Gentle tapping with a brass hammer works, but I’ve also cracked a stem that way once—guess it depends on how corroded things are.
Yeah, I’ve been there. One time I thought I could finesse an old shower stem out with a few light taps—ended up snapping it clean off inside the valve body. That was a fun afternoon... Not my proudest moment. Ever since, I’m all about patience and soaking with PB Blaster or Kroil. If it still won’t budge, I just cut my losses like you said. Sometimes old plumbing just doesn’t want to cooperate, no matter what tricks you try.
- Been down that road too—once tried to “gently” persuade a corroded stem and ended up with a way bigger job than planned.
- Patience and penetrant oil like PB Blaster really are underrated, especially when you’re trying to avoid extra costs.
- Sometimes, no matter what, the old hardware just wins… but hey, knowing when to walk away saves time and money in the long run.
- Honestly, it’s kind of reassuring hearing others have the same struggles. Makes me feel less like I’m just breaking things for fun.
I get the whole “walk away” thing, but sometimes I think folks give up too soon. I’ve had a few stubborn stems where a little heat from a hair dryer (not a torch) plus some gentle tapping actually did the trick. Just gotta be careful not to overdo it and crack anything, but sometimes patience plus a bit of creativity beats surrendering to the old hardware.
Heat and patience definitely go a long way, but I’ve seen folks get a little too enthusiastic with the tapping and end up with a cracked valve body or chipped tile. I’m all for creative solutions, but sometimes the risk outweighs the reward, especially in older buildings where the plumbing’s already seen better days.
I usually try penetrating oil first—let it sit overnight if I can. Sometimes a little vibration from an electric toothbrush (seriously) helps the oil work in. If that fails, I’ll use heat, but I’m always wary of damaging solder joints nearby. Have you ever run into issues with heat loosening up other connections unintentionally? That’s bitten me before, and it’s a pain to track down leaks after the fact.
Curious if anyone’s tried freeze spray instead of heat—heard mixed things, but never actually used it myself.
