Hello
I have a slight problem. First of all, we just finished our bathroom tile work only to find that the handyman had not secured the shower line back to the wall. Is there any way to fix this now that the tile is already up??
Also, our wall is very thin. Imagine...2x4 turned sideways, that is the thickness of our wall. And when we went to put the new fixtures on the stems and spout stick out too far, do they make decorative pieces for this problem??

I am more concerned with the loose shower head at the moment

Thank yoU!

First, the original plumber needs to secure the plumbing he worked on. It's easier to patch drywall, so could you knock into the wall behind the shower wall (I'm assuming there's no way that narrow a wall is an exterior wall)?

The shower head should be attached to a pipe coming out of the wall, and that pipe, with a bend in it, should be attached to the plumbing line coming up from the tub plumbing. You may simply need to use a different fixture for the shower - an added expense, to be sure, but cheaper than the alternatives.

Best bet by far is to get a good plumber in there to solve these problems based on first-hand impressions of what all the situations are. Ask 5 people, and I'll bet the same name will come up at least twice -- that's your man! Worth every penny in the long run. Good luck!

There are several issues at hand, but I don't think it's as bad as you believe.

The first thing for you to put to rest is that your walls are not "thin". The term for what he did is "flat stud". It basically means that he redid your walls using the dimensional lumber flat (1.75" depth) instead of the 3.5" that would occur if they were studded with the same lumber in the traditional method. This has nothing to do with the fixtures that you're attaching on the outside of the wall. The issue, instead, is that you have to cut down the tubing that's sticking out to accomodate your fixtures...but you'd have to do that regardless of how he studded your walls. They always leave extra so that you can compensate for various wall coverings, from acrylic to tile, and not leave yourself short. Flat studded walls have a lot benefits to them, especially in a bathroom, and there's not a problem with the way they were used in this application.

Next, your pipe is perfectly fine inside the wall. It IS attached inside, but it's not going to be rigid. That firmness you're looking for occurs after you attach the head and apply the flange and caulking. There are many reasons that it won't be rigid inside the wall, but the biggest of these is that you don't want someone to hit the pipe sticking out and cause the pipe inside to fracture. It needs a little flexibility to protect its own integrity.

The only thing you need to do is bring in a handyman to cut down your tubing that's coming out of the wall to the proper depth, attach the proper fittings, and reattach your fixtures. It may be something that you can do yourself, but considering how frustrated you appear, it would be better that you bring in someone to help you for an hour and have the peace of mind that it's done right.

Thanks JB Cat! Actually I made the handyman come back and fix it!
All he had to do since the line ran right up the side of the stud was put a metal washer around the pipe and then screw that right into the stud. That fixed it great.
Only one more thing though, our shower now makes this squealing sound but only when we turn on the shower. My husband thinks it is caused by the pipe not being large enough for the amount of water pressure it wants to take up the pipe? Could it be? Oh well, it isn't a big deal just thought I would ask.
Also there is a really cool website I found and since I have talked to you before (long ago) and you say you do a lot of old home stuff I thought you might enjoy it...
www.historichouseparts.com

Thanks again!

That sounds about right. It's not as bad as it sounded originally...most plumbing isn't.

The squealing you're hearing wouldn't be from the pipe diameter. More likely it's a pressure issue. You may have some air getting sucked into the line when you pull the diverter (the thing that turns on the shower instead of filling the tub). I'd make sure the faucet's properly attached and that all the washers are properly seated. If that doesn't change anything, try an old trick. Turn the shower head all the way to the side to keep the water turned away from the faucet. Then light a cigarette and hold it under the faucet and to each side. See if any of the smoke is getting sucked into the faucet. If it is, then that's where the noise develops.

If you had knocking OTOH, we'd be back to your pipes. In that case all you'd need to do is fill the space with a foam insulator. If the squeal's source is never identified, that would still be an alternative for you as it will muffle the noise and not be so irritating.

BTW, if you're into architectural salvage, I'll share my favorite playground: http://www.salvageone.com/

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