How to Hook Up a Claw Foot Tub Faucet

Turn off the water supply to the bathtub’s faucet. You must either locate the shutoff valves for the faucet’s water supply lines, which may be located in the wall behind the tub, or in an unfinished basement under the tub. If you cannot find the valves, close the house’s main water valve.

Mount the faucet onto the tub. If the tub has faucet holes, spread a layer of plumber’s putty onto both sides of the faucet’s deck plate and slide the deck plate over the underside of the faucet before you insert the faucet into the holes. Thread the compression nuts onto the underside of the faucet, tightening them with an adjustable wrench. If the faucet is free-standing, you must thread the faucet’s pipe onto the water supply pipe in the floor. If the faucet sits in the wall above the tub, you must thread the faucet components into the pipes in the wall and secure the knobs with the retaining screws.

Wrap pipe tape around the threads on the underside of the faucet, if your tub’s faucet is a deck-mounted model. Thread the supply lines onto the underside of the faucet. Tighten the supply lines’ connections onto the underside of the faucet using a basin wrench, and thread the connections onto the water supply valves using a pair of channel-locks.

Restore the water to the faucet either by turning the shutoff valves’ handles counterclockwise, or by opening the house’s main water valve slowly. Turn on the hot and cold water for the faucet to test for leaks.