Bathroom faucet drainpipe broken behind wall
1941 two-story house, working in 1st floor bathroom. While replacing a bathroom faucet, I discovered that the drain pipe going into the wall was broken in half, this is the piece behind the p-trap. The place that is broken is just behind the tile bathroom wall. I pulled one pipe half from the wall and noticed that it had some sort of chrome coating over another type of metal. I presume this to be a steel or brass drain pipe. I noticed in the basement a small leak that seemed to appear whenever someone was using the bathroom, but it wasn't until now that I found out what it is. I've put pipe dope around the pipe ends and put them together which for the very short term seems to be working (crossed fingers).
How best do I fix this? It is behind a tile wall with concrete and metal lath. The other side of the wall is the same, so I assume more than likely, I will be busting that out since there is not enough working room for a pipe wrench. This broken pipe goes into an elbow (which is rusted, btw) and from the elbow into what looks like a galvanized steel pipe (seemingly in OK shape), then into a cast iron soil stack. From the basement, I can see this elbow and piping, but it is about two feet from the basement ceiling opening, which is also only about 6 to 8 inches wide. So it looks as if there isn't enough clearance to work, unless there are some cool tools that I don't know about to do this type of work. The drain pipe from the faucet to the elbow looks to be somewhat smaller in diameter than from the elbow throw the galvanized pipe to the soil stack. Any ideas what size of pipes these are? If you can't tell, I'm pretty new at this.
TIA!!
Bathroom faucet drainpipe broken behind wall
Quote:
Originally Posted by poeda
1941 two-story house, working in 1st floor bathroom. While replacing a bathroom faucet, I discovered that the drain pipe going into the wall was broken in half, this is the piece behind the p-trap. The place that is broken is just behind the tile bathroom wall. I pulled one pipe half from the wall and noticed that it had some sort of chrome coating over another type of metal. I presume this to be a steel or brass drain pipe. I noticed in the basement a small leak that seemed to appear whenever someone was using the bathroom, but it wasn't until now that I found out what it is. I've put pipe dope around the pipe ends and put them together which for the very short term seems to be working (crossed fingers).
How best do I fix this? It is behind a tile wall with concrete and metal lath. The other side of the wall is the same, so I assume more than likely, I will be busting that out since there is not enough working room for a pipe wrench. This broken pipe goes into an elbow (which is rusted, btw) and from the elbow into what looks like a galvanized steel pipe (seemingly in ok shape), then into a cast iron soil stack. From the basement, I can see this elbow and piping, but it is about two feet from the basement ceiling opening, which is also only about 6 to 8 inches wide. So it looks as if there isn't enough clearance to work, unless there are some cool tools that I don't know about to do this type of work. The drain pipe from the faucet to the elbow looks to be somewhat smaller in diameter than from the elbow throw the galvanized pipe to the soil stack. Any ideas what size of pipes these are? If you can't tell, I'm pretty new at this.
TIA!!!
I'm a little confused about just exactly where the break is . In the first part of your post you describe the break as being in the horzontal line "behind" the "P" trap. This would put the break in the galvanized line going to the cast iron stack. However, later you describe a tub waste and overflow which comes out of the top of the trap and is a vertical pipe that's chrome over brass.
You post, "This broken pipe goes into an elbow (which is rusted, btw) and from the elbow into what looks like a galvanized steel pipe (seemingly in ok shape), then into a cast iron soil stack."
Is this elbo you describe part of a cast iron "P" trap? Because that's what you just described.
If the break you describe is in the vertical chrome over brass tub waste and over flow and you have a access hole behind the tub it can be replaced without tearing up the wall. But since you've described two different breaks I'm not too sure what I'm dealing with. Any way you can clear up my confusion? Cheers, Tom
Bathroom faucet drainpipe broken behind wall
Quote:
Originally Posted by poeda
Sorry about being so confusing. I hope this clears some of it up.
The break is in a piece of pipe behind the p-trap leading into the wall. The actual break in the pipe is just behind the wall. Inside the wall, I can see that broken pipe screwed into a rusty elbow fitting. That elbow allows a 90 degree turn which connects to another piece of pipe (probably galvanized). That galvanized pipe leads at a 20 degree or so slope to the cast iron soil stack. I can't quite see what type of connection the galvanized pipe has to the soil stack. I'm not sure what the broken pipe is made out of, but when I pull it out (it is broken in two seperate pieces) I can see that there are two layers of material. Layer 1, and outside chrome coating. Layer two, some other metal that the chrome coating was bonded to. It looks to me to be the same type of pipe I can buy at a hardware store for a metal drain, if I didn't opt for the plastic pipe.
OK! I understand a little better now. As I understand you have galvanized piping going into a cast iron "P" trap, ( How'm I doing so far? )
If this were my call I would remove the broken pipe from the threaded galvanized elbo and all the fittings up to and including the trap. I would then install a PVC male threaded adapter in the elbo and convert to PVC and hook the tub waste and over flow to the new PVC trap. More questions? I'm as close as a click. Tom
Removing a broken threaded nipple
I waited to see if you thought Tommys solution was easier for you. But since it's not let me tell you the way I would go about getting it out.
I would take a saws-All, (reciprocating saw) and put a metal blade long enough to reach the end of the threads. I would then make a cut through the bottom of the nipple just to the beginning of the female thread in the elbo. You may cut into the female threads a bit but this is drainage without too much pressure and you may load up the PVC male threads with teflon tape to offset this.
Then I would take a sharp narrow chisel and go in next to the split and start to peel it up. Once you get one side peeled up go a peel up the other side. Once both sides of the split are peeled up from the bottom place your chisel at the top and drive it in. This should force the nipple down so you can pull it out with a pair of pliers. Good luck and don't forget the teflon tape. Tom