Need help on new vanity install, metal to PVC help needed

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Spunger1

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Hey guys,

This is only my first or second post here but I've lurked for some time now and have found all the information on this site to be great. I'm trying to do as much as I can myself as I'm cheap (I feel I can do this!) and plumbing has always been a learning experience for me.

I installed our new vanity and hooked up all the connections. Things were going great until I hooked everything up and had leaks galore. On one of the metal chrome pipes coming off of that piece from the wall there was no washers or anything just metal to metal. On the section that I had to connect to the PVC extension there was a reducing washer of some sort and it sealed but not tight enough to stop a leak. I had bought both a 1 1/2 and 1 1/4 drop down tube from that piece coming out of the sink drain.

I did put plumbers putty under the faucet and under the drain and tightened up that pipe for the drain. I had zero leaks there. I have not gotten a basin wrench yet to hook the water lines up, that's next on my list.

My question is......is it easy to just replace the P trap there and the rest of the pipes with PVC? I am wondering what do I need to go from that cast iron/galvanized piece sticking out of the wall to make it so I can connect PVC to the rest of the system? I read a lot about the Fernco connectors and I can look into those if that's what I need. I just want to get all the pipes under there changed out to something that won't leak.
 

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Hammerlane

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from the first photo I attached, what joints are leaking when the drain is assembled?

from the second photo I attached is there a nut on the end of the stub out or is the trap just sealed into the stub-out with some sort of caulk or something? Hard to see with whatever is all goobered up on it.

also if you want to replace all the way back into the wall you're going to have to cut the wall open to expose what kind of fitting is behind the stub out
 

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Hammerlane

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your current stubout is most likely going into a tee fitting. To transition to PVC you would unscrew the current stubout, install a male adaptor(#1 in photo), then a short piece of PVC(#2), then a trap adaptor(#3)

Then your new p-trap goes into the trap adaptor and that tailpiece extension
 

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Jimbo

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Yes, the trap arm is connected to the wall pipe with a slip joint nut. There is a nylon or rubber gasket under the nut.
 

Hackney plumbing

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If I had to remove the nut holding the chrome brass trap weir in the wall,I would use a hacksaw and slice the nut and peel it off. The thrreads may be good enough to attach another.....but dont count on it.
 

Hammerlane

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If I had to remove the nut holding the chrome brass trap weir in the wall,I would use a hacksaw and slice the nut and peel it off. .

Good call on that tip.
But if he wants to do all PVC he's gonna have to bite the bullet and mash up some drywall to see whats behind there.
 

Hackney plumbing

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Good call on that tip.
But if he wants to do all PVC he's gonna have to bite the bullet and mash up some drywall to see whats behind there.

A tubular plastic trap wil slip right back into the galvy arm sticking out of the wall. I say slip right in but he may have to use a wire brush to clean the inside of the pipe up a bit.

It may very well be time to open the wall up..........
 

Spunger1

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Thanks for the suggestions guys. Let me better explain all of this.

I figured since it would be covered up I was in no hurry to make under the sink pretty. I had the entire bathroom down to the studs so I'd like to not cut and hack anymore then I need to.

In the pictures it was leaking at the #1. There was no rubber washer or plastic gasket of any kind on the connection. On the p trap there was some sort of reducing washer/gasket that seemed to seal up the PVC but since I'm sure the gasket was 30 years old it may have leaked also. That's why I was inclined to just go all PVC OR if I can just remove that elbow from the wall stub and re-do the pipes from there I'd be ok with that also. It could be gaskets I need or all new pipes. It drains slow which inside the p trap is full of crud.

I could if I had to open it to the drain but I think that piece coming out of the wall is fine it's just the rest to the sink that's the problem.

Another question I have is can I even adapt the sinks drain which is PVC to chrome or whatever other kind of pipe that I need? In my mind it needs to be either chrome or PVC but I'm trying to mix them to make it work.
 

Cacher_Chick

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I'm not sure where the major problem is.

If you unscrew the nut which was previously pointed to, the chrome 1/4 bend will slide out of the pipe in the wall.

Get a new bronze Desanko fitting (tubular x female pipe thread) to replace that nut, and a new tubular P-trap kit.

Everything should fit right in.
 

Hackney plumbing

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I'm not sure where the major problem is.

If you unscrew the nut which was previously pointed to, the chrome 1/4 bend will slide out of the pipe in the wall.

Get a new bronze Desanko fitting (tubular x female pipe thread) to replace that nut, and a new tubular P-trap kit.

Everything should fit right in.

If the threads are good enough to use again,which i doubt.....all he would need is another p-trap and extra slip joint nut and washer. Install it just like it is.
 

Spunger1

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I was at home depot tonight for a while. Like I said, all this stuff is new to me.

I bought a new metal P trap which came with 2 nuts and 2 flexible type washers. I also got some of those plastic reducing washers that look like they belong more in the PVC fittings then the metal. I'm going to give it a shot after work tomorrow and see what I get.

Why on earth do they even bother making 2 different sizes of drains, but no real easy way to connect them together? I couldn't even find one of those metal couplings that would take the pipe and reduce it down enough. It was driving me nuts.

I'll post back and see what happens.
 

Spunger1

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update. I tried to reuse the old p-trap and the threads ripped off. The thing is very brittle so we will toss that one.

Bad news was the new brass/chrome p-trap that I bought is close to the same size but the drain line will not line up with the p-trap when installed. I'm like 1/4 away from making it all line up.

The threads on that elbow going into the wall stub have some surface rust on the back but doesn't look all that bad. Am I best off trying to remove that pipe and just go the PVC route? I don't mind making an opening under there as no one will every see it and I have drywall/mud to re-do that spot if need be. I can screw in one of those PVC adapters right into the cast iron and just use some pipe dope on it to seal correct? I dunno how I can screw a PVC piece with threads into cast iron and have it seal but I can't put something on the end of that cast iron stub and have it seal.

I'll keep trying, I did buy an entire PVC P trap kit as it was cheap for the 1 1/4 size pipe.
 

Hammerlane

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I dunno how I can screw a PVC piece with threads into cast iron and have it seal but I can't put something on the end of that cast iron stub and have it seal.

Because both PVC and galvanized threads will be National Pipe Thread sizes.

See photo below
 

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Cacher_Chick

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If you use dope, make sure it is labeled as ok for PVC.

As tight as it goes without breaking it. It's a "feel" thing that comes with experience. :p
 

Spunger1

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So I got all the piece I need. I ran into another problem though. The nut that's holding the. 90 to the stub out is on there tight. As in I can't budge it. Any tips or tricks to get it off? I have both a dremel tool and a angle grinder. I realize if I nick the threads then I'm toast.

Now. If I screw up the threads or can't get the bu off what do I do cut it off with a sawzall and use one of those fernco metal pipe adapters? Are those considered a permenant fix? I just need it to last 10-15 years lol. I don't are if I had to replace one every 15 years. Just wondering if that's my worse cast scenario.

I did buy one of those trap adapters (the brass ones you screw) so that is the route I'd like to go if I can get that nut off.

I really do appreicate all the help. I'm pretty sure I'm on the right track once I can get the 90 off.
 

Hackney plumbing

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Yeah a few posts up i suggested cutting the nut off. Cut 3/4 of the way through the nut and use a flat blade screwdriver to insert into the slot and twist. The idea is to crack the nut. If you nick the threads dont worry....the pipe doesn't seal in the threads.
 

Spunger1

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Yeah a few posts up i suggested cutting the nut off. Cut 3/4 of the way through the nut and use a flat blade screwdriver to insert into the slot and twist. The idea is to crack the nut. If you nick the threads dont worry....the pipe doesn't seal in the threads.

I will try this after work! Thanks again for all the help!
 

Spunger1

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So I went ahead and cut the 90 off flush with the pipe and also cut the nut and prided it off with the screwdriver and it came off exactly as you said. I had to use pliers and a pair of vice grips to get the chunk that was left inside the pipe out. I was excited it came off ok without the use of true brute force. Just a dremel too for the nut and a sawzall for the brass piece still stuck in there. I was shocked how much the pipe was shrunk on the inside.

Now for the big new problem

The threads on the cast iron are missing in spots and I cannot thread the brass pipe adapter onto the end so I don't know what to do from this point forward if I either get a metal fernco connector or if I try to extract the pipe from the tee in the wall. How hard would it be to just remove the pipe?

I think those are my only options at this point. Fernco or new pipe. It's pretty corroded inside that pipe. It's not very long either as I can hit the back of it with a 14" screwdriver. I am wanting to do this the right way now I'm this far into it.
 

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