Plumbing Again

[crokett]

I really really really don't like it. Or maybe I'm just bad at it. last night did as much planning as I could (even drew pictures) and this morning set out to aquire the parts to rough in the new bath (vanity and toilet) and the stuff for the waste line.

2 problems: The macerating toilet specifies 1" line for waste but 1.25" for the sink drain coming in. My house is all plumbed with ABS and 1" ABS doesn't exist, at least not here, so have to go to PVC. There is very little ABS here so it is hard to get fittings in general. I also found out that beyond a few elbows, no fittings exist for 1". So my diagram was useless.

Figured it would take an hr. 2.5hrs and 3 stores later, I got home. One had most of the stuff but not the pex in lengths I wanted. One had the Pex but not an ABS fitting, The third was cause I forgot some stuff.

So to get the friggen toilet drained it is 1" up to the joists and a bushing to 1.5" PVC where it starts to pitch, then to Fernco and then to 2" ABS. The only bright spot was running into a real plumber at Lowes who helped me figure out the drain after I discovered fittings don't exist for 1".

[pierhogunn]

I so feel your pain, I had a harrowing experience while installing the whole house filer, just to get it put together real purty, then to have it leak like a sieve, old plumber came out, complimented me on how neat it all was, and then told me that I had used the wrong cement, and that I just needed to use this red stuff, and go

I also found out that I wasn't using schedule 40 but something a little less, and that was the other 50% of my problem.

I hate plumbing too

[JoeyGee]

I feel your pain. I do not like plumbing. I, too, once had my problem fixed when I ran into a real plumber (a customer, not an HD employee) at HD. He looked at me, could tell I needed help, and proceeded to tell me exactly what I needed. I almost hugged him.

The HD I used to live by had a real good guy in the plumbing dept. He was always able to help. I have never found good help in a big box before or since--unless it was another customer.

[mschrank]

Out of all home improvement tasks, plumbing is my least favorite.

Can someone tell me why there isn't more standardization? I mean c'mon, we're simply talking about connecting a bunch of round tubes, why does there have to be so many different materials, diameters, and thread sizes?

[crokett]

Mike,

A lot of the parts actually are interchangeable - 1.5" is 1.5" unless of course it is schedule 40 vs schedule 80 or you are talking PVC vs ABS vs CPVC. Each has its own fittings and own glue, although CPVC seems to be limited to the smaller diameters. I've no idea why ABS was phased out but there is probably some technical reason.

[Ed62]

Plumbing is even worse than painting. I feel your pain.

Ed

[Hellrazor]

David,

ABS pipe is rarely used or stocked. Most plumbers that run into that usually make a comment about either DIY or rookies. AFAIK a fernco is the only choice to mate ABS to other piping.

BTW: There was a class action lawsuit about ABS pipe. But I am not sure on the details.

[JimD]

I buy extra fittings everytime I do something and I do not take them back. I still run to the store more than I want but at least sometimes I find what I need in the bag full of "extras".

Jim

[Hellrazor]

Plumbing is even worse than painting. I feel your pain.

Ed

Nah.. painting is easy, atleast you know what you need.

[Wood_workur]

the only plumbing I've had to do is run a line to the fridge for the ice maker. The hardest part was figuring out what I need to buy for the compression fittings.

[mschrank]

David,

ABS pipe is rarely used or stocked. Most plumbers that run into that usually make a comment about either DIY or rookies. AFAIK a fernco is the only choice to mate ABS to other piping.

BTW: There was a class action lawsuit about ABS pipe. But I am not sure on the details.

Must be a regional thing. ABS is readily available around here, but much more expensive. I've been told the opposite by plumbers, saying that PVC is a sign of a DIY job and insist on using ABS

I have also heard of PVC concerns based on the noxious fumes given off when it burns in a fire, and some jurisdictions have tried banning its use for interior applications.

[Hellrazor]

It could be a regional thing. I see PVC/CPVC, but almost no ABS around here.

I can see fumes as being a problem with anything from pex to any pvc and abs pipe. Plastics can be bad news.

[L. D. Jeffries]

Plan: Install some plumbing that cost $12 for parts and maybe 2 hrs work. Reality: $35 in gas cause forgot some item; 3 hrs before starting actual job. Like I've said before; "Would rather fight a junkyard dog than do ANY plumbing, EVER, ANYWHERE!"

[Ed62]

Nah.. painting is easy, atleast you know what you need.

True. But in my case, you don't always get the right color. If the color is right, you'll need another 1/2 cup to finish the job. I will paint, and I will do plumbing, but I just ain't gonna like it.

Ed

[Hellrazor]

True. But in my case, you don't always get the right color. If the color is right, you'll need another 1/2 cup to finish the job. I will paint, and I will do plumbing, but I just ain't gonna like it.

Ed

I do all of the fun stuff at work. Installations, electrical troubleshooting on equipment up to 3phase 277/480, plumbing, hvac,etc... but I don't paint