[archivecoordinator]

Hello.

I just moved into a new apartment and find the bathroom sink vanity in terrible condition.

I want to replace it, but see that the three pipes for water and drainage come up out of the floor (when you open the vanity doors you see the pipes going up from the floor to the basin)--instead of from the wall.

All the vanities I've seen are for plumbing that comes from the wall.

What can I do about this?

Thank you,
Rebecca

[RickJ]

The pipes coming up from the floor will pose no problem in replacing the vanity if that's what you want to do. Do they have shutoff valves on them? If they don't then you'll need to
1. shut off the water to the entire apartment,
2. cut the pipes off at a point where they will be a couple inches ABOVE the floor of the new vanity,
3. cut holes in the new vanity floor where the lines come up,
4. drop in your new vanity,
5. put valves on those pipes, then
6. add your flexible lines to the faucet.

[archivecoordinator]

Hi rickj.

Thank you for the quick reply!
The pipes DO have shut off valves, above which there are flexible lines.
So how do I proceed?
Is dropping in a new vanity complicated? Aside from cutting holes in the vanity floor for the pipes, is it straightforward? I assume the vanity is placed, from above, with top removed? At what point do I need to shut off the valves? To unattach from the flesxible lines so as to remove old sink and add new one?

[RickJ]

A very easy job for even a novice diy'er... but before we go on: I presume you've got the OK by the landlord to do this (I'm a landlord, so couldn't resist saying so :o )

1. Shut off the water at the valves
2. Disconnect the flexible lines and the drain lines.
3. Remove the vanity/sink (it's probably screwed into the wall and maybe even the floor too)
4. If the new vanity has a back on it you'll need to cut a hole for the drain too.

A vanity is no more than a box... so the only "complication" at all is making sure that there's spaces for the supply and drain lines.

Once in place you just secure it to the wall then hook the supply and drains back up. Whether you keep the old faucet or get a new one is of no never mind... they'll pretty much hook up the same way: flexible lines from the valve to the underside of the faucet.

[archivecoordinator]

Hi again.
Yes, I am talking to my landlord about this (and hoping he will contribute to the cost if I do the work) :)

I do have another concern. You mention the drain line--that comes straight down from the sink into the floor as well... as for hooking the two pipes and drain line back up to the new sink, might that be a problem? I guess the pipes won't be since they have flexiblelines but is spacing between lines and drain standard? Might I find the drain line (shooting straight up out of the floor) won't line up properly with the new sink's drain connection?

[RickJ]

Is this about like what you've got under the sink for the drain line?:


If so, then no problem. You'll just need new pipe and trap and cut the lines to size and "swivel" the trap around to where you need it. I know that might sound like french to you, but suffice it to say that you will have no problems with the drain line as long as the trap (the "s" curved part) is above the floor.

[archivecoordinator]

Hi.
Nope. It has no S, no curve at all. There's just one straight (kind of big--bigger than the picture you sent anyway) pipe coming up from the floor and going straight up to drain of sink...
Does that mean I might need to add on an S curve so that the trap can be swiveled?

[RickJ]

I'm not sure about that. You might first ask the landlord if there is a trap under the floor for that drain. There should be one, but this sounds like an added bathroom so maybe there's not.

Your nose will probably tell you if it's got a trap. Smell the drain. Does it smell like sewer? If it smells like sewer then you probably don't have a trap. Now if it does have a trap then you don't need a 2nd one... but it might make the drain line a bit tricky.

Either way, you should have no problem since you can cut the plastic pipe(s) to lengths you need... and they even have flexible pieces that you can use if the new drain is not directly above the old one that you want to attach to.

[archivecoordinator]

OK.
Thank you so much for all of your help. I hope my landlord will be as generous with information and help as you have been!

[RickJ]

Good luck with it!

In older apartments I handle things one of two ways, depending on how handy the resident is-or if he knows someone who does that type of work:

I'll either have my maint guys put in what they buy (with my approval of what they want to have added/changed)
Or
I'll buy the materials if I'm sure they either know how to install it or I've talked to to confirm same with whoever they plan to install it.

It's a win-win situation for both me and the resident.

[archivecoordinator]

Thanks again so much for sharing all of that information with me.
I've started looking at vanities and will be going over all of this with my landlord next week, and am going to propose the options you told me you arrange with your tenants!

Rebecca

[dclynch]

Rick - The picture you posted looks like an S trap to me. I thought they were against code. - Dennis

[forthright44]

I live in a trailer my kitchen cold water line had a leak I cut the line and put on a new compression fitting. For 2 weeks no leak until today, maybe I didn't do the cut right. Can take fitting off and recut the line and use the same fitting? Richard.