Replacing a Bathtub Faucet | No Access Door

“Because I can do everything” except realize that panel comes off 😂😂

The entire front panel will come out. You just need to cut the caulking around the whole thing. Then you have the whole panel removed to do the job. I have done many of these as a handyman myself.

I had to change a faucet in the opposite corner, towards the outside wall. Had to take vinyl siding off the house and cut open the sheathing, fun times.

I’ve noticed two things. you weakened the structure by cutting that “ridge”, ( maybe the whole bathtub is sturdy enough) you placed an access panel when (maybe with two more hours of work) you could have taken off the hole front panel. So yes, you made the job and it is not bad, but there is room for improvement.

It looks like a complete molded composite unit but its hard to say but it kept us entertained all the same.

I would have looked for a faucet that had separate parts connecting together with hose like many 8-in spread faucets. I'm happy to see you soldering instead of using shark bites. Overall, nice work.

The tragedy in all of this is that he didn't even have to do all that to fix the leak. Just remove the handle and swap out the cartridge, seat, spring. Delta roman handle tub faucets do that all the time, and give the appearance the leak is originating from the valve body, however the valvebody holding the cartridge has holes that causes the leak from the handle to drip down and go unnoticed from the surface of the tub.

I do fix those are tub tile like a tick granite they have always access to fix that tub faucet the whole piece is removable

Great job man. I’ve done a few cartridge/internal parts replacements on these damn Roman tubs. There’s never an access panel/Hole haha. Last one I did was a Moen Monticello cartridge and parts replacement it was a major pain in the ass. I hate these things. Your right alot of guys won’t touch them even plumbers. Love the smell of cutting cultured marble.

Good for you for tackling a complex job like this. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were using all my tools, even down to the faded mini pipe cutter it’s all the red paint worn off! Personally, I would’ve used a file to remove those blobs of excess solder from the original plumbing. And I would’ve used straight stops instead of angled stops, but that’s just me. Good work.

I have done something similar in past access plates are a life saver 😅

Would recommend that instead of using the angle stops, you should be using a full port valve so you don’t reduce flow. For a tub that size the 3/8” supply will take a significant longer fill time than a 1/2” supply. Just a thought? Unless the angle stops are 5/8” comp x 1/2”

Dang bro, grab a towel!😅 Nice video. Good work

"Frame" is a loose term for what I'm talking about. There's USUALLY some type of light frame to support the POSITION of the panel. It's not to support the tub, just to keep the panel plumb, straight and in position until the caulk or silicone dries. Most of the time you'd see some 2x2's , one across the top and bottom, one on each side, and maybe one or two in the middle. The fact that you don't have one in this video isn't relevant to my point, because in my 40 years (40+), experience in the tile business, that's the way MOST marble tubs were installed. The fact that they didn't do it that way here says more about the people who installed your tub.

All you had to do was cut the silicon and that entire panel comes off ! How do you think it was installed!

Yeah bro, that whole side your cutting on is a access panelwhole thing ehpuld pop off thats how there made

Front comes off!

I would have cut the calking around the front panel and pulled the hole slab off.

I just love when blow and go's build something in a way that it seems they decided no problem would ever arise down the line.

Used to put cultured marble in all the time. Just cut the caulk around the edges and try to slip a pry bar behind it so you can get the front panel off. Just be careful, because if they put any glue on the frame behind it, it could break. The hole and fiber optics, seems smart, but that hole is unnecessary.