O-ring sealed quick-connect tub drains - Trouble-free? or Avoid them?

[Troutd0g]

I'm an accomplished DIYer, not a pro plumber.
As part of master bath renovation I'm replacing a large built-in tub with a freestanding tub. Thankfully I only need to move the drain p-trap a few inches to accommodate the tub drain location. The question is how to connect the tub tailpiece to the ABS trap. Since it is not new construction I don't have easy access to the drain from below. The options apparent to me are:

- cut an access hole in the ceiling of the room below. I'd like to avoid this if I can, but it's possible.

- cut an access hole in the subfloor at one end of the tub. This would necessitate tiling under the tub first, setting the tub and drain, closing up the hole and continuing tiling the rest of the floor. With a elongated bowl shaped 60" tub I can probably get within 2 feet of the drain. The tub will run parallel to the floor joists so access would need to be from the end of the tub, not the side (darn!)

- solvent weld the tailpiece blind in one shot. Besides the precision needed to guide the tub into place there's no way to observe whether the connection is solid and leak proof. I'd need to have support under the trap too. This maneuver is further complicated by the tub being located in a corner with walls on 2 sides (back and side) leaving no room for the person on one end to stand while precisely lowering the tub into place.

- use an o-ring sealed quick-connect drain. This is by far the most convenient and I'm fine with the additional cost.

There are 3 or 4 of these quick-connect drains available now (OS&B ITD 35, Fleurco RapidConnect, Quick Connect) and have been in use for several years now. The few posts on them are dated. How have they functioned in the field?

Do they work - are they trustworthy? If there is a clog that back up the drain will they remain water tight?
Recommend them or AVOID them?

 

[Troutd0g]

Surprised there are no recommendations on whether the quick-connect tub drain kits are effective.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

They work...not sure what your question really is. Any seal that relies on a push-on, O-ring seal requires that the end of the pipe be both square and burr free, otherwise, you may damage the O-ring. This applies to fittings like Sharkbite and other, similar devices as well. Don't tighten the set screw excessively. They're handy since a typical one that screws on often requires a very specific length so that it both tightens up, is tight to the wall, and oriented down.

 

[Troutd0g]

Thanks Jim. I should have been more specific about my question. I'm very tempted to use it in my situation, however a voice of warning in the back of my head is cautioning that o-rings all fail eventually. If they aren't kept lubricated, they dry out, crack and fail. Tubs in my household are used infrequently - it's why we're replacing the large built-in with a free-standing one - to make better use of the some of the space wasted with the large deck that surrounded the built-in.

Specific questions about quick-connect drains are:
- what is the expected lifetime of the seal?
- how have they performed since their advent in the market?
- does the ability to remove the tub and inspect or replace the drain rough-in if it did fail or the tub cracked or was damaged mitigate the risk?

Welding an ABS drain is probably the most trouble-free but requires underside access unless you are sure you can nail it blind in one-shot.

 

[Terry]

The free standing tubs are making things harder in some ways. Where to you put the water supplies? And how do you hook them up. Who cleans behind the tub when it's near a wall? My mother grew up with free standing tubs and enjoyed it when tubs were built in. Cleaning was easier and the water was contained. Everything new was once old I guess.

 

[Troutd0g]

so true

 

[Troutd0g]

As a follow-up, I've decided to go the route of quick-connect drain - specifically the OS&B ITD 35 ABS. The benefits seem to outweigh the concerns and I've searched hard for anecdotes or documented cases of them failing or not working and can't find anything substantive. I called around plumbing supply and plumbing shops to get their opinion and they also had not heard anything negative about them - although I came across few who were very aware of them.

 

[Jadnashua]

Don't over tighten the setscrew. Make sure the pipe end is square and clean of any burrs or sharp edges. Put a little silicon plumber's grease on the O-ring.

 

[Troutd0g]

Thanks Jim