Can't Get Diverter Out of Wall!

[plumbinghelp]

Hello all. I've been trying to replace a diverter in a 3 handle shower. The water would come out of the tub faucet and the shower when the diverter was set to 'shower only'.

So I took the knob/handle and face plate off, but the whole cavity is filled with silicone/putty(?) I can unthread the metal tube around the stem but I can't pull it out. It's wider in the back than the front so it's stuck on the silicone. Have any of you ever seen this? Why would someone do this? Any tips on getting this thing out without destroying something?

 

[havasu]

Time to scrape out the putty.

 

[plumbinghelp]

Time to scrape out the putty.

Yeah I can't see any way around it. The stuff is tough though! It's almost like rubber except you can't slice into it with a utility knife because it sort of 'heals.' I almost need a serrated blade...unless you have a specific tool for the job. Someone pumped the whole area around this thing completely full of this stuff : /

 

[havasu]

It is almost as if the previous owner was trying to stop a leak that was going behind the wall. Use caution and look for signs of past or present wetness and fix it correctly.

 

[Geofd]

it looks like that outside piece is jut an escution…..the brass stem should be under that

 

[plumbinghelp]

it looks like that outside piece is jut an escution…..the brass stem should be under that

I thought I could get the middle (stem?) piece without taking that surrounding tube out of the wall but just barely won't come out. It's wider at one point and hangs up on the tube. I think yall are right though, they were probably worried that water from the shower would get back behind the plate and into the wall. I'll have to think of a better way to prevent that because this diverter needs to be replaceable without having to cut all this stuff out. I've been trying to figure out what to use to cut it out. My box cutter wasn't making a dent. I'm thinking something with a serrated edge maybe...hopefully I can figure it out!

 

[wood4d]

use a sheetrock saw

 

[Geofd]

you could even use a small chisel and like wood4d said a sheetrock saw would work great

 

[plumbinghelp]

I really appreciate yalls help. I've ordered a sheetrock saw that was pretty narrow. Hopefully it'll at least allow me to cut away enough to change out the diverter. I can understand why they did it now - I see where the face plate wouldn't really protect against water from going back there. I'll have to find a better way than this though - this is a mess!

 

[plumbinghelp]

Ok - so I bought a sheetrock saw but...the dang stuff was so rubbery and dense that I couldn't get the thing in to even start sawing. I ended up cutting the the stuff up with serrated utility knife and scissors- then jamming it back into the wall. I couldn't pull it out because every time I grabbed a piece with my needle nose pliers it would just pinch a tiny little piece off, wouldn't ever grab the whole chunk.


Anyways this is what it looks like inside. Can anyone point to a video or like a parts tear-down that shows how this comes apart. I really appreciate the help so far! Someone told me it looked like a price pfister but I've searched and can't find this exact same thing.

Does this look like the same part?

https://www.amazon.com/PROFLO-PF141566PK-Shower-Replacement-Diverter/dp/B00LY8Z75K