Hello All,

Im on the third floor of an old triple decker right outside of Boston. I have a pantry now along side my current bathroom. I want to make two full baths, one with shower, one with tub/shower. I want to move the current drain for the current toilet about 10 inches, then put a wall between it and another toilet, which will be new and of course require a new drain... Is this reasonable? Could I use the existing drain and slap a T on it and run it to the two toilets? Building up the floor a little of course? What's the best way about doing it? Any help, would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Hi All,

I have copper piping in my current bathroom but would like to change over to plastic pipes/tubes or whatever when I begin to remodel and put in another bathroom adjacent to the current one. Im up in the third floor and the pipes all come up from one spot... Can I tap or cut the line and then attach some plastic piping to both the cold and hot water pipes, split them once each to go to showers/sinks.. I would like to make the change over right when it comes up from below, so I can do the whole two new bathrooms in the plastic piping... Is this possible? Thanks you're your time...

As far as going from copper to plastic (cpvc) goes, all you need is something like this:
http://www.ezflo.biz/images/part_numbers/100_100_86033.jpg

... but better than the one in the pic, which has a compression fitting for the copper, get one that you sweat (solder) onto the copper.

I think 3 fixtures off a main line is the max you want to go, but stay tuned for our Plumbing Expert to confirm on that end of it.

Thanks for the quick reply. I have been absolutely loving all this info, great stuff! So, do I have to make some threads where I cut the pipes? Is there a tool for that? How do you link the plastic to plastic pipes?

No threads needed. Both copper and cpvc can be cut with one of these:
http://www.kalyx.com/store/images/PTI27504.jpg

Cpvc is put together with glue: All you really need is the pipe (usually comes in 10' lengths), fittings (elbows, unions, and adapters for your shutoffs) glue and primer (http://www.tonmo.com/images/cephcare/DIYskimmer/figure%2031.jpg).

You'll find it very easy work.

What about PEX piping? This seems even a little cooler!

I've never used PEX. From the brief bit I see on the net, it seems easy enough for a diy'er, but my guess is it's cost is at least 5-10x what cpvc is.

What do you mean by "cooler?"

Cooler = much easier to work with and bends =)

On Amazon I'm seeing a 100 ft coil of it, 1/2'', for 35 bucks:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/offering/list/-/B000BVPYJ0/all/ref=dp_olp_2/102-4733164-2832948?%5Fencoding=UTF8

35 cents a foot is sure cheap enough. Check the fittings prices and be sure you have the tools and know how to put it all together.

If price and ease of installation are as easy as cpvc, I'd give it a shot. I do see from some surfing, that it is gaining popularity.

If I were going to install back to back bathrooms I would use a common drain and vent. I would tie the toilets together with a double wye and eighth bend(see image) and the two lavatories with a 2" cross drainage tee to pick up both lavs and a common 2" vent off the top of the tee which will service both bathroom groups. . The two tubs/showers to be tied into the lavatory drains where they will be wet vented. Sound like a plan? Good luck, tom

What about PEX piping? This seems even a little cooler!
Rick is correct. The limit is three fixtures off a 1/2" branch that's being serviced by a 3/4" main. Rick was also correct in assuming a threaded male copper adapter soldered on to the copper pipe and converted to PVC with a PVC female threaded adapter is much more secure then the compression fitting that he put up.
You asked about PEX.
Here's a question and answer I posted some time back.
Are there different types of pex type water supply lines? I thought there was another brand similar to pex that installed a little differently than pex? Anyone know?
Answer : Hi Tammy, There are a few systems that come to mind. Kitec Systems, Vanguard-Manabloc are several. They all work off the same principal, a central manifold so that each fixture has its own dedicated hot and cold line. The plastic used in the lines is crosslinked polyethylene and the fittings are Pro-Pex which are compression fit with a special tool to mount them.
Good luck and let us know what you decide . Tom

Thanks for the quick reply! Wet venting, does that mean the water goes out each of the tubs and then would use the vent on top of the tee that the lavatories run into... What I am picturing is one long 2' pvc pipe (pipe A) level to the bottom of the tubs, that ends with a tee at the tubs end (which each of the tubs run into. Then another T where each of the sinks come into pipe A (with a vent at the top)...

I don't know if I can master the skill of soldering copper so I think Im going to with the PEX, an ACE store down the street sells the Vanguard brand you mentioned, at about 40 bucks for 100 feet of 1/2''...

So, Tom, as you are aware of my other question, concerning the two bathrooms, you don't recommend me splitting the same lines used currently to support the new bathroom Im putting in adjacent to it? Should I try to find the inch line, could it be in the main wall that goes down the basement? Should I tap a 1/2 pipe into that to use for the other bathroom? I hope Im not biting off more than I can chew!

I dont know if I can master the skill of soldering copper so I think Im going to with the PEX, an ACE store down the street sells the Vangaurd brand you mentioned, at about 40 bucks for 100 feet of 1/2''...

So, Tom, as you are aware of my other question, concerning the two bathrooms, you dont recommend me splitting the same lines used currently to support the new bathroom Im putting in adjacent to it? Should I try to find the inch line, could it be in the main wall that goes down the basement? Should I tap a 1/2 pipe into that to use for the other bathroom? I hope Im not biting off more than I can chew!


Back the truck up! You're thinking mains and branches. That's thinking pipes. You better start thinking manifolds and dedicated lines to each fixture of you're going Pex. Go back and read my last post. The Pex manifold will come off a 1 or 3'4" main and the individual lines will come off that. There will be no branches. The manifold will serve as a branch but will service a lot more fixtures. Did I expliain it well enough or confuse the issue more?
Regards, Tom

And I picture one 3 or 4" main that runs between the two back to back bathrooms and picks up both toilets with a double combination and continues on down to tee up 18" to the center of a drainage cross,(see image) that will pick up both lavs and continue on up through the roof to act as a common vent for both bath rooms. Each one of the tub/showers will connect into the lavatory drain in each bathroom and will be wet vented through the commen vent. The 3 or 4" main will continue on and tie into the stack. This is the easiest most simple back to back layout I can give you. This presumes the fixtures will be back to back in a straight line. If you want to space them other wise the layout becomes more complex. Regards, Tom

I may be slightly more confused then before =)

So, Ive got a cold water copper pipe, looks like half inch, coming up from the basement. It now goes into the toilet, lavatory, and tub. Can I use that same line to hook up another three? Same for the hot water line, but it would only be another two fixtures of course, lavatory and shower in the new bathroom, sans toilet... What do you think? Again your help is greatly appreciated, if you're going to be in Boston anytime soon, let me know!

I may be slightly more confused then before =)

So, Ive got a cold water copper pipe, looks like half inch, coming up from the basement. It now goes into the toilet, lavatory, and tub. Can I use that same line to hook up another three? Same for the hot water line, but it would only be another two fixtures of course, lavatory and shower in the new bathroom, sans toilet... What do you think? Again your help is greatly appreciated, if youre going to be in Boston anytime soon, let me know!

Boston? Doesn't it snow up in Boston? If it does, I ain't going!

"So, Ive got a cold water copper pipe, looks like half inch, coming up from the basement. It now goes into the toilet, lavatory, and tub. Can I use that same line to hook up another three?"

No, If you go Pex and tubing you will supply your respective manifolds off a 3/4" main and run tubing to each fixture for a supply.
Supplying 6 fixtures off a 1/2" branch is a no-no .
We are talking both drainage and water supply. If we continue on I'm going merge both threads. Cheers, Tom

Lets do it, merge the threads!! And the weather is just starting to get warm... Well, all I have visible, even when I look down the middel of the interior wall, are the two 1/2''ers. They must be maxed out. If the only way of doing it is heading back down the basement and running up another hot and cold water pipe for the new bathroom, I might just make one BIG one instead of two small ones... As for the drainage of everything, I think I could swing it. Thanks Tom, much appreciated!

Lets do it, merge the threads!!! And the weather is just starting to get warm... Well, all I have visible, even when I look down the middel of the interior wall, are the two 1/2''ers. They must be maxed out. If the only way of doing it is heading back down the basement and running up another hot and cold water pipe for the new bathroom, I might just make one BIG one instead of two small ones... As for the drainage of everything, I think I could swing it. Thanks Tom, much appreciated!

You have options here. Assuming that you go with Pex you may keep the manifold in the basement supplied off a 3/4" line and run the tubing up to the two bathrooms. -Or- you can run 3/4" pipes up and install the manifolds between the walls of the two bathrooms. What you can not do is to supply both manifolds off 1/2" and not expect to have problems with pressure and volume. Which way do you think you'll go? Cheers, Tom

Hi Again Tom! Well, I just received a call from my gas company and I owed a whole bunch of money, figures. So, ill probably figure out what is cheaper! Either running up the 3/4 to the third floor, or two more 1/2 pex tubes up... have to price it out and see. IM going to go tie a weight to some fishing line and drop it down the wall to see where it ends up in the basement... Ive got one more questions, what's a manifold? And do you have a pict of one? Thanks!

Ahhh manifolds!

http://www.toolbase.org/techinv/techDetails.aspx?technologyID=104