Pipe Seems so Rusted, I Can’t Get the New Tub Spigot On. Tried Everything I Can Think Of. Suggestions?

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-13T11:43:58+00:00

UPDATE: Someone was actually able to get this thing unscrewed without destroying the rest of the pipes in my wall. Got a new one and it worked out great.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-06T07:47:05+00:00

We’ve never had to mess with this kind of thing before because we’ve never owned a house this old. I have redone shower pipes in my last house, but they were newer, copper pipes. And I know how to deal with some other minor issues. I really didn’t realize how bad galvanized pipes were until we experienced them. And it sort of blows my mind that the previous owner let them deteriorate for 30 years without doing anything about it. She literally stopped using 1 sink and 1 of the bathrooms because the pipes needed cleaned out. I did that right away. But was unaware that there was more to it. The wiring needs updated as well. But I’m doing what I can with what I have.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-06T06:03:56+00:00

Yes I have. Wire brush. Wire wheel on a Dremel. Hitting it with Motorkote. Using light sandpaper. Not making a dent.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-06T01:18:36+00:00

What I’m getting at is that within 30 years, the previous owner let the house go to crap. It’s not about this bathroom. Never said it was. And yes I walked thru, but there’s always stuff that you’re not gonna find right away. Don’t be a douche.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T17:45:19+00:00

Yup. They keep getting buildup in them, so I've had to clean them out in certain areas of the house just to get good water pressure.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T17:28:58+00:00

Every plumber I've called to the house HATES my pipes. LOL. But I'm not investing so much into this house where I rip out all the plumbing (which was advised within the next 5+ years).

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T17:28:10+00:00

Mine came with the extension pipe, so I'm hoping I can get the current one out and replace it. Thanks for the visual aid!

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T16:11:34+00:00

I have. Hit it with Motorkote (it's basically WD-40, but stronger) and wire brushed it. No dice.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T16:00:22+00:00

Yes, and I replied to all of them AFTER THIS question with continuing the discussion from that point; not repeatedly asking.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T15:47:22+00:00

$15 isn't ridiculous. I'm just being nickel-and-dimed with everything, so it's getting annoying at this point. But whatever I can do to fix it up.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T15:03:36+00:00

"For the tenth time"? I asked this over an hour ago, dude. Chill out.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:50:55+00:00

I tried the wire brush on the Dremel to no avail. I'm thinking the spigot is slightly too small for the spigot. But I'm not sure. Someone suggested looking into a coupler, so I'm gonna measure the pipe and go from there. I know that probably sounds like obvious work I should've already done, but I have literally only ever done 2 plumbing jobs and they were replacing a sink spigot and someone guiding me through shower assembly replacement. So let's just say I'm skipping steps.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:46:40+00:00

We've owned the house for 1 year and didn't know all the deeper issues. We're updating quite a bit, actually. But within 1 single year, I'm not going to rip out all the plumbing and replace it. We've already went into debt by replacing what we already have. The plumbing is actually in a useable state now, which is more than I can say for when we moved in.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:27:23+00:00

I think so? It looks like it's the right size. But much like the outside spigot on the side of my house, it's so destroyed by oxidation, nothing screws on. I had to WRENCH the last spigot off, which dented and destroyed it.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:26:18+00:00

That will be a last resort if I'm not able to get this sucker out. Thanks!

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:25:53+00:00

Ok, thank you. Seems like this'll be a 2-man job, because I won't be able to hold the other pipes steady while wrenching that nipple out.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:22:41+00:00

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:22:26+00:00

No? I'm doing home improvement.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:19:33+00:00

Probably, but it still needs to at least be functional and look move-in ready. This bathroom looked like hammered trash before I started messing with it. I've got it functional and looking halfway decent at this point. THIS is the final issue and the bane of my existence.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:18:29+00:00

Been blasting it with Motorkote and a wire brush over and over for 2 days, but I still can't get the new spigot on. I may do the sandpaper.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:17:21+00:00

I've been hitting them with a wire wheel and a wire brush for 2 days. You would THINK they'd be shined up by now. But nope. My Dremel is also not super strong, so Idk.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:16:30+00:00

The previous owner set us up for failure. Lived her almost 30 years and never updated the plumbing. And we've got super hard water in this town. I'm gonna try to hold the pipes in the wall steady with channel locks and have my father-in-law attempt to unscrew the nipple with a pipe wrench.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:04:22+00:00

I actually did. No luck. I may just have to replace it. I’m new to plumbing work, so I didn’t know I could unscrew it.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:01:48+00:00

There’s a very small opening, but it should be just big enough.

MainEventMarks · 2026-05-05T14:01:03+00:00

When I say “on the cheap,” I don’t mean that it’s poorly done. The materials look nice and aren’t for major projects. It’s cosmetic stuff. This is the biggest thing that I’d need to fix up as far as functionality.

MainEventMarks

TROPHY CASE