How to remove a tub spout

Hello. I am running into a problem with my tub spout from a tub / shower combo. The faucet is a Delta if that matters. Unfortunately I do not have any of the paperwork from the install to determine a model name or number.

This tub spout has the pull up / push down type of diverter at the far end. It is sticking and very difficult to move, so I believe I need to replace the spout.

The spout appears to be a slip on with a set screw. Normally this should be really easy to remove, but it appears the set screw is about 60 degrees rotated from the slot in the bottom of the spout. I can see the side of the screw head through the slot, but there's no way to get a screwdriver to engage the screw head in order to loosen the screw. The screw is too far into the spout to reach the head with a needle nose pliers. Additionally, I can rotate / spin the spout on the copper pipe coming out of the wall but cannot slide it off the pipe.

Attached is a phone picture through the slot of the spout showing the side of the screw head.



Question is, what can I do to remove the spout if I cannot get a screwdriver into the set screw head? No idea what to try.

Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forums! Are you sure it is a screw head and not a hex head requiring an allen wrench?

 

Before you take off though, if the spout is otherwise in good shape, you might try squirting some CLR in there and see if it frees it up. It's nothing elaborate, just a flapper, gate, diverter, whatever you want to call it, and sometimes it's just a matter of breaking up the calcium or other buildup.

 

chandler -

It does not appear to be a hex head. Looks more like a pan head screw as the side of the head looks rounded in the picture I attached. In any event, I couldn't get an allen wrench into the top of the head.

Edit: I could be a hex head that needs an allen wrench. Can't see the tip of the screw head anyway to determine or use a tool to loosen it.

 

aka pedro -

I have poured some CLR a few times to try to get it loosened up. It will seem to then work OK for a week or two, but then it's back to sticking. I wish this cleaning it with CLR would work longer term, but it seems to repeatedly return so I thought replacement may be the best option.

 

Have you tried just twisting the spout so the slot lines up with the screw? That's how mine worked....the screw held a retaining collar on the pipe but the spout would rotate (with some effort) also.

 

CarbideTipped -

I will check this again, but the screw has been spinning with the spout.

Need a way to keep the screw still while I rotate the spout to align the slot.

The picture attached was taken after I spun the spout 180 degrees so the slot was on top and the end of the spout was facing up (water would shoot up in the air from the end of the spout).

 

Can you get a screwdriver blade in there to try and lever against the screw to get the slot and screw to line up? The two can rotate independently, you just need to get a little leverage. Or maybe a good size allen key that you can hook behind the screw and then lever against the side of the slot....

 

CarbideTipped -

The allen key might be my best bet to hook behind the screw if I have enough of an angle to get behind it. Might be tight with the narrowness of the slot cut-out.

Another thing I wondered is if I could push against the side edge of one of the white plastic tabs (see attached picture) when rotating the spout.



I guess alternatively I could try cutting the slot larger until I can get to the face of the set screw as I was going to replace the spout anyway. Though I'm not sure I have a tool to cut metal like that.

 

Here is another cut away view for reference.



Not only is it attached with a set screw near the wall, it is a threaded connection out toward the end of the spout. Get a screw driver inside and hold it against the white plastic fin and turn the spout until either the set screw is visible and can be removed with an allen wrench, or the front begins to unscrew. Once you get it off, soak it in CLR overnight and re-install.

*****try not to just spin the whole unit, the copper pipe that it is attached to is very soft and you may cause more problems that not with a bent or deformed pipe.