We are remodeling our bathroom and went to install a new tub and the drain and overflow don't match the new tub we bought. So we need to replace the drain and overflow junction so it fits with new tub. Our issue is the existing fixture (drain and overflow is pipe) covered in black tar substance and we have no idea how to remove it. Anyone encountered this before? Any tips are appreciated.
Our house was built in 1978 and we are in San Antonio TX
Mineral spirits, gasoline and such will dissolve tar BUT it would take a lot and that would mean a lot of fumes in an enclosed space
I suspect chipping maybe sanding/grinding it off would be your best bet, maybe use a solvent to tidy it up once you've removed most of it.
Ick. Agreed that mineral spirits will soften the tar so it can be scraped off... but it sounds like there's a lot of it. Can you cut back to a clean piece of pipe? I'm wondering if the tar was added to seal a leak, that maybe should be fixed for good.
This may get moved to a new thread for you but..... a question.
What is the tar doing there ?
I've never seen drain plumbing encased in tar.
Is the drain line in the ground ?
Can you post a picture for us...... How-to-insert-pictures.
I wish I knew. Father in law believes it is a termite barrier. House was built in the 60's. Ended up chiseling it out with a wood chisel and a large pry bar while sucking up the chips with a shop vac. Took three days because I had to be careful around my hot and cold water pipes. It was a battle. Pictures for reference in case anyone else runs into this I suppose? Before After
It looks like the tar created a pitch pocket like what would be used for a roof penetration.
I'm not thrilled with the copper pipe directly in the dirt. Hopefully clean fill was used in the installation.
I have a 3 foot section of 1.5" PVC in my pool plumbing that I need to replace. It's a tight fit, so I'd like to get advice on the best way to tackle.
The left side of this run is fixed (the elbow is glued onto the section of pipe coming out of the valve).
The right side is connected to an adapter going into the pump housing and is removable (male-threaded adapter).
As you can see in the picture, the union is not effective because the two runs of pipe are not at the same height.
I am planning on removing and replacing everything from the union to the adapter, but I want to do it in the right sequence to allow for enough room for a clean fit.
Should I follow the same approach as shown in the picture (adapter to 45 degree to 45 degree to union), or is there a better way to configure this?
[img]https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/843x328/poolp_65427569eaa78d0eddf7a6eb5298e22bd9d4977d.jpg[/img]
Here's what I have:
Copper pipe in the basement running horizontally and exits the exterior wall only a couple inches above ground. Pipe goes up the brick exterior to a spigot at a more practical height. So: copper pipe and spigot exposed to winter. I must have forgotten to shut the interior valve and it burst one winter.
I now want to fix this, but am wondering if I have a "freeze proof" option. Running one of those long frost-proof spigots is not an option, because of the layout. I don't want the spigot at ground level. Should I just redo the copper pipe?
Thanks.
08-23-19, 10:50 AM
