change shower faucet and kitchen faucet

[retire-early]

A plumber quoted me $750 and that isn't even for parts.

He was telling me I needed new shutoff valves for the kitchen faucet.
This is a 10-year old house with shutoff valves in the line.

I know that the leaky shower faucet may be tricky given that the set screw is stripped or I would change the cartridge myself.

Do I really need to spend $750?

 

[RetireeRobert]

Well, with plumbers I have found one can easily spend big money.

Your kitchen, you can test the shutoff valves yourself to see if you need them replaced. Just turn them off, then turn on the faucet hot water, and the faucet cold water, and see if any water gets through. If not, then doesn't seem like you need new shutoff valves, they still work. Ten year old house seems like they "should" still be good. Maybe if you have minerally water or something, shutoff valves or washers could have degraded.

I had a drippy kitchen faucet of a brand that one had to rebuild the faucet, could not just take out cartridge and replace it. So I had to have whole faucet replaced. Almost $1000 for plumber which included faucet cost of $275. Plumber did also replace a hot water shutoff valve that branched water supply between faucet and dishwasher which drove up my cost.

Given you also have the shower faucet, $750 total labor for both kitchen and shower might not be that outrageous. You could doublecheck with some other plumbers you trust.

 

[ownyourfuture]

I had a shut off valve with a very slow leak (maybe one drop every 10 minutes)
If the location of the valve will allow it, put a dish underneath it for a day or 2.

 

[Sunset]

I'm not a plumber, but the job of changing faucets is a pain as getting inside the cupboard and making the faucet tight to the counter is difficult.

In fact I have a kitchen faucet to replace here, and I'm delaying it as I dread it so much.

I think OP should get another quote, as the suggestion the shut off valves are needing replacement after 10 yrs seems suspicious. Ours are 20 yrs and work fine.

 

[Scrapr]

I think you hit the lottery when you 1) Got a plumber to return your call & 2) give you a quote. Go buy a Mega Millions ticket

You can waste a bunch of time calling for quotes & getting frustrated....or you can pay the (wo)man. Trades are in demand now. You might see if a handyman wants to tackle it. they might be a bit less

*edit: in the old house I replaced the upstairs toilet shut off after the 2nd time it leaked into the kitchen below. I would think seriously about changing (cheap) shut offs.

 

[RetireeRobert]

I'm not a plumber, but the job of changing faucets is a pain as getting inside the cupboard and making the faucet tight to the counter is difficult.

Yes, climbing in/under that kitchen sink cubby hole and contorting myself is why I called a plumber myself. Not sure I could survive contorting myself at my age! That is part of why plumbers cost a lot.

Another part is I think licensed plumber going hourly rates nowadays are something like $100 an hour, maybe $120 an hour. So any plumbing work adds up fast.

 

[RobbieB]

I have changed out the shutoff valves every time I did the sink thing. And the toilet thing. Installed new quarter turn valves every time. It's not hard though, just another step.

But it makes all future maintenance much easier.

 

[RetireeRobert]

I have changed out the shutoff valves every time I did the sink thing. And the toilet thing. Installed new quarter turn valves every time. It's not hard though, just another step.

But it makes all future maintenance much easier.

So, maybe one of professional licensed plumbers' "best practices" is to put in new shutoff valve(s) whenever changing a fixture that is controlled by that (those) shut off valve(s)?

 

[RobbieB]

I would think. The toilets all had those funky valves with non removable flex pipes. WTF?

Gone. Put in standard stuff, 3/8" compression fittings, braided SS flex and standard ball cock inlets.

 

[Winemaker]

DMIL paid $800 in 2012 to have a plumber replace a commode with a high riser commode. I offered to do it myself, but she would not hear of it. It was only 1/2" higher than the one that came with the house.

I replaced a Delta bath faucet with a Moen last Sunday in one of the rentals, took all but 15 minutes. yeah I worked upside down in a vanity for a while but it was not that inconvenient. I had replaced the shutoffs 5 years ago before she moved in; it's part of my maintenance routine.

Replacing a a shower diverter may be a little trickier. New diverters are smaller than the diverters of yesteryear, they are made cheaper and cheaper with less and less material. It will most likely will require more connections to get it installed. Access is the big key.

In our area we have fleet plumbers, and we have a few plumbers that have their name on the truck, in business for themselves. He/she will be much cheaper than the fleet plumber. I found that out when I replaced a 100yo cast iron stack pipe that had a slight crack in it.

 

[Ronstar]

I wouldn't replace the kitchen shut off valves unless they are leaking. It seems odd that a 10 year old house needs to have shut off valves replaced.

Kitchen faucets are easier to change if you have a basin wrench. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Basin-Wrench-16PL0127/304217758

And shower faucets are easier to change if you have an access panel in the wall behind the faucet. I now have an access panel in a bedroom closet that made swapping out the shower faucet easy.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Plu...Door-Removable-Hinged-in-White-12AP/314064860

 

[retire-early]

I have learned alot this morning.

Since I have an existing Moen shower faucet with Posi-Temp valve, I do not have to have the valve replaced.

I need to have only the "trim" as they call it replaced.
I just have to tell them that the set screw on the handle is stripped and to be prepared for that.

It is good to be somewhat knowledgeable when dealing with plumbers.

 

[street]

I wouldn't replace the kitchen shut off valves unless they are leaking. It seems odd that a 10 year old house needs to have shut off valves replaced.

^this.

I did a kitchen faucet change out this spring. The cost of having a plumber do it, just isn't even reasonable. I will say it isn't all that handy working under the sink in tight quarters.

 

[aja8888]

Most shut off valves have packing nuts on the stem. Sometimes a leak there can be remedied by just tightening the packing nut a 1/2 turn or so. These valves should last a very long time.

In my ex's house that we sold after she passed, the shut off valves were original (1976) and were not leaking in any of the 5 locations.

 

[retire-early]

The plumber insisted that he was going to change the kitchen shutoff valves regardless.
The reason I am replacing the kitchen faucet is so I have a brand new faucet for when I sell the house.
The plumber has lots of great reviews on Google. Sigh.

 

[finnski1]

In our area we have fleet plumbers, and we have a few plumbers that have their name on the truck, in business for themselves. He/she will be much cheaper than the fleet plumber. I found that out when I replaced a 100yo cast iron stack pipe that had a slight crack in it.

My sister had a crack in her old cast iron waste pipe. She got 2 quotes to replace it with ABS plastic pipe. One was $600 and the other $1500.

Both licensed plumbers. I when to look at it and would have done it for her but it would need all the old pipe broken out etc. and it's not exactly the most pleasant job. I don't think there was even $100 in parts(10' pipe, (1) 4" elbow, (1) 4' x2 " tee and a few rubber to cast iron connectors) so I told her to just go with the $600 guy since they are both licensed plumbers.
It took him an hour and half. So $500 'profit at >$300 an hour. Just think what the $1500 guy was going to make!
Anyway she also had a few plumbing leaks that I told her I would fix. One an outdoor faucet and a shower drain and p trap. I did them all for $29 in parts where the plumber quoted her $330. It just goes to show the huge markup these guys are getting.

I couldn't let my recently widowed sister pay that. These projects are fairly easy for me but I can appreciate people not wanting to try to tackle themselves. I am stubborn and what I consider a hardcore DIY'er but also you can never get these guys to show up!

 

[Music Lover]

I did a kitchen faucet change out this spring. The cost of having a plumber do it, just isn't even reasonable. I will say it isn't all that handy working under the sink in tight quarters.

Yes, it's a pain working under a sink. I replaced the tap and shut-offs at our new (old) cabin. Luckily the sink wasn't caulked or attached to the vanity so I simply cut off the old shut-off valves and pushed on new Sharkbite shut-offs. Then I lifted the sink out and replaced the faucet by flipping it over to get at the bolt, attached new braided lines, then dropped it back in place and just had to attach them to the new shut-offs.

I love Sharkbite fittings.

 

[mountainsoft]

He was telling me I needed new shutoff valves for the kitchen faucet. This is a 10-year old house with shutoff valves in the line.

What's wrong with the valves? If you turn them off, does water still come out of the faucet? Are they dripping on the floor or something?

What kind of plumbing do you have (PEX, copper, CPVC, etc.)?

Is the shutoff valve mounted to the wall, or do the pipes stick up from the floor or wall with the valve mounted on the protruding pipes?

With a 10 year old house I would be really surprised if 1/4 turn ball valves weren't used. I can't imagine needing to replace those so soon. If you have the older multi-turn type you may have worn out washers and/or stem packing. I would probably replace those with new 1/4 turn valves rather than repair the old style valves. Not a hard job other than getting access inside a sink cabinet.

I know that the leaky shower faucet may be tricky given that the set screw is stripped or I would change the cartridge myself.

"Leaky" shower faucet? Is it just dripping from the shower head when you turn it off, or do you think it's dripping inside the wall?

Assuming it's just not shutting off completely, changing a cartridge isn't difficult (though dealing with a stripped screw would be a pain). We're on well water and even with a filter grit tends to wear out our cartridges every 3-4 years or so. What screw is stripped? The one that holds on the handle, or something else? Depending on which one it is, it might be easier to drill it out and replace the handle too.

 

[retire-early]

There is nothing wrong with the kitchen faucet shutoff valves.
He insisted he will have to replace them.
He said this when I asked for a quote on the phone!


Yes, water is dripping from the shower head at 1 drop / second.
It should have been repaired earlier but last year I did not want anyone in the house. Now the drip has gotten super annoying.

 

[ERD50]

There is nothing wrong with the kitchen faucet shutoff valves.
He insisted he will have to replace them.
He said this when I asked for a quote on the phone! ...

In defense of the plumber, they don't want a call-back. Many customers won't understand that the call-back might have had nothing to do with the work the plumber did, so then they bad-mouth that plumber to their friends ("two months later, I had a leak - that plumber wanted to charge me to fix it again! What a rip-off!).

There is already a service call charge. It might be overkill, but I can kinda see why a plumber doesn't want to take any short cuts or leave anything to chance. While he/she's there, just replace anything that might be associated with the repair.

-ERD50

 

[finnski1]

In defense of the plumber, they don't want a call-back. Many customers won't understand that the call-back might have had nothing to do with the work the plumber did, so then they bad-mouth that plumber to their friends ("two months later, I had a leak - that plumber wanted to charge me to fix it again! What a rip-off!).

There is already a service call charge. It might be overkill, but I can kinda see why a plumber doesn't want to take any short cuts or leave anything to chance. While he/she's there, just replace anything that might be associated with the repair.

-ERD50

I don't have any problem with them wanting to avoid call backs. I'd do the same if that were my profession.
I do have a problem with the effective hourly rates they charge (see my post above) if you can even get them to show up.
I had minor surgery in February that required me to be put under anesthesia. Your life is literally in their hands and I don't think even they get $300+ per hour although they might I also realize it is supply and demand and that's what they can get. Again why I am a serial DIY'er.

 

[Telly]

I don't have any problem with them wanting to avoid call backs. I'd do the same if that were my profession.
I do have a problem with the effective hourly rates they charge (see my post above) if you can even get them to show up.
I had minor surgery in February that required me to be put under anesthesia. Your life is literally in their hands and I don't think even they get $300+ per hour although they might I also realize it is supply and demand and that's what they can get. Again why I am a serial DIY'er.

The surgeon who did the big open-cut inguinal hernia repair on me less than 10 years ago received the whopping sum of $800. True, he didn't have to drive a truck to the hospital , but his fee was the second-smallest of all the charges!
I'm an extreme DIY'er, but there are some things I can't do myself...

It was either FireSign Theater or National Lampoon that had the "Self Surgery Kit", "available in Hard Rubber, Glass, or Obsidian".

 

[Telly]

With a 10 year old house I would be really surprised if 1/4 turn ball valves weren't used. I can't imagine needing to replace those so soon.

Oh, I found a way to wreck two of the 1/4 turn ball/barrel valves I installed on a sink. Without realizing it, I hadn't turned those two all the way ON when I was finished. Ten years or so later I needed to turn them off to replace faucet cartridges. Hard water deposits had built up on the wall of the ball/barrel that was exposed to the water because it wasn't all the way ON. So when I turned them OFF, they scraped up the sealing surface, leaving a slow(er) drip when I took the faucets apart.


No need for anyone to repeat this as an experiment... for ball or barrel valves (a lot of "ball" valve shut-offs actually became "barrels" as I think it was cheaper to make). Turn them all the way ON, or all the way OFF. No in-between!

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

if he "knew" they were broken over the phone thats all you need to know. Either youve found the only omniscient plumber, or you need to find a different plumber.

 

[finnski1]

The surgeon who did the big open-cut inguinal hernia repair on me less than 10 years ago received the whopping sum of $800. True, he didn't have to drive a truck to the hospital , but his fee was the second-smallest of all the charges!
I'm an extreme DIY'er, but there are some things I can't do myself...

It was either FireSign Theater or National Lampoon that had the "Self Surgery Kit", "available in Hard Rubber, Glass, or Obsidian".

Yeah I draw the line at "self surgery"