How to remove old Mueller (1951) wall mount faucet

Most "Frost Free" faucest are very long. The whole thing will unscrew from the 1/2' NPT fitting deep in the wall. But you shouldn't have to do that. You should be able to pull the whole long stem from the tube.

A picture, model, or brand of the type of faucet you have will be helpful as there are only three types of faucets. One hole, two hole, and three hole faucets. The one hole ones have two types: a single hot or cold, or a mixer valve to combine hot and cold into a single faucet. Each have a surface mount or wall mount version.

They all follow the same similar installation method. Turn off water supply. Unscrew supply lines from supply to underside of the faucet. a Plumber's wrench is needed or a spanning crescent wrench to remove the supply lines.

-Unscrew whole assemble from the sink.
-insert new one into the same hole as old one.
-from underneath, install the new faucet using the supplied hardware.
-Use plumbers tape (Teflon tape). It's often a white or pink silicon tape around the threads prior to screwing the supply lines back in. Re-connect the supply line.

-Open hot water faucet to maximum. Slowly turn on the water supply. Watch for leaks and drips. If any close the water supply and undo the supply leads and apply more Teflon tape.

- to apply tape. Start at the end and pull tightly, wind the tape into the threads in the direction of the turn. Do not wind in opposite direction.

-Try to turn on water again, turn slowly until it is at maximum, watch for leaks and drips.

-now slowly close the faucet and continue watching for leaks and drops.

If the faucet is fully closed and there is no leaks, you've done a good job... basic plumbing 101.

Now if your pipes are solder types and not screwed in supply line, and you're not confident with a torch or have little experience, ask for help from a friend who has some torch knowledge or hire a plumber. It is simple to do but requires a lot more steps than simply screwing in and unscrewing supply lines.

If you are looking to replace only the shower head, you'll need two plumber's wrenches, a cloth, and Teflon tape.

First and foremost, read the install instructions that come with the new shower head...

After you clearly understand what the instruction's say, shut of the water supply lines for the hot & cold water.

Take one of the wrenches and apply it to the neck of the water supply tube coming out of the shower wall (a.k.a. goose neck or supply nipple, or arm, depending upon the design). It'll have male threads (the threads are on the outside of the fitting). I would place a cloth of some sort around it before placing the wrench on it so you don't mar the finish of the water supply tube.

Place the second wrench on the shower head assembly (which has the internal, female threads). and unscrew it by turning the shower head assembly counter-clock-wise (to the left) while holding the water supply nipple with the other wrench.

You need to do this, so you don't snap or deform the water supply nipple coming out of the shower wall- and/or possibly causing leaky damage to the fittings behind the shower wall.

To replace the shower head, you reverse the removal process- the only difference is, you wrap Teflon tape around the male threads of the water supply nipple before spinning on the new shower head.

Somethings to be careful of, and I can't stress this enough, DO NOT cross thread the new shower head onto the water supply nipple. You should be able to screw it on the new shower head by hand- where it is hand tightened- then using the double-wrench method that you used to take off the shower head, turn the new shower head an additional half to three quarter turns with the wrench, clock-wise; and I mean gently.

Here's a nice short video on the subject, illustrating my instructions: http://youtu.be/fiv4Zq9v4co

It sounds like your spout supply nipple has sprung a leak. There isn't much of any other way water can flow between your spout and tile wall. It's pretty important that you don't use the fixture until the problem is fixed. Because the water coming out that you see is also probably flowing into the wall and causing water damage and MOLD. You need to remove the spout and replace the nipple that is supplying the water to the spout. There could be a defect in your spout too, but likelihood of that is less than your nipple threads giving in to some electrolysis from the bronze/copper in the spout or somewhere in your water system. To prevent it from occurring again, use a brass nipple to replace the galvanized nipple in it now. Red brass, no yellow brass. Good luck with your problem and always know where and how to turn your water off to your house before attempting a plumbing repair.. Most spouts screw off. Counter clockwise, use a pair of channel locks by inserting the rubber coated handle into the opening on the spout then using the leverage of the channel locks to unscrew the spout off of the wall. It is not a repair that requires to have the water off to your home before attempting to repair. It only emits water when the tub valve is turned on. If it doesn't unscrew, twist it until the under side is up and you will see a slot where you can insert an allen wrench to loosen it and then slide off. Inspect the spout while it is in your hands to see if it is damaged of if the nipple sticking out is damaged. one of the two must be, because water flowing from behind the spout is definitely not normal and definitely something you need to fix right away, before your wall and floor behind your tub are damaged or start to grow mold.

sometimes check the faucet screws they come loose or if they are old you might want to replace the whole diverter, take them to lowes or home depot and have them guys in the plumbing department hook you up. trust me you are opening a can of worms with rubber valve seats just get new ones. Make sure before pulling you cut off water supply to them.

If you can't find any documentation, the manly(easy) way would be to buy a hole saw set, find the part of the faucet that goes through the wall, and select the closet fit possible of hole saw that will fit the part. It's okay if the hole's a little bigger than the pipe because the cover plate will probably cover it up, but please double check before drilling that the hole really will be covered by the coverplate.

There are either 2 or 3 small screws which hold the thermostat to the wall plate.
Remove these and the thermostat will come off to reveal the wall plate with the wiring connections.

Start by turning off the water supply, either by shutting off the main water supply to your house (probably located close to your water meter), or by closing the shutoff valves on the water supply lines to your faucet. Then, open the tap to allow the water to drain out of the lines and remove any water pressure. Next, use your adjustable wrench and disconnect the hot and cold water supply lines running to the faucet. If you're going to replace the lines, disconnect them at the shutoff valve, but if you're going to reuse the existing lines, do your disconnects at the base of the faucet itself. ow it's time to actually remove that old faucet. Faucets are attached in one of two ways. Bottom mounted faucets are removed from the top of the sink. To remove a bottom mount faucet, you need to take off the faucet handles and escutcheon to get to the nuts holding the faucet. Once the nuts are exposed, use your wrench to take them off. Top mounted faucets, unfortunately, are held in place by nuts located on the underside of the sink. You'll need to get under the sink to remove them, and space may be at a premium. If you're lucky, you'll be able to use your slip joint or locking pliers to loosen the nuts. However, if pipes are in the way, you'll need to use a basin wrench (a wrench specially designed to work in tight spaces where you don't have room to use an ordinary wrench or pliers). Once you've removed the nuts holding the faucet, just lift it up off the sink. If there is some caulking holding the base to the sink, slide the blade of a utility knife carefully around the faucet base to cut it loose. You'll need to remove any old caulking or "grunge" that may have built up around the old faucet. You can get silicon remover at your home store, and a mixture of vinegar and water or an orange cleaner will remove the grunge.

When mine gets stuck I stick the handle of a fork or spoon into the hole where the water comes out and use that to unscrew it. Works like a charm every time.