Plumbing from stack to Shower
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Plumbing from stack to Shower
Greetings,
Long time lurker. First time poster.
My house is early 1960s. All the drains in the house are 1.5" copper. At some point, someone put a fairly modern shower pan into one of the bathrooms and rather than cutting out the old pipe and running nice 2", he just filled the gap around the pipe with silicone. Consequently, over time, it has started leaking and leaking downstairs. There is also a bathtub close by where the overflow is leaking so we can't fill the to to the top like my wife and kids like to do. The drains for the shower and tub do meet at some point and go into a single pipe into the cast iron stack.
All the plumbing is framed in and the only way to access any of it is to knock the ceiling out of the bathroom downstairs. I have no problem doing that, if necessary.
My question is this. Can I leave the existing shower pan and bathtub in place, knock the ceiling out downstairs, and plumb them from there? In other words, getting the correct size drains and traps and screwing them on, gluing pipe and run it to the stack without moving the tub or shower? I'd probably pay a plumber to do the connection into the stack. What do you think?
Long time lurker. First time poster.
My house is early 1960s. All the drains in the house are 1.5" copper. At some point, someone put a fairly modern shower pan into one of the bathrooms and rather than cutting out the old pipe and running nice 2", he just filled the gap around the pipe with silicone. Consequently, over time, it has started leaking and leaking downstairs. There is also a bathtub close by where the overflow is leaking so we can't fill the to to the top like my wife and kids like to do. The drains for the shower and tub do meet at some point and go into a single pipe into the cast iron stack.
All the plumbing is framed in and the only way to access any of it is to knock the ceiling out of the bathroom downstairs. I have no problem doing that, if necessary.
My question is this. Can I leave the existing shower pan and bathtub in place, knock the ceiling out downstairs, and plumb them from there? In other words, getting the correct size drains and traps and screwing them on, gluing pipe and run it to the stack without moving the tub or shower? I'd probably pay a plumber to do the connection into the stack. What do you think?
#2
Welcome to the forums! It's really going to depend on what type shower pan you have. If pre cast or fiberglas, etc. then a possibility exists that you can install a properly sized shower drain and re-plumb it from there. The tub only needs the 1 1/2", but can't interrupt the shower's 2" to the stack.
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Thanks for your reply. The shower in question is indeed precast...acrylic I think. And I think I'd tie the tub drain into the shower at some point so I can still use the one drain going into the stack.
I came downstairs tonight to see what if anything I could figure out to tell you about the stack only to look up and see that the plywood that goes around the toilet drain in the bathroom was wet. So evidently my first order of business is to yank the toilet out and investigate those mysteries.
Regarding the stack, it appears that it's Oakum and lead sealing the copper into the stack. How does one go about sealing the plastic into the cast? We are planning to sell the house (hopefully) in a few years and that repair would be clearly visible to any prospective buyers and their inspectors. I realize I could cobble something together, but I don't want to end up just pulling it out and re-doing it.
I came downstairs tonight to see what if anything I could figure out to tell you about the stack only to look up and see that the plywood that goes around the toilet drain in the bathroom was wet. So evidently my first order of business is to yank the toilet out and investigate those mysteries.
Regarding the stack, it appears that it's Oakum and lead sealing the copper into the stack. How does one go about sealing the plastic into the cast? We are planning to sell the house (hopefully) in a few years and that repair would be clearly visible to any prospective buyers and their inspectors. I realize I could cobble something together, but I don't want to end up just pulling it out and re-doing it.
#4
Once you get to the point that you can post a few pictures of the piping, our plumbing pros will chime in with their knowledge and offer better advice. It can be done with pvc to cast iron, so hang in there for their comments. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html
#5
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Someone else is going to have to help with the PVC to cast connection, I think you complete it with a rubber donut, but it's something I've never done, so my advice would be questionable at best.
As for your wetness around the toilet, it could very well be from the shower leak you have. Leaks tend to travel along the floor, and the toilet is a good place for it to drip down.
It sounds like you can replumb it all from below. Presuming you're replacing the drain strainer in the shower, invest in a higher quality metal one, don't use a plastic one. Don't ask me how I know...
For the connection between the two, it should be easy enough to use a 2x2x1.5 wye. Once you have things opened up, send over some pictures and we'll help as we can.
As for your wetness around the toilet, it could very well be from the shower leak you have. Leaks tend to travel along the floor, and the toilet is a good place for it to drip down.
It sounds like you can replumb it all from below. Presuming you're replacing the drain strainer in the shower, invest in a higher quality metal one, don't use a plastic one. Don't ask me how I know...
For the connection between the two, it should be easy enough to use a 2x2x1.5 wye. Once you have things opened up, send over some pictures and we'll help as we can.