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sbudsky

help identifying this bathroom hardware

S. Allen
3 years ago

Hi All!

Our vintage bathroom hardware generally looks and works great, but we have an annoying issue with it having a hard time switching between hand sprayer and faucet. Our plumber (who specializes in old homes) recommended against trying to have something this minor repaired because he worried any change could cause a cascade effect requiring us to have to replace other parts of the system, which would be difficult because we don’t know the make or brand or even exact era. To keep our options open, we would love some help trying to identify the maker and ideally if/how to get compatible parts.

Our place is a circa 1908 American four square in Chicago, and our toilet (Maple brand) seems to be from the 1940s, but the plumber thinks our hardware could be as recent as 1980ish.

I’ve attached a couple pics, but let me know if different angles would help with identification.
Also, if you know some magical trick to fix this issue, I’m all ears!

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Comments (15)

  • S. Allen
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thanks, will take a look!

  • kats737
    3 years ago

    Send a photo to the guys at the Faucet Shoppe on Elston Ave and see if they can help. They've provided a lot of creative solutions for our vintage fixtures.

  • S. Allen
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    This is super helpful— thank you!

  • res2architect
    3 years ago

    This looks like my hardware from 1903.

  • User
    3 years ago

    I've used a tub just like that, the middle handle is the tub to shower diverter and the push/pull piece is the diverter for the shower head to handheld. Is one of the diverters not working properly?

  • S. Allen
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    RES2– Interesting! Maybe there’s a chance it is original, then. Any idea about the brand of yours?

    Raye— Yep, that’s how ours is. Our issue is with the tub to shower diverter. When we try to put it in the tub mode, water still partially comes out of the shower or handheld, and the faucet water ends up being extremely hot because I think some of the cold water is being diverted.

    The shower to handheld transition is fine and we basically just use the handheld mode to fill the tub right now.

  • User
    3 years ago

    I had a similar experience with the one I had, I could only get cold water. A wonderful plumber told me how to fix the problem, it's crud in the faucets behind the valves. What I did was turn off the water at the base, remove the handles and valves, turn the water on and used my hand to cover one opening then the other. That forced the crud out, problem solved.

  • S. Allen
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thanks, Raye. That’s what our plumber was suggesting as well, but, for some reason he was worried that something could break in the process. Maybe we’ll just have to be brave and try ourselves!

    We were pretty upset at the same company after they accidentally broke a part of our ancient boiler during a routine inspection, so maybe we spooked them!

  • Katie Darling
    3 years ago

    Honestly looks like the one we purchased last year for our bathroom reno. We have a 1910 foursquare and put in a vintage claw foot rub and ordered this faucet/shower.

    ://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P13BY3Z?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

  • User
    3 years ago

    All you're doing is removing the handles and the valve bodies, although it's always possible something could break I doubt it will. I used a washcloth to cover the porcelain valve bodies and was gentle in unscrewing them.

  • S. Allen
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Katie— you’re right, it’s super close. We don’t have any labels on our handles, or it’s rubbed off, but otherwise very similar. Any idea if it’s supposed to be a direct recreation of an old design?

    I guess this is why the plumber couldn’t date it— apparently there are good matches throughout the last 100 years!

    We’ve wondered if it was newer and there were some minor updates done in the bathroom within the last 10 years, so it could potentially be from then. That would certainly make a minor repair easier!

  • Katie Darling
    3 years ago

    I do believe they were a reproduction. My aunt had an old one with the telephone handle sprayer, but no shower. I don't think the original ones had a shower, since showers are a relatively "new" development. I know my grandparents didn't get one until the nineties!

  • S. Allen
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Katie, I wonder if the fact that we have a shower is what made the plumber think it could be from the 80s.

  • S. Allen
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Katie, one last question—- is your hardware branded anywhere, or anything defining we can look for on ours to see if it really is the same line?