Removing 1966 pipe between sink trap & wall

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AcidWater

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Gotta pull the sink to replace the putty & so also installing new valve set & pipes.

The horizontal pipe between the trap & the wall is losing some of its chrome. Don't really see rust yet, kind of coppery (undercoat for chrome). Dunno if its the original 1966 pipe. Not too much mineral scum stuck to it. Using phosphor bronze & a steel brushes to remove what I can.

If I KNOW that this pipe will come out, then I'll replace it. But I don't want it to be stuck & get bent up & have to call a plumber & worst case, its so stuck that I have to tear into the wall to replace the fitting behind the wall.

It should be screwed into the pipe behind the wall, right? Have not pried on the bezel yet to have a look.
Will a modern plastic pipe have the same threads, or do I need to know what to choose from?
Looks like a 1 1/4" pipe.

Otherwise I can prime it & paint it with clear coat or nail polish enamel to keep it from rusting for another decade & when I'm 70 I'll probably not feel the need to do this stuff myself anymore.
 

Jadnashua

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Post a picture. It might be connected with a compression fitting and not directly screwed together.
 

AcidWater

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Post a picture. It might be connected with a compression fitting and not directly screwed together.
Big brass hex nut. Probably putty in the threads? Its not quite all the way in front of the wallboard, so can't get a good grip on a wrench. Although could work from above once I pull the sink out... I'd LIKE to replace it, just to not have to do it in my lifetime. Could stuff some fire resistant cloth into the hole around it & heat it with a torch -- does that help with old putty?

Do you putty plastic to metal threads, if I replace it? Or use the white/yellow recto-seal type stuff?
 

Terry

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If it's a lav faucet from 66 then I'm guessing 1-1/4" chromed p-trap using a 1-1/4" slip joint nut and slip joint washer.
There is no reason to put putty on the threading with slip joint washers. I have no idea what it would even do.
 

AcidWater

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Yes the trap - to horizontal is a slip joint.
So the horizontal to behind-the-wall should also be a slip joint?
So I should be able to just cut the horizontal pipe to the correct length?

I think I will need a longer tailpiece than American Standard supplied. Its 3 5/8" below the threads, and my existing one is more like 4 1/2 plus however much is slipped into the trap. And the plastic trap sits "lower" than the existing chrome. I like the nice chrome tailpiece, hate to stick plastic there instead. Maybe the good hardware store has a chromed piece...
 

AcidWater

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Well, the horizontal pipe broke into pieces -- so how do I get the part that's corroded & stuck to the inside of the "behind the wall" pipe, out?
Otherwise I cannot insert the new pipe.
There is no convenient projection that I can grab with pliers & "tear" the whole thing out.
 

Reach4

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Open the wall.

Cutting galvanized can be difficult.

If the sink has a cabinet, the patching does not have to match the rest of the walls.
 

AcidWater

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Used my Dremel with a grinding stone. It caused a lot of it to de-laminate in flakes.
I might "grease" the new plastic horizontal pipe with something just to make sure the roughened surface does not have a leak path.

If I had cut off the 90 bend, then what would I have to do to replace it? Solder a new one, or some sort of rubber flex/compression connector... THAT would be a real big PIA job & require more trips to the hardware store...
 

Reach4

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If I had cut off the 90 bend, then what would I have to do to replace it? Solder a new one, or some sort of rubber flex/compression connector... THAT would be a real big PIA job & require more trips to the hardware store...
Depends on what is in the wall. Usually you would be replacing a sanitary tee (santee). That would call for a cut of the pipe above the failed santee, a cut below the current santee, and two shielded couplings to connect in the new PVC santee with pipe stubs for the couplings to engage.

You can finish that project in a week or two, or have a plumber do it in a couple hours, I would estimate. You will still be the one patching the wall. When I did it twice, I applied laminated flooring to the back of the cabinet. Looks nice. Does not match, but it is close enough. I took a long time to do those projects.
 

Jadnashua

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The seal is made between the pipe and the tubing by the tapered washer that gets jammed in there when you tighten the nut. If the new tubing is clean and smooth and the tapered seal is in good shape, no need to do anything else except make sure the nut is tight enough. One reason the old one corroded is that there is a gap between the two so the tubing can be inserted into the drain pipe...there needs to be some gap also for the tapered seal to fit and compress.
 
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