Bathroom sink (P-Trap & Tailpipe Leaks)

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targa

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I am in the process of remodeling my bathroom and have attempted to install a Home Depot (Glacier Bay) pedestal sink & Pegasus faucet. Unfortunately, after many hours, I have leaks in a number of places. 1. At the bottom of the pedestal sink where the drain connects. 2. Where the pop-up drain mechanism connects to the chrome tailpiece. 3. Most connections on the PVC P-Trap.

I am quite the amateur when it comes to plumbing but I think I have an idea of what might be causing these problems.

Some background:

The house was built in the late 40's and had tile going halfway up the wall around the whole bathroom. This tile (on plaster & metal lath) was fairly thick +/- 1". All of it was removed and replaced with new drywall. Because of this, the sink drain is now about 1" closer to the plumbing wall. The P-Trap I am using barely fits between the drain location and the drain pipe. It is a tight fit and I think it is adding too much stress on the connections.

The Materials:
The faucet has a 1 1/4" chrome tailpiece with a pop-up stopper assembly. This connects to a 1 1/4" PVC pipe with a 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 adapter then a 1 1/2 PVC trap to a 1 1/2 wall drain pipe (probably galvanized)

Possible Solutions?
Not sure if the stress is causing my leaks. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. But if it is, what would be the easiest solution? Is there a P-trap with a smaller radius that I can buy? Should I cut down the drain pipe in the wall? If so, how? (There seems to be plenty of tread on it.) Also, what type of putty, tape, sealer should I use on the connections and how much do they want to be tightened?

Your help is greatly appreciated.
 

Coz

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use teflon thread sealant not tape on all joints. the tailpiece has a scratch thread on it and needs sealant. note, the threads on the other fittings do nothing but compress the joint so sealant on them does nothing.
 

targa

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Thanks coz!
I'll give that a shot in a couple days when I can finally look at a p-trap without getting irritated.
So you don't think the stress on the connections is causing the leaks?
 

Coz

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unless it pulls apart on its own or doesnt line up properly it should be ok
tighten by hand then 1/4 turn. too tight causes leaks sometimes
 

Racer814

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actually, I think it's possible that the trap could be leaking if you have it angled too much..

very rare that the trip lever nut leaks, make sure you have the plastic piece installed correctly

if the tailpiece assembly is leaking you probably need to re putty the strainer and also put a little ring of putty where the rubber meets the basin...this will help if there are any irregularities in the casting...try it...really works well...in fact I started doing them all this way

just me, but I would use a heavy gauge brass chrome trap..it'll look better
 

targa

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So it looks like I'm going to try to either undo the galvanized pipe that goes into the wall and replace it with a shorter piece or cut it down. Which would you recommend? I'm trying now to undo it with a pipe wrench and some WD-40 and it's not moving....yet.
 

targa

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It's out!
About a 3" long piece of galvanized pipe with 1" of thread on each side. Hopefully I can find a piece an inch shorter at the hardware store and call it a day. I'll let you know if it works.
Thanks so much for the help, really appreciate it!
Tom
 

targa

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Hate to disappoint you coz but the pipe came out. It was pretty rusty though.
Would you guys recommend buyng another galvanized pipe to replace this one of just go PVC like the trap?
Thanks for all your help
 

Plumber1

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Why not replace that 11/2" nipple with a 11/2" male x 11/4" trap adpt. that will give you more room to wiggle in?
 
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