Best course of action for this in-slab drain scenario?

[SomeOldGuy]

I'm smart enough to know that it's smarter to ask questions BEFORE you make the big mistakes. My original gut feeling was to just cut everything out and then rotary hammer down to the line (after the P-Trap). Then put a fernco on the cast iron and then follow the rest up with PVC.

BUT... before I go through all of that theater... What would you do?

The end-goal is to remove and replace the tub. I have not tried to loosen any of those compression (?) fittings (the one that goes to the base of the show and the one that goes to the overflow)

That area where it transitions down doesn't look too pretty, which is why my gut feeling said to just start new.

You guys have been awesome in the past, so... here I am again!

Thoughts?

 

[John Gayewski]

I would check the condition and operation of the existing assembly. If all was good, and gave me the impression that it had a lot of life left, then I'd replace the washers and clean everything up and reuse it, as that's the easiest path forward. But if I got the tub out and started assessing badness I would replace until I felt comfortable.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[SomeOldGuy]

I would check the condition and operation of the existing assembly. If all was good, and gave me the impression that it had a lot of life left, then I'd replace the washers and clean everything up and reuse it, as that's the easiest path forward. But if I got the tub out and started assessing badness I would replace until I felt comfortable.

I'm thinking about the same thing. We got the tub out and it doesn't look bad at all. I'm just smart enough to know that p-traps can be an issue and waaaaaaay easier to change now rather thank later!

Decisions, Decisions. LOL.

 

[SomeOldGuy]

My intention is to install this tub:
https://www.us.kohler.com/us/unders...athing/428716.htm?skuId=412353&brandId=656492

They offer the overflow bath drain in either brass or plastic.
K-7272-CP is plastic
K-7271-CP is brass

My situation is that the current drain and overflow is not in the right place.
The drain is too close to the short-end of the tub and needs to be extended. That's easy, just jack out the floor and get to the spec'd distance. The drain is also needs to be moved more toward the apron (if this tub had an apron) side. So, basically, the drain needs to be diagonally further away from where it is now.

Next we have to deal with the overflow that is also not close enough to the apron wall.

https://www.us.kohler.com/webassets/kpna/catalog/pdf/en/K-1121_spec_US-CA_Kohler_en.pdf

As you can see, the drain is 15" OC (short side) and 11" (12-5/8 minus 1-5/8).

Sorry... I know this is getting long. LOL. What I'm trying to determine is should I covert that brass to pvc at the compression fitting (is that a thing?) -- or is there something I'm overlooking. The end-game would be to not disturb that fitting where it goes into into the ground. Otherwise... I would just dig the whole thing up and start new.

Sorry, again, I know that's a pretty convoluted post.

 

[Sylvan]

Floor is open.

A lot is already exposed .

Time to replace as much as possible

The brass waste normally lasts over 40 years so I would stick with a winner

Also if you ever have a stoppage and need to snake the waste line I would be leery of PVC

 

[SomeOldGuy]

Floor is open.

A lot is already exposed .

Time to replace as much as possible

The brass waste normally lasts over 40 years so I would stick with a winner

Also if you ever have a stoppage and need to snake the waste line I would be leery of PVC

Could you clarify? are you saying to dig out and replace everything from the cast iron up (P-trap, etc.)?

 

[Sylvan]

Would be a lot easier and cheaper now then having to redo the same job in in a decade or less

One of my accounts had all the walls replaced with marble and the GC said the piping inside the walls was fine

$38,000 and less then 4 years later there was a leak on a brass nipple off of the riser

 

[SomeOldGuy]

Would be a lot easier and cheaper now then having to redo the same job in in a decade or less

One of my accounts had all the walls replaced with marble and the GC said the piping inside the walls was fine

$38,000 and less then 4 years later there was a leak on a brass nipple off of the riser

This will be the first job I've done that didn't have crawl/basement access...

I'm going to assume that if I excavate out that area I'm going to find a p-trap (I'm pretty certain of that).

Based on what I understand to be a wild-ass-guess... is that trap brass (same as the shoe, etc.) or is it cast? I'm going to make another assumption and assume a stainless steel wrapped Fernco would be the best way to transition from the cast iron to the new trap, etc.?

Any other suggestions? I'm trying to get a "somewhat" idea of what to expect -- fully realizing that these jobs are always full of surprises. LOL.

 

[Sylvan]

A lot of installers used a galvanized P trap or CI trap depending on the area and how long ago it was installed and in NYC older homes still have a lead trap lead wiped to a lead pipe to a brass nipple then connected to the waste line

 

[SomeOldGuy]

A lot of installers used a galvanized P trap or CI trap depending on the area and how long ago it was installed and in NYC older homes still have a lead trap lead wiped to a lead pipe to a brass nipple then connected to the waste line

Thanks.
This is South Florida. Built in 1965/1966...

 

[SomeOldGuy]

Here’s a better pic with the tub removed.
I’m thinking between the fact that the drain isn’t centered an the connection of that fitting at the ground level..,

I’ll be hammering that out and replacing from clean pipe.

Oh. Yay. Lol