My faucet in the bathtub has been dripping for years.  It's nearly at a full stream now.  I'm going to have to "fix" it soon.  Just one of the single knob off/on/hot/cold deals.  I'm assuming a 10 cent O ring or cartridge is the culprit.

I'm hoping when I pull it off I don't bust a piece of copper pipe or something so then I get to tear out the wall.  I suppose I'm hoping for good thoughts before I get started.

Nothing ever goes as planned and things always take twice as long.

Ever feel your home improvement projects go the same way?

+1

You may want to check to see if the mfg has a lifetime warranty - if so they will send you the replacement parts for free..

our kitchen faucet was just starting a little drip and I emailed Delta with make/model and they shipped me new valves and spring/rubber boot thingies..  It was a very easy 15 min job and all i needed was an allen wrench to get the handle off and a pair of plairs to remove the lock nut holding the valve in place..

good luck

Brian

Brand?  Makes a difference although most are simple.  As long as you shut off the main, all is fine.  



Since it has been a while, you might have corrosion/scale issues, making disassembly tough.  

don't know what brand/model valve you have, but it might just be buying a new replacement cartridge that you install - i think those are pretty easy..

I have an old Delta tub control set in my bathtub.  It is probably 25 years old.  Two years ago I replaced the little button/flapper thingy that switches it from tub to shower.  It was corroded in, and even though I made it work, I know that any more trouble and I will be looking at replacing it all.

twice as long what are you talking about, these things usually run me about 3-4 times as long as what it takes a "normal" person to do.  I am just slow.

Mine leaks every couple years.  I have 50 year old cast iron pipes, so rust is always an issue with my valves.  Replacement for mine was simple:
Remove handle
Remove sleeve
Remove the retainer tab
Remove the cartridge (the first time I had to put the screw back on the cartridge to grab ahold of with pliers and put some butt behind it to yank it out).
I cleaned the inside of the valve with paper towel.
With the new valve, I lubed up the o-rings with vaseline and reinstalled everything in reverse order.  

It was pretty simple.  I'm going to try orings next time it happens as $2 is much cheaper than $20 the cartridge, but i don't know if that's going to fix it.

pics?

Probably a simple cartridge replacement.



What may make it a slightly bigger problem is not being able to shut the water supply off due to worn out or faulty hot & cold water supply valves.



Hopefully you have one of those nifty tub/shower valves with the shut offs built into it.

Plan for the worst.  Some of those cartridges have a clip that holds them in.  If you can, find out who made it and google up some instructions.  These can baffle people, and I have had to bail out a few.  Once the clip is removed, often a large set of vice grips is needed to free the cartridge.  The last one I did had two huge chunks of solder lodged in it where the plumbers did not flush the lines prior to putting it in service.  

Always go in with a backup plan of tearing out the wall and replacing the whole valve.  That way you can get one with temperature regulation.  No more shocking temperature fluctuation when someone flushes the shitter or starts the dishwasher or washing machine.