Pipe size for tub drain

[DJR]

Installed new tub and attached the drain pipes. Both the drain pipe coming off the tub and the drain pipe coming out from the flooring are the same size and are offset by a few inches. I purchased a brass drain kit because most of the pipes will be located in a crawl space and we get very cold weather. I was thinking PVC pipe would crack under extreme temperatures.
a couple of questions.
1. Can I use a rubber elbow to attach the tub drain pipe to the floor drain pipe ?
2. Is there a certain size pipe that will fit inside a tub standard drain pipe? I have yet to find one.

I know what would work ( see picture below) but I can't just buy the T attachment. I would have to buy the whole assembly and it would take weeks to get it delivered.

 

[Terry]

That drain is tubular 1.5" which fits inside of PVC 1.5" using a slip joint nut and slip joint washer.
Every tub drain needs a p-trap to prevent sewer gas from entering the home. Many new tub drains are made of PVC which use glue up fittings. I haven't heard of that cracking before. Most of the time those drain lines are empty anyway, and the only water you have is in the p-trap.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

1. No.
2. No. If I understand correctly, the brass lines are 1.5 inch OD, and things are made to attach outside.

How about a sketch of what you are trying to accomplish? If you are worried about extreme cold, won't your trap freeze?

Would something like this 1-1/2 in. Brass Offset Double Slip Joint help?

 

[DJR]

1. No.
2. No. If I understand correctly, the brass lines are 1.5 inch OD, and things are made to attach outside.

How about a sketch of what you are trying to accomplish? If you are worried about extreme cold, won't your trap freeze?

Would something like this 1-1/2 in. Brass Offset Double Slip Joint help?

That just might do the trick. I'll post a picture of what I'm dealing with.

 

[DJR]

So this is my setup. I don't really need a p trap. There is already an old school trap in place. I can't get the old trap off without removing all the other pipes around it which would entail a crazy amount of work if I could do it myself without calling in a plumber. I'm not even sure if I have the room to manuver in the crawl space.
I'm just trying to get the tub drain pipe to someway get over to the floor drain. Reach4 is hitting on an idea that just might work.

 

[Terry]

You will need something to measure the pipe you have. It could be a tubular size, or it could be copper DWV.

 

[DJR]

You will need something to measure the pipe you have. It could be a tubular size, or it could be copper DWV.

Hey Terry. Thanks for responding. I'm not following what your saying. I'm not proficient with plumbing. All I can say is the pipe coming from the tub is the exact same size as the pipe coming out of the floor. Just trying to figure out how I can get the tub pipe to get over to the floor pipe which is about 2 inches to the left. ( or right depending on how you're looking at it).
My biggest concern is if the PVC pipe will withstand extreme freezing temperatures or will it crack.
If I had a better picture you could see that the tub pipe aligns almost directly in front of the nut on that old trap and about an inch in front of that trap.

 

[Terry]

This one goes between copper and tubular.
Does the drain you have slide inside of the copper pipe coming up from the ground? Or is it the exact same size?

 

[Jadnashua]

It looks to me like you have a drum trap. I would want to cut that off and use a P-trap instead. That would give you lots of opportunity to get your new drain from the tub aligned with the new P-trap.

 

[DJR]

This one goes between copper and tubular.
Does the drain you have slide inside of the copper pipe coming up from the ground? Or is it the exact same size?

exact same size

 

[DJR]

It looks to me like you have a drum trap. I would want to cut that off and use a P-trap instead. That would give you lots of opportunity to get your new drain from the tub aligned with the new P-trap.

I know but i don't have the proper tools to not only cut it off but to re-attach it without paying a plumber let alone trying to squeeze into the crawl space. That's why I'm trying to come up with a different solution.

 

[DJR]

My biggest concern is how to get the tub drain pipe to go over to the floor drain pipe. It's about 2 inches to the left of each other.
Reach4 has a good option but only if I can get it in a shorter length. or what I would like to do is find a t fitting that looks like the picture I posted earlier but I can't find them anywhere.

 

[Jadnashua]

Is the pipe down there copper or cast iron? If it's copper, a tubing cutter would cut the pipe easily. Then, you could use the proper banded coupling to attach a new pipe, a new P-trap, and connect to your riser. No soldering involved. To cut the pipe, if it's copper, you could use a hack saw, but you'll get a squarer cut if you use a tubing cutter.

Drum traps are a long-term issue. You really don't want to go to all of the work with the new tub and drain and leave it in there. The P-trap could be swiveled to mate up with the new tub drain easily as will adjusting the length of the part you use to mate up to the existing piping. If it's copper, make sure to get a coupling designed for those different ODs.

 

[DJR]

Is the pipe down there copper or cast iron? If it's copper, a tubing cutter would cut the pipe easily. Then, you could use the proper banded coupling to attach a new pipe, a new P-trap, and connect to your riser. No soldering involved. To cut the pipe, if it's copper, you could use a hack saw, but you'll get a squarer cut if you use a tubing cutter.

Drum traps are a long-term issue. You really don't want to go to all of the work with the new tub and drain and leave it in there. The P-trap could be swiveled to mate up with the new tub drain easily as will adjusting the length of the part you use to mate up to the existing piping. If it's copper, make sure to get a coupling designed for those different ODs.

It's all iron piping. The drain in the floor is very thin metal so it isn't cast iron. I won't be able to take out the drum trap without removing pipes on both sides of the trap. ( the drum is screwed into the pipe) That would require a plumber that could hopefully crawl up in there to remove the pipes, take out the drum trap and reinstall the pipes. Not sure what plumbers cost nowadays but it doesn't sound cheap. I was hoping there was an easier solution. And is there an inherent problem with the drum trap?
I can probably get the drain pipe that's attached to the drum trap off. Maybe I can find a pipe(s) that will make it come in front of the drum trap?

 

[Jadnashua]

If the drain pipes are threaded, they are likely galvanized steel...all the more reason to consider removing them!

A old drum trap first of all, cannot be cleaned with a snake. The part that turns it into a trap if it's cast iron can erode, making it no longer a real trap. The way they are made, they can fill up with some crud, making them subject to low flow or eventually, even blockage.

If the piping is threaded into say a cast iron hub, you could unscrew it there and get a pvc fitting to screw in, glue in a piece of straight pipe however long you need, then the trap and adapter to your riser.

You might need a big pipe wrench, but you should be able to borrow or rent one if you don't want to buy one.

Personally, I'd not leave an old drum trap in there or any galvanized piping. Cast iron can last decades, and could be as good as new. Galvanized won't.

 

[DJR]

Jadnashua. Thanks for the advice. I'll see what I can do about removing the trap. I do know that the metal pipe is screwed into the trap. There isn't a fitting on there. To remove it by unscrewing it would mean the removal of more piping than I want to take on unless I can unscrew the pipe out of the trap at a different location and replace the whole pipe.
Good idea.
It will have to be metal since I'm afraid pvs will crack under pretty extreme winter months and it's inside a dirt small crawlspace with very little insulation.

 

[Reach4]

There isn't a fitting on there. To remove it by unscrewing it would mean the removal of more piping than I want to take on unless I can unscrew the pipe out of the trap at a different location and replace the whole pipe.
Good idea.

There is no hidden part that makes that drum trap not act as a trap. If it doesn't leak, it won't pass sewer gasses. That was creative licence. I would leave it. Clean it's insides to remove the last 40 years of possible collected solids, but you could leave it there-- probably with a new cap. It's grandfathered in, so it is not a code issue.

If you do replace it with a p-trap, you will need to add a vent to vent the arm of the p-trap.

 

[DJR]

There is no hidden part that makes that drum trap not act as a trap. If it doesn't leak, it won't pass sewer gasses. That was creative licence. I would leave it. Clean it's insides to remove the last 40 years of possible collected solids, but you could leave it there-- probably with a new cap. It's grandfathered in, so it is not a code issue.

If you do replace it with a p-trap, you will need to add a vent to vent the arm of the p-trap.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[DJR]

well. If anyone is interested, I cut off the damn pipe right at the drum trap. I couldn't find any other way to get it off. Whoever owned the housebefore has the water pipes so close that I couldn't even get a pipe wrench on it. Anyway. Now that it is cut off what is the best way to attach a p trap to a 1 3/4 inch pipe with no threads? Can't be pvc. Needs to be metal. Be gentle. I'm new at this.

 

[DJR]

If you do replace it with a p-trap, you will need to add a vent to vent the arm of the p-trap.

Reach4. So I'm not seeing any vent close by but I'm assuming there is one. This is my setup. I've read about wet vents. Could the big cast iron pipe be a wet vent? And wouldn't my tub have a built in vent from the over flow? I read that but I'm no expert. Just trying to grasp it all.