Hi. We are ripping out a full bathroom on the first floor of our home, which will become part of our kitchen and will eventually contain a new sink and d/w. We are also planning to put a new half-bath in an adjacent closet. We will hire a plumber to rough out the new plumbing. However, my wife and I are doing the demo ourselves to save money, and need to remove the plumbing in order to complete our demo of the walls and removal of the bathtub (an old cast iron behemoth).

I know how to remove the fixtures themselves, but I do not have any experience with removing and capping the pipes. There is access to all of the piping from the basement so I am hoping this should make the project easier. I was hoping that someone could give us some guidance on this project!

The supply pipes are brass (circa 1940) and are about 1" in outer diameter, and most do not have working supply valves. My thought was that I can cut each pipe in the basement with a sawzall and then remove it from the nearest fitting (typically a 90 elbow), and then replace it with some sort of a cap fitting from my local plumbing supply. Are there any specific issues I should be aware of when working with brass pipe, or is there some other procedure (such as a compression fitting) that I should use?

The drain lines are galvanized and are about 1 3/4" in outer diameter. I was thinking that I could cut these in the basement with a sawzall as well, and then stuff them with a cloth and leave them for the plumber to deal with when he ties in the new drain lines (in about 2-3 months)? Or is there a reason that I need to formally cap them off?

And how about the vent line? Can I also just cut the branch vent and stuff it with something for now? I am not even sure if there is anything on upper floors that is tied to this vent -- I am pretty sure there is not but I'm not sure how to confirm this is the case (without busting open some walls).

Any thoughts or advice, or issues that I should be concerned about, would be much appreciated! Please let me know if you need any more information in order to answer.

You got a plumber that cut his teeth on houses built in the 40's.

The supply pipes are brass (circa 1940) and are about 1" in outer diameter These are threaded and not soldered, right? This is unusual since back in Wisconsin we water piped with galvanized. To cap these pipes off cut the pipe and undo it back to the nearest male thread. Then simply tape the threads and screw on a 3/4" cap.

The drain lines are galvanized and are about 1 3/4" in outer diameter. Those drain lines present a direct open connection between your home and the city sewer. I wouldn't trust just jamming rags in the opening to keep sewer gas out of my house. Cut the pipe and put test plugs(See inage) in the openings.pick them up at your local plunbing wholesale house.
Treat the vents exactly like the drain lines and keep sewer gas out of your home.
More questions? I'm as close as a click. Tom

Thanks Tom -- very helpful! Actually, she was built in 1906 but renovated extensively in the 40's (most of which we are trying to undo).

Yes, they are threaded. We are in Brooklyn and I am told the brass supply pipes were rather common during WWII.

One concern I have is that any time I try to unscrew a pipe in this house, I always have a hard time due to pipes that are rusted shut or otherwise stubborn. Do you have any recommendations for that? I have Liquid Plumber, which sometimes works, but would you recommend buying a torch? I have a heat gun but wasn't sure that would work as well on pipes.

I will definitely purchase some of those test plugs for the drain and vent lines. Is there any trick to installing them or is it as easy as it sounds?

Finally, I forgot about the convection radiator (steam) that will also need to come out. Is there any trick to that, or it basically the same procedure as the supply pipes?

Thanks so much for your help!

One concern I have is that any time I try to unscrew a pipe in this house, I always have a hard time due to pipes that are rusted shut or otherwise stubborn. Do you have any recommendations for that? I have Liquid Plumber, which sometimes works, but would you recommend buying a torch? I have a heat gun but wasn't sure that would work as well on pipes. Brass pipes don't rust. And WD-40 will help with corrosion. Use two pipe wrench for leverage.

I will definitely purchase some of those test plugs for the drain and vent lines. Is there any trick to installing them or is it as easy as it sounds?
You simply slip them in the pipe opening and tighten the wing nut.

Finally, I forgot about the convection radiator (steam) that will also need to come out. Is there any trick to that, or it basically the same procedure as the supply pipes?
Once drained those pipes don't need to be sealed. Just covered to prevent construction debris from entering. Good luck with your project, Tom

Hi Tom -- if I don't seal up the pipe that was connected to the radiator, won't steam escape when I fire up the boiler in the fall? Shouldn't I be capping that off as well?

Hi Tom -- if I don't seal up the pipe that was connected to the radiator, won't steam escape when I fire up the boiler in the fall? Shouldn't I be capping that off as well?

I'm assuming that the work will be done before cold weather sets in. If you plan on using the boiler then, yes. The pipes should be capped off. Tom

Got it. And by the way, I meant to say Liquid Wrench, not Liquid Plumber!