Look-alike comparison

Sayco P002 vs P004 vs 06550: hot, cold or diverter stem

The Sayco 308 and T-308 three-handle tub and shower valve holds three brass stems that look nearly alike: P002 for hot, P004 for cold and 06550 for the center diverter. The fastest tell is the handle each one came from: left is hot, middle is the diverter, right is cold.

Jump to: side by side, tell them apart in the hand, FourHome replacements.

Schematic drawing of the Sayco P002 hot stem with a 16-point broach, a right-hand thread and a bibb washer on a screw — Schematic, not to scale. It shows only the features named on this page. No bench photo of this part yet.

Part record: Sayco P002

Schematic drawing of the Sayco P004 cold stem with a 16-point broach, a left-hand thread and a flat washer on a screw — Schematic, not to scale. It shows only the features named on this page. No bench photo of this part yet.

Part record: Sayco P004

Schematic drawing of the Sayco 308 center diverter stem with a 16-point broach, an O-ring sealed barrel and a seat washer on a screw — Schematic, not to scale. It shows only the features named on this page. No bench photo of this part yet.

Part record: Sayco 06550

Side by side

On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Feature	P002 hot	P004 cold	06550 diverter
Handle position	Left (FourHome listing)	Right (FourHome listing)	Middle (FourHome listing)
Lower end	Bibb washer on a bibb screw (BrassCraft), no barrel (FourHome listing)	Flat washer on a screw, no barrel (FourHome listing)	O-ring sealed barrel above a seat washer on a screw (FourHome listing)
Catalog hand label	RH (BrassCraft, Park Supply)	LH (BrassCraft, Park Supply, Kissler, ProPlus)	Not stated
Water side	Hot (Danco, BrassCraft, HD Supply)	Cold (Danco, BrassCraft, HD Supply)	Diverter applications (Danco)
Sayco number	P002 (BrassCraft, Danco, Everbilt)	P004 (BrassCraft, Everbilt, HD Supply)	06550 (Home Depot page for Danco 9B-5D)
Danco stem for this slot	9B-3H hot (15884B)	9B-3C cold (17093B)	9B-5D diverter (15886B)
Broach	16-point, BrassCraft code B	16-point, BrassCraft code B	16-point, BrassCraft code B
Danco gauge	ID length 9, broach B	ID length 9, broach B	ID length 9, broach B
FourHome replacement ships	One brass hot stem, seat washer and packing fitted, no seat	One brass stem and one flat washer	One brass diverter stem, barrel seal and seat washer fitted

Tell them apart in the hand

Note the handle position. Keep each stem with the handle it came out from behind. The FourHome listings for this valve put hot on the left, the diverter in the middle and cold on the right as you face it. Position is the deciding tell.
Look at the lower end. Per the FourHome diverter listing, an O-ring sealed barrel above the seat washer marks the center diverter. A washer on a screw at the tip with no barrel above it means a hot or cold stem.
Read the hand label. BrassCraft's card prints P002 RH for hot and P004 LH for cold. Park Supply, Kissler and ProPlus also label the cold stem left hand. The letters describe the stem, not the side of the tub.
Do not sort by removal. Danco's removal steps on its 308 hot and cold stem pages are its general brass stem instructions, the same as on its diverter page, and name no thread hand. No source opened says which way a 308 stem unscrews, so do not use the direction it came out to tell hot from cold. If a stem will not loosen, stop rather than force it. Go by handle position and the hand label.
Count splines, check gauge. Expect 16 splines on all three. BrassCraft's broach chart files Sayco under code B, 16-point, and Danco puts its hot, cold and diverter stems at ID length 9, broach B. A match confirms the 308 family, not the position.
Match any printed number. If the bag or card from the last repair survives, P002 is hot and P004 is cold per BrassCraft. The Home Depot page for Danco's diverter stem prints 06550 for the center position.

What does not tell them apart

A 16-point broach. BrassCraft's chart files Sayco stems under broach code B.
Danco's gauge slot. Danco lists its hot, cold and diverter stems for this valve at ID length 9, broach B.
The valve. Danco's pages list all three for Sayco 308 and T-308 bath faucets from 1968.

Not printed on this page

Where the sources disagree, the figure is left off until it is settled.

Overall length. Printed inch figures for these stems do not agree with one another, so none is given.
Which way each handle turns to open. One stem guide says a left-hand stem opens clockwise and another says counterclockwise, and no Sayco document was found to settle it.
Whether hot and cold are one body in two thread hands. Jones Stephens sells one stem with bonnet for either side, while other catalogs sell a handed pair.
A thread hand for the diverter. No catalog opened states one.