Hi.

I'm in the process of renovating my roughly 25 year old guest bathroom and have hit a snag that I'm hoping someone out there can help me with.

My problem concerns the replacement tub I am trying to install. The existing drain is 15 1/2 inches off the back wall, but the drain hole on the new tub is 16 inches off the wall. I looked at altering the location of the drain, but it's a complicated arrangement of roughly 11 pieces of ABS without a place that I can cut it. To move it I would have to redo the whole thing plus open up the ceiling below which would be a huge deal, and even then it's not clear how easily I could make the change because it's not just boxed downstairs. I can provide more detail, but basically this option seems like a non-starter as it represents a huge amount of work and grief from the boss is almost guaranteed. :)

Searches produced a series of postings suggesting notching the back wall and I was comfortable going that way until I realized that I can't notch into the back wall because it contains a 3 inch vent stack going up to the roof. At best I could notch the studs and move the tub back 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch, but not enough to line up with the existing drain.

I'm wondering if I can install the waste and overflow at a slight angle and use the existing drain. It seems to me that it should work fine for the bathtub drain, but that the overflow might be a problem since it would no longer sit flush to the tub.

If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate hearing them.

Thanks very much for your help. I really appreciate it.

Rather then change the trap for 1/2" why not pick up aq 1 1/2" flexible compression tailpiece,(see image) and cut back the trap raiser and connect with that.** or** you could fur out the wall 1/2". Your choice. Good luck, Tom

Hi I just thought I'd post a follow-up in case others have the same problem in the future.

The PVC part recommended would likely have been a good solution for me in many locations, but I'm located in Canada where ABS is used for waste and overflow.

Fortunately one of the best plumbing supply stores in the city stocks OSB's waste and overflow kits in which the brass overflow pipe is corrugated to allow you to bend it to align with the existing drain. I would highly recommend this product as it worked extremely well and saved me from a huge problem. I used the 314Q kit, but there are a number available. I would encourage you to check out this excellent product on OSB's website at Welcome to Oakville Stamping & Bending Online (http://www.osb.ca).

Neil

The PVC part recommended would likely have been a good solution for me in many locations, but I'm located in Canada where ABS is used for waste and overflow.
I'm glad you're fixed up but I'm a little confused. Does replacing a faucet washer or a lavatory tail piece require you to pull a permit up in Canada? ABS and PVC can be used together with slip joint connections. What's the problem? Not going to pass inspection? On another note we stopped using ABS for drtainage back in the late 60's. PVC is more ridged and stands up better in the hot Florida sun. Haven't seen ABS out on the job for decades.
Regards, Tom

I'm glad you're fixed up but I'm a little confused. Does replacing a faucet washer or a lavatory tail piece require you to pull a permit up in Canada?

Nope; replacement is fine. Some municipalities require a permit for new plumbing installations, but unless you're gutting the place nobody will care much if you don't bother.



ABS and PVC can be used together with slip joint connections. What's the problem? Not gonna pass inspection??

Bingo, sort of. ABS is code in Canada.


On another note we stopped using ABS for drtainage back in the late 60's. PVC is more ridged and stands up better in the hot Florida sun. Haven't seen ABS out on the job for decades.
Regards, Tom[/QUOTE]

There are two minor and one major difference between ABS and PVC. The minor differences: ABS is lighter, which may or may not be an issue, and ABS is more expensive, which might explain why PVC is favored in the US.

However, there is a major difference; ABS has twice the thermal expansion ability of PVC. It's not such a big deal with relatively warm climates (say, no colder than -17C/0F) but where I live winter normal low is -40C/-40F.

I've worked in remote areas (and I was in charge of water systems, so if it breaks, I'm the guy who has to fix it) in the north where February temps go down to -48C/-55F overnight. There's a whole host of issues that come up with temps like that, but pipe breakage is not one of them with ABS.

Now, even though it gets cold in winter, my home town's normal summertime high is +40C/105F. ABS seems to perform just fine in the heat.

I've never seen ABS fail in extreme cold, but PVC just shatters with the slightest impact at extreme cold temperatures.

Horses for courses.

-Regards

I'm confused. You said tub, Tom seems to be talking about a lavey drain. Glad you found solution but have a question. Do you have enough length in the tub shoe to cut and put in a short 22 1/2 ell. Same thing with overflow? Pipe sizes might not be the same as fittings however.

Hey Herald ,
Don't be confused. If you'll look at the date you'll see that the post about the lavatory was back in 08 while rotten ronnie posted today.
Ronnie,
Back in 60's we roughed with ABS.
While it was just dandy in short drain arms when we rouged for a kitchen sink the heat from the sun would make the arm droop almost to the ground ands we had to brace our stacks to keep them from falling over. PVC, on the other hand held up real good under the sun.
PVC may shatter behind intense cold, as you say, but down here we bundle up and turn the heat on at 65F. That's "intense cold" to us and PVC likes our climate just fine,
Different strokes, etc! Regards. Tom

Sorry, guess I'm just getting old. Old, old and older.