Project pix: Fishing 3/8 OD copper to toilet and lavatory.

Users who are viewing this thread

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,795
Reaction score
4,413
Points
113
Location
IL
During my slow replacement of galvanized pipe, I wanted to change out the 3/8 galvanized supplying the lav and the toilet in a bathroom. Because this was over a basement, there was easier access than for some projects.

I chose 3/8 OD 1/4 ID "refrigeration tubing". My earlier concerns that it would not carry water at a good rate, or that compression fittings might crush it, were unjustified. I had a time where I ran tubing, had a leak at a compression fitting, and ripped it back out. Looking at the ripped out stuff showed that I had not dented the tubing by tightening too much, but had under-compressed. When later tightening compression fittings over the copper, I generously used Rectorseal #5 around the ferrule, and tightened as tight as I could by hand and a short wrench. No leaks. Pipe dope unneeded? Most probably, but I was into overkill.

What I wanted is a bulkhead-mounted stop valve. What I hit on was to use a split escutcheon to mount the 3/8 NPT fittings, and to use the holes that come with that escutcheon to mount the assembly.

Picture S38a.jpg shows a couple of the Dahl valves with escutcheon. The right one is the escutcheon I used and the left was the common one-piece escutcheon that I was thinking of drilling holes through.

Picture S38b.jpg show what I did at the toilet. The black nylon wrap goes around the 4 little tabs to help hold things together before the screws are in place. I only used the nylon wrap on the toilet.

Picture S38d.jpg shows the area under the toilet. The bent copper is going up to the toilet through the subfloor. I used a bending spring for much of the bend, although I did a bit of bending with the bend not completely in the spring. The Sharkbyte stop valve was not being used as a valve, but rather as a way to hook the PEX and copper together at a nice angle. My ripped-out attempt used an in-line assembly as shown in the bottom of S38a.jpg. However after my re-work, I had to work with the existing PEX. That Sharkbyte fitting sure made things nicer. The last connection there was the copper to the compression.

Picture S38c.jpg shows the lav area. The right side is the cold with the two screws holding the escutcheon in place. Rather than using the nylon tie, I ground off the little tabs, and relied on the screws to hold things together. Those were 2.5 #8 drywall screws, because I was screwing through many layers with a piece of 3/4 plywood farthest in. That plywood was just there to hold the screws. To let me tighten a lot without squishing the escutcheon, I backed it with a 7-mm thick spacer cut with an adjustable circle cutter. The 7 mm material was the laminated flooring that I put over the whole back wall of the lavatory cabinet.

The hot line does not have screws in the escutcheon. The reason is that I found an unbelievably broken cast iron santee that I had to replace. When I say broken, I mean more than one piece. Shocking actually. So I ended up having to work my way in and cut two 2-inch galvanized pipes. So once I was in, I put a drop ear fitting on some wood I mounted for the purpose. Had I known I was going in like that, I would have just put drop ear fittings on both. But I did not find the drain problem until after the cold supply was in.

Speaking of the cold supply, I connected that copper tubing to the Dahl valves before screwing down the escutcheon. I don't think I could put a piece of copper into an already-positioned compression nut. If I ever had to pull that copper, I would saw it, and put in another flex line as I used on the hot.
 

Attachments

  • S38a.jpg
    S38a.jpg
    63.1 KB · Views: 182
  • S38b.jpg
    S38b.jpg
    57.6 KB · Views: 344
  • S38c.jpg
    S38c.jpg
    47.4 KB · Views: 173
  • S38d.jpg
    S38d.jpg
    39.3 KB · Views: 182
Last edited:
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks