I replaced the valve stems on a 50 year old bathroom sink.
There are different size nuts holding the hot and cold stems in place. One stem requires a brass sleeve, the other does not.
Is this a function of hot and cold, or was the sink repaired earlier with mismatched parts?
Sounds like someone used whatever fit long ago. Not sure what you mean about a brass sleeve, but it’s certainly possible that the original stem is all brass and the “good enough” replacement is nickel plated, or maybe it’s the other way around.
As long as you’re changing stems, are the seats good and smooth?
Yes, no more drips.
Thanks.
IANAP but my educated guess is it was done that way during an earlier repair. I see this type of thing a lot.
“Sleeve” probably isn’t the correct term. The new stems came with a brass threaded cylinder in which they rotate in threads. There is a large rim on the cylinder so that the nut can hold the stems into whatever it is called that the stem fits into. The hot water nut holds the stem without the cylinder. The cold water nut is larger, and requires the existing threader cylinder, the one that came with the new stem does not fit the nut.