new house, only galvanized pipe left = problems.

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Jeff Mayone

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My wife and I just bought our first house a week ago and already experienced a draining problem while running the shower. Simply put, the shower caused the sink to overflow.

Thanks to this fine forum, I believe I have already identified the problem....good 'ol galvanized pipe! Thankfully, I have looked over the rest of the plumbing and it is all copper. Only this joint remains, connecting the shower drain (right) to sink (above) to exit towards septic....

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I am a DIY kind of guy but more experienced with the flow of electrons than water! Is this something you guys feel like a plumbing newb could tackle? If not, can anyone suggest about how much this section cost to replace? The pipe above connects to PVC sink drain at about floor level, so I am thinking work is minimal but even $100 is a lot in light of home purchase.

I really appreciate any help you folks can offer!

-Jeff

PS- Another BIG THANKS! to the owners and contributors of the forum :)
 

Jeff Mayone

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I thought it was pretty lazy to leave such a critical path untouched, while upgrading the rest to copper. Then again, it looks like it took more work to mate new copper to galvanized...makes little sense to me!
 

FullySprinklered

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Well, the vertical pipes are less likely to clog, short term. That may be why they are still there. You need a sawsall and an assortment of fittings, including ferncos, and some pipe and glue. I don't see anywhere you can go wrong from there. Avoid 45 degree fittings any time you can; getting the visual on those is not always easy. Oh, and leave the big combo at the bottom alone.
 

Terry

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You can pull the pipe from the cast iron fitting, and using an inside hub fernco sleeve, insert a 2" plastic pipe.

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They make these in all sizes. You will need the 2"

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Jadnashua

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If you pay a pro to do the work, it will be (lots?) more than $100. It will cost close to that for just the parts, and labor isn't cheap.
 

Terry

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You may want to snake the drain and see if that helps. Most shower drains, it's about removing hair. That would be my first step in your shoes.
 

Jeff Mayone

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I appreciate all your help!

Terry - So cool to see the man who started it all chime in! I was wondering if I could snake, though I expected the real blockage could be the lead/mineral buildup in depicted area- Do you recommend I snake from the kitchen sink? It's on the lower level while the other leg is from the shower on second tier of our split level. I'm thinking the shower drain thru that junction is operating well, since it had the pressure to divert to sink.

Thanks again!
 
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