How do I adjust this plumbing?

[cgallery]

I am installing a pedestal sink. The drain and hot/cold were not vertically aligned with the light fixture or medicine cabinet during rough-in. Seeing as I had to open the wall to add blocking to support the sink, I made the hole a little larger and would like to adjust the plumbing so the finished job looks right.

This rough-in was done w/ PEX. There is a transition to copper for the shutoffs (which were never installed). The drain is PVC.

There is enough slack on the PEX to move them over. But the copper "stubs" at the end of the PEX seem to be soldered to the copper strapping that is screwed to the wall. They wobble in the strap, though. They won't go in and out because the solder on the "stub" has formed a ridge in front of and behind the strap. But they do wobble around. Shouldn't these be tighter?

To move them, do I just heat 'em up w/ a torch and pull 'em out? Any danger of doing this with the PEX already connected to the copper?

Is there any concern in extending the PVC by adding a coupler? Will it cause the drain to clog more often?

Oh, and the hot/cold are closer to the floor than the drain. Is that normal/okay? In my other bathroom the hot/cold are HIGHER than the drain.

Any tips on how to do this job would be greatly appreciated.

[newbie2wood]

"Shouldn't these be tighter?"

Normally there is some movement.

"To move them, do I just heat 'em up w/ a torch and pull 'em out? Any danger of doing this with the PEX already connected to the copper?

I would cut the copper or PEX instead of trying to disassemble the parts.

"Is there any concern in extending the PVC by adding a coupler? Will it cause the drain to clog more often?"

Adding a PVC coupler is okay. Use a female coupler to avoid restricting the inner diameter.

"Oh, and the hot/cold are closer to the floor than the drain. Is that normal/okay?"

There is no relation between the height of the drain to the hot/cold plumbing.
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Cannabis Seeds

[cgallery]

"Shouldn't these be tighter?"

Normally there is some movement.

"To move them, do I just heat 'em up w/ a torch and pull 'em out? Any danger of doing this with the PEX already connected to the copper?

I would cut the copper or PEX instead of trying to disassemble the parts.

"Is there any concern in extending the PVC by adding a coupler? Will it cause the drain to clog more often?"

Adding a PVC coupler is okay. Use a female coupler to avoid restricting the inner diameter.

"Oh, and the hot/cold are closer to the floor than the drain. Is that normal/okay?"

There is no relation between the height of the drain to the hot/cold plumbing.

Thanks for the help!

If I don't have the tools to cut the PEX or copper, do you think it would be possible to heat-up what I've got and move it? Do you think it is worth a shot or am I gonna melt the PEX or find that the solder won't flow because the copper has water in it? There is barely any solder there. But I've heard the copper filled w/ water is pretty impossible to solder.

I don't know if that only includes soldering a new joint only or for what I'm trying to achieve, too.

[cgallery]

I couldn't resist the temptation and took my propane torch to the plumbing. I'm posting back in case anyone else is ever in the same situation.

It was pretty easy to melt the little amount of solder that was there and slide the "stub" back out of the strap. I did this for the right (cold) side, where the PVC wasn't in the way. The end of the copper near the PEX never got more than warm to the touch.

I then unscrewed the strap from the wall and was able to shimmy it from side to side to remove it, along with the hot water supply. Finally, I was able to remove the hot water stub and now I have good access to the PVC to extend it.

After I extend the PVC drain, I'll replace the strap and reassemble the hot and cold feeds.

The only thing that really bothers me is how lose these copper stubs are in the strap. It seems the strap really just barely holds them. I'd have thought they would have used something like a bushing over the end to keep them from wobbling side to side and up and down. I'm going to research it a little and see if this was installed correctly.

[mschrank]

I just went through most of this during a recent bathroom remodel, but I had the benefit of the walls being completely open and a buddy with PEX tools.

I'm assuming you are moving everything a bit to the right?

Sounds like you are on the right track with the PVC drain. Adding a coupler shouldn't add to clogging...just try and make your cuts as square as possible, remove any burrs, and make sure they seat fully into the coupling.

I don't think the water supply lines need to be rock solid in the strap, but you probably want to add a couple beads of solder like they had previously to keep them from moving in and out. They really should be above the drain for aesthetics, but as long as the drain line is not in the way for adding the angle stops and attaching the supply lines (which will need to be long), it shouldn't affect functionality. Since it's PEX, you would need a plumber or my buddy with the PEX tools to correct it.

Have fun installing that Pedestal sink...I've put one in and have one more to go. It was really nerve racking tightening the bolts to secure it. The sink didn't come with any rubber washers or anything, and I just couldn't seem to get it tight enough to keep it from moving. Every time I cranked a bit more, I was sure the porcelain was going to explode It all worked out, but I'm thinking of using some thick rubber washers on the next one.

[TheRic]

To keep the heat away from the PEX or another joint that might be near by you can add a cold wet cloth around the pipe, or the joint when soldering (de-soldering). The cold wet cloth helps dissipate the heat.