I noticed a horrible stink coming from my bathroom sink. Sure enough the drain slopes toward the sink and not toward the vertical stack. I can lift up and level the horizontal drain with maybe 15 pounds of force. Will this cause too much stress in the pipe? Will it crack eventually. Should I relieve the stress with a heat gun or hair dryer? Or will this cause more problems like melting the cement in the fitting and causing a leak. My gut feeling is that the pipe will be ok without any heat treatment. The pipe is just a drain, no water pressure or water hammer to start a crack.

The horizontal drain pipe is 1-1/2 inch, sch. 40, PVC, 3 foot long.
The vertical stack pipe is 3 inch, sch. 40, PVC with a cross fitting to connect this sink and another.

Thank you.

'cut in' a coupling as close to wall as possible and glue the joint slightly crooked

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

You can raise it if there is some way to keep it up, but your diagnosis is flawed because that could NOT cause any odor in the sink.

Thank you for your advice bernabeu and hj.

Unless I overlooked it, you did not mention a trap under the sink.

Sorry, I should have posted a picture first!

[i93.photobucket.com]

It is hard to tell from the photo, but the horizontal drain on the left side of the stack slopes the wrong way. Florida code says it has to drain downhill 1/4 inch per foot. Makes sense to me.

There is a p-trap, but it's removed for now.

I think I will cut-in a coupling as suggested as close to the stack as possible. My only concern is that it may create a flow obstruction for crap to catch on. Am I worrying too much?

What are your thoughts about using heat?...either to bend the pvc or melt the cement in the cross fitting.

Heat seems to bring up all kinds of issues...at least in my mind

Thank you for your advice!



Edited 1 times.

Just "elongate" the openings above the pipe and raise it. Then secure it in the new location. You do NOT have to heat it or cut it and use a coupling.

Elongate? You got me there.

use tinsnips on the metal studs and notch the metal above the pipe and fold it up to make space, or a jigsaw with a metal blade might work. Regardless use eye protection no matter what, and hearing if you use power tools on them.