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Author:
fredman730 (TX)
We're remodeling a small bathroom and have removed all the old tile and shower pan and are down to the slab and studs. As I look at the existing shower drain it looks like it's a brass body that's been leaded onto a metal pipe. The top of the pipe looks is pretty jagged like it was cut off with a torch instead of a pipe cutter. I poked at what I assume is lead between the pipe and the drain body with a pocket knife and flakes peel off of it with just a little pressure.
From research it seems most are recommending that the slab be broken out around the drain and a new PVC p trap be installed. A few questions ...
First, are there other good options instead of ripping and replacing?
How do I connect the PVC to metal drainpipe after removing the old p trap so that we don't have leaks down the road?
Do I pour new concrete around the new p trap and drainpipe?
How much opening do I need to leave for the new shower drain body?
Do I buy a p trap "kit" or piece it together from fittings?
The more I think about this the more questions I have. Like what would it cost to get a real plumber to do the rebuild? I can chip out the concrete.
On the attached picture the shiney part that I think is lead is circled in red where the pocket knife scraped it. The red arrow points at what I suspect is steel pipe rather than cast iron.
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Author:
steve (CA)
The vertical pipe is cast iron and when it's "snapped", to cut it to length, it has that rough/jagged edge. A new trap would be connected to the existing cast iron with a shielded coupling. What are you going to use as a finished floor surface? The type of flange needed will depend on the finished floor.
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Author:
packy (MA)
as my friend from CA says, that is cast iron pipe. if you break away the cement around it you will find it is leaded into a fitting below. if you drill a whole bunch of small holes down into the lead. the piece of 2 inch cast iron will wiggle out of the joint. clean out the old lead and oakum, get a fernco rubber gasket (pictured below), grease it up and slide it and a piece of 2 inch PVC into the trap. it is tricky to get the right measure so make it a couple of inches longer than you need and trim it when you can.
put fine sand into the hole.
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Author:
fredman730 (TX)
We're going to put in a shower pan with vinyl liner and then tile.
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Author:
fredman730 (TX)
Ahhhh ... simple, direct and doable.
Since we'll need to build up a shower pan around the new drain do we need to put a layer of concrete over the packed sand or is it sufficient to just build up the pan over the sand?
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Author:
packy (MA)
the largest part of this drain sets down ontop of the sub floor which in your case is cement.
if you pour cement right up to the drain pipe, there will be no room for the body of the drain itself.
the chrome fitting in the center is on a long threaded shank so it simply unscrews upwards to give you room for the cement above the vinyl.
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