Recently had a new tub installed as part of a complete re-do of a surround tile job that was done poorly the first time round. Contractor offered to put in new tub as they had chipped the previous one, and were redoing all the initial tile anyway.
During installation, when old tub was ripped out and new one was being installed, the contractor had to remove the drain line because of misalignment. He pointed out how amazed he was at how clean the pipes were for an older installation. I said we were having drainage issues and had used vinegar and alkaseltzer and it had cleared the problem up perfectly. We had a good chuckle about it because he hadn't heard of that trick. The old tub was draining perfectly the week before the work.
And now... the new tub drains very, very slowly. I can see grit in the drain and some larger pieces of debris and can feel hardened material on the 1 1/2" pvc drain with a finger. The contractor insists it is a pre-existing condition based on our conversation above. The only reason we had the conversation is that he was amazed how clean the line was!
Anyway, attached you can see the picture of the drain. I had to "dry out" the drain with paper towel because it has standing water in it.
My questions:
1. Is the standing water in the drain, hours after the tub finally drains, a clear sign of pipe blockage directly in the tub drain?
2. What is the likelihood that, if the contractor washed material down the drain during tiling, that a larger issue exists further down the line?
3. Is it acceptable practice to wash any material down a drain during a tiling job?
Any advice on countering the argument of pre-existing condition, if you agree with me, would be appreciated.
Spoon
During installation, when old tub was ripped out and new one was being installed, the contractor had to remove the drain line because of misalignment. He pointed out how amazed he was at how clean the pipes were for an older installation. I said we were having drainage issues and had used vinegar and alkaseltzer and it had cleared the problem up perfectly. We had a good chuckle about it because he hadn't heard of that trick. The old tub was draining perfectly the week before the work.
And now... the new tub drains very, very slowly. I can see grit in the drain and some larger pieces of debris and can feel hardened material on the 1 1/2" pvc drain with a finger. The contractor insists it is a pre-existing condition based on our conversation above. The only reason we had the conversation is that he was amazed how clean the line was!
Anyway, attached you can see the picture of the drain. I had to "dry out" the drain with paper towel because it has standing water in it.
My questions:
1. Is the standing water in the drain, hours after the tub finally drains, a clear sign of pipe blockage directly in the tub drain?
2. What is the likelihood that, if the contractor washed material down the drain during tiling, that a larger issue exists further down the line?
3. Is it acceptable practice to wash any material down a drain during a tiling job?
Any advice on countering the argument of pre-existing condition, if you agree with me, would be appreciated.
Spoon