would have been a LOT bigger and while it took him about an hour it would have taken me half a day.
He did say someone should mass produce an aluminum plate with fixture holes precut to put in behind the wall - it would make securing the fixture very simple even if there was a wall stud in the way.

UmpJJ
Mark440
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:33 am
Location: Anna, Tx

"very simple even if there was a wall stud in the way"

And therein is the root of my disgust for the idiots who dare call themselves 'engineers' or 'architects' when it comes to planning the builds. They design a bathroom, they layout exactly where the tub will be - and then put a 2x4 smack in the middle of it. They can put huge bay windows to gussy up the view (and up the price) with proper headers for support - but heaven forbid any planned integrity in the rest of the structure.

(Steps down off soap box....)
Opportunity has a shelf life.
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