My town requires a whole house trap...do they make it in PVC or only cast iron. I went to a local plumbing supply and was told its only made in cast iron. I need to run a section of cast iron under the foundation but I was hoping to avoid connecting cast iron. Is connecting cast iron doable by a first timer if I had to or would I need to get a plumber.

massplumber2008

The link didn't work Adkhkr...but the neoprene sleeve type is the easist to work with.

In terms of the dapout box...yup! That's the trick with showers...

A plumber would rough in the ptrap and stub up a riser about 6 inches above the floor, and then install the dapout box, cover with dirt, pin it tight with stakes and then add concrete to the surrounding floor. When the concrete dried, the stakes and dapout box are removed and the dirt is cleared away to about 4 inches below the floor. Then the shower pan is DRY FIT (just placed over the stubbed up pipe) and lkeveled in all directions to see how the rough in went. If all is OK, the plumber proceeds to install the strainer assembly, install a structolite (or mortar) base and then sets the shower pan and levels from side to side and from front to back (use shims as needed to keeep pan where it is wanted).

You can try to do it as a plumber...OR, you may want to DRY FIT the ptrap and riser, making sure you like the rough in and then remove it all back to the horizontal pipe and just cap it for now. Place the dapout where it will work nicely for the drain and then fill the dapout with dirt and stake it off and then add concrete to trench and let all dry, etc.

Then, pull the dapout box, remove all the dirt, and start cementing the ptrap and riser up and into place. Check the fit with the pan leveled as mentioned above as you go and you should be able to get a good rough in without too much trouble.

After the drain is roughed in correctly, you will fill the dapout hole to within 2 inches of the concrete floor and you will install the shower strainer and once again, DRY FIT the base and level to be sure all is good! Once all is confirmed good you will want to install a base or structolite or mortar and set the shower pan level from front to back and from side to side..again, shimming overnight or so to be sure the base doesn't move even a little bit!

Be clear that an 1/8" off on the base will translate to 3/4" off on the shower doors (6ft vertical x 1/8" off horizontal = 3/4" out of plumb on door). There is some adjustability in neo angle doors, but not a full 3/4"...usually! My point is simply that you need to be sure the shower base gets set perfectly...

Let me know if you need more...

MARK

adkhkr

Thanks. Two additional questions:

1) Coming up for the toilet, should I use a standard 4" 90 degree elbow and glue a piece of 4" PVC so it sticks out of what will be the top of the slab?

2) On the 4"x2" Wye that is turned up, does the 2" section that comes out have to be completely vertical as in the previous picture? The problem is that I will be getting too close to the slab. I can really only turn the WYE slightly. How much turn do you have to have?

massplumber2008

1) Use a regular 4" 90 and DRY FIT the stub up for now. Later, when all is tiled you can put the flange on the tile and measure the piece you need to join the flange to the elbow. Then you can prime/cement the flange/pipe into the elbow easily! When tiling, be sure to leave enough room around the dry fit stubbed up pipe so that it acommodates the new closet flange, but not so much room that you can't screw the flange down through the tile.

2) As long as the wye rolls above the centerline of the drain pipe it will work for me at any angle.

MARK

adkhkr

For the length of 4" pipe that connects to the toilet, I had to stake it into position because the natural position was shifted a bit from where I wanted it.

I didn't force it to the point where it was going to snap at the joint, but I did need push it a bit and stake it in to prevent it going back.

Obviously you aren't here, but can PVC, such as in this case be pushed into place and not have to worry about having a joint fail in the future?

speedball1

PVC joints are welded and not glued. If you primed and cemented the joint correctly and didn't put too much strain on the fittings you should be just fine Good luck, Tom

adkhkr

Down to my last couple of fittings under the slab and I ran into a bit of a problem. One of the fittings doesn't want to weld. After I weld it, with a little bit of force it pulls apart. I tried cleaning it with primer and glueing it again but it doesn't want to take like a normal piece. If I twist it, its strong but any vertical force and it pulled out.

I thought I would be done tonight and I run into this. I really don't want to have to put a new piece in because its the wye going to the shower and I would have to dismantle the pieces going to the sink. Any ideas or am I just losing it?

massplumber2008

Hey hey...

When this pops up you want to do exactly what you did...reprime and recement, but then you need to hold it tight...and I mean tight!!

Takes a few minutes longer and you may need to strain a bit beyond normal, but on occasion you run into that certain fit/joint that just wants to pull apart. You need to stop it from doing so, up to a minute or more. Then it will weld to the point that you can let go. It could slide out again, so want to check it for first 4-5 minutes...and be sure you are NOT the first person this has happened too...

If you reprime, recement and hold, the joint will take.

Any more questions, let us know...

MARK