Quicksand Fans

I built my house in 1990. I just had the fiberglass master bathtub glazed. The plumbing fixtures removed prior to the glazing are quite old and corroded. The contractor encouraged me to locate some replacement fixtures instead of reinstalling the old ones. Unfortunately, local suppliers like Home Depot and Lowe's were not very helpful on identifying replacement hardware that would actually fit. The latter at least recommended a local specialty shop that opens Monday. The old fixtures were made by Stanadyne. Research suggests that Moen bought them, but again, Moen does not open until Monday, though Lowe's said that the Moen help line can offer assistance.

Before I embark on a wild goose chase, I thought I would tap the brain trust here since so many seem quite handy with things like this.

My grandfather was a plumber and I spent a lot of time with him growing up. I'm a pretty good amateur plumber.

Generally speaking, plumbing hardware that was once constructed to last for decades doesn't exist any longer. Everything is made to replaced with relative ease by DIY types. Living in an a 67 year old house for the last 25 years I've had quite a bit of experience. Moen did indeed take over Stanadyne and some direct replacements exist but I wouldn't get my hopes up. I'm afraid you might find that it would have given you a better overall result to rip out the old tub/shower and do a total replacement since they aren't really made to last forever either.

Regardless, depending on what you have, you will probably be able to replace 1990 era stuff. You can probably do it at Home Depot you just need to talk to the right person. There are a lot of ways to "make things fit" when you have to. Can you be more specific about the issues your running in to?

I cannot get a straight answer on what to use to replace it. I will take the old hardware to a specialist this week. Hopefully they can help.

You shouldn't have to use the same faucet or valve, or have it repaired, you can just replace the whole unit (probably cheaper in the long run).

Here's a good video showing total replacement with a completely different style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DwVRaLabSg

I put Moen fixtures in my bathroom 8 years ago when I redid it, still going strong, finish looks like new when I'm not being a slob and clean it. This is one of those things where you get what you pay for.

I can jury rig a timer pump, household water filter, and some hose into a filtering system for a homemade hot tub, but usually any attempt I make at plumbing means water damage, so I cannot be on any use with this one.

This is a fiberglass bathtub with fiberglass walls, a single unit, and the only way to get to the plumbing is to go through the drywall on the other side.

I would rather avoid all that if possible.

The fiberglass bathtub unit seemed like a great idea in 1990, but now, not so much!

They have their pros and cons, the huge pro being ease of cleaning them. They don't turn into a mold farm like tile will.
Where is the drywall that you'd have to go through? I lucked out and the back of my tub was a closet, so when the plumber was doing the tub I cut the square of drywall out behind where the valve went and made myself a little access hatch out of a square of plywood and some molding around the edge, that way if/when I replace something it's pain free.

Mynock wrote:Where is the drywall that you'd have to go through?

The master bedroom above and below the headboard.

Ouch.....yea that's definitely not a place you want to have to patch a wall.

I had a plumber give me direction at no cost. I called the Moen help line with this information. They told me what to order, including an adapter kit to fit new hardware to old valves. We shall see once it arrives.