Outdoor shower leak

[brose]

Greetings!
Due to rust, I have to replace my chrome outdoor shower faucet. When I try to join the original copper nuts on the water lines to the new faucet, I’m getting leaks. I’ve cleaned everything as best I can using emery cloth and a wire brush, and have tried both teflon and dope, but leaking persists. I tried reinstalling the older faucet to see if something's off with my new unit, but now it's leaking as well. Copper nuts are old but threads after cleaning look to be decent. Replacing the copper nuts requires unsoldering the end pieces, which I’d like to avoid. Are the copper nuts salvageable? Is there anything else I should try before breaking out the blow torch, or perhaps going sharkbite?

 

[Rickyman]

This looks like worn out rubber, possibly old o-ring or some sort of washer

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

This should be straightforward, but not necessarily quick or easy.

1. Remove all traces of the teflon take and seriously clean those threads with a wire brush.
2. Clean the mating surface on the faucet body; start with a brass wire brush, move to a fine steel wool and finally some 600 grit wetordry sandpaper. Get it clean and polished so to speak.
3. Do the same as #2 on the fitting end of the pipe.

Once all is nice and clean and free of any old contaminants and old tape, gaskets, gunk of any kind, find a flat rubber gasket to go between the pipe end fittings and the faucet. It's hard to tell from the photo, but simple garden hose rubber gaskets might work. If not, go to a home center and look in their rubber gasket drawers, they'll probably have something.

You should not need, from the appearance of the assembly, teflon tape on the threads. It looks to me like the water is held in place by the compression of a rubber gasket and its doubtful the teflon tape will do anything for you.

It would not hurt to find some silicone pump grease or similar and lightly coat the threads, and lightly coat the gasket and mating surfaces to ease the assembly.

 

[brose]

Good eye Rickyman! I will have a closer look and report back. Thank you so much!

 

[brose]

This should be straightforward, but not necessarily quick or easy.

1. Remove all traces of the teflon take and seriously clean those threads with a wire brush.
2. Clean the mating surface on the faucet body; start with a brass wire brush, move to a fine steel wool and finally some 600 grit wetordry sandpaper. Get it clean and polished so to speak.
3. Do the same as #2 on the fitting end of the pipe.

Once all is nice and clean and free of any old contaminants and old tape, gaskets, gunk of any kind, find a flat rubber gasket to go between the pipe end fittings and the faucet. It's hard to tell from the photo, but simple garden hose rubber gaskets might work. If not, go to a home center and look in their rubber gasket drawers, they'll probably have something.

You should not need, from the appearance of the assembly, teflon tape on the threads. It looks to me like the water is held in place by the compression of a rubber gasket and its doubtful the teflon tape will do anything for you.

It would not hurt to find some silicone pump grease or similar and lightly coat the threads, and lightly coat the gasket and mating surfaces to ease the assembly.

I should have noted, I took these pictures before cleaning everything much as you suggested. That said, I definitely have NOT tried using a rubber gasket of any kind. That will be my next order of business for sure! Will report back soon. Thank you!!

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

...I definitely have NOT tried using a rubber gasket of any kind...

Absolutely, positively you NEED a rubber gasket on these flat mating surfaces.
O-Rings are only for insertion into a groove designed for them, if the surface is flat. Doesn't look like you have this, so don't be tempted to use an O-Ring.
The only metal to metal sealing surfaces in this kind of plumbing are found on Universals and on Compression Fittings, both of which involve tapered, not flat surfaces. You don't have these. You need that gasket.

 

[brose]

This should be straightforward, but not necessarily quick or easy.

1. Remove all traces of the teflon take and seriously clean those threads with a wire brush.
2. Clean the mating surface on the faucet body; start with a brass wire brush, move to a fine steel wool and finally some 600 grit wetordry sandpaper. Get it clean and polished so to speak.
3. Do the same as #2 on the fitting end of the pipe.

Once all is nice and clean and free of any old contaminants and old tape, gaskets, gunk of any kind, find a flat rubber gasket to go between the pipe end fittings and the faucet. It's hard to tell from the photo, but simple garden hose rubber gaskets might work. If not, go to a home center and look in their rubber gasket drawers, they'll probably have something.

You should not need, from the appearance of the assembly, teflon tape on the threads. It looks to me like the water is held in place by the compression of a rubber gasket and its doubtful the teflon tape will do anything for you.

It would not hurt to find some silicone pump grease or similar and lightly coat the threads, and lightly coat the gasket and mating surfaces to ease the assembly.

This looks like worn out rubber, possibly old o-ring or some sort of washer

View attachment 24483

Thank you for this helpful suggestion Rickyman! Attached is an updated photo

This looks like worn out rubber, possibly old o-ring or some sort of washer

View attachment 24483

Thank you for this suggestion! I've attached a better photo, (which I took before cleaning everything). Pretty sure there wasn't an old gasket or remnants of one. That said, I will put one on and see if that fixes the leaks. Do you recommend I fit a gasket at the "1" or "2" locations?

Thanks again!

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

I could be wrong here, but now from the look of the fitting in the last photo, you may have fittings that are not compatible with the faucet. Is the new faucet identical to the old? Rust aside, do the fittings on the new match the old?

In that first group of photos it looked like there were flat mating surfaces which would call for a flat rubber washer. Now, in the last photo that shows a taper in the profile view. Tapered kinds of fittings generally are made to match...

 

[brose]

Absolutely, positively you NEED a rubber gasket on these flat mating surfaces.
O-Rings are only for insertion into a groove designed for them, if the surface is flat. Doesn't look like you have this, so don't be tempted to use an O-Ring.
The only metal to metal sealing surfaces in this kind of plumbing are found on Universals and on Compression Fittings, both of which involve tapered, not flat surfaces. You don't have these. You need that gasket.

Copy that. See attached photo (again, pre-cleaned). I'm thinking I should fit a gasket at the "1" location?

I could be wrong here, but now from the look of the fitting in the last photo, you may have fittings that are not compatible with the faucet. Is the new faucet identical to the old? Rust aside, do the fittings on the new match the old?

In that first group of photos it looked like there were flat mating surfaces which would call for a flat rubber washer. Now, in the last photo that shows a taper in the profile view. Tapered kinds of fittings generally are made to match...

The new faucet is pretty much identical to the original. As a reminder, when I tried to reattach the old faucet, it also leaked.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Yes, to my best guess. You want the gasket on the mating surfaces. Location 1. Your new faucet should have come with gaskets, and probably new fittings for the copper pipe?

 

[brose]

Yes, to my best guess. You want the gasket on the mating surfaces. Location 1. Your new faucet should have come with gaskets, and probably new fittings for the copper pipe?

Yes it came with new fittings and gaskets. But since I want to avoid resoldering, I'm trying to use the original attached parts.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

OK, well if it CAME with gaskets, you NEED to use them.

Also, after cleaning the old stuff, do a real close examination of the PROFILES of the new fittings you don't want to solder, with the fittings that are old and soldered. If they are not pretty much exactly the same, you'll be forced to do some soldering I'm afraid. Without the exact profile the mating surfaces are not compatible and it will be challenging at best to get a good seal.

This kind of issue happens, for example, with universal joints from different brands or batches...

 

[brose]

OK, well if it CAME with gaskets, you NEED to use them.

Also, after cleaning the old stuff, do a real close examination of the PROFILES of the new fittings you don't want to solder, with the fittings that are old and soldered. If they are not pretty much exactly the same, you'll be forced to do some soldering I'm afraid. Without the exact profile the mating surfaces are not compatible and it will be challenging at best to get a good seal.

This kind of issue happens, for example, with universal joints from different brands or batches...

Got it! Thanks again. Will report back.