Ask Me Help Desk - 1-3/8" bottle trap drain connection?

Hello. I have a little problem. I'm remodeling my bathroom and am installing a basin sink. I recently purchased a chrome minimalist bottle trap from the UK. I believe it's a Hudson Reed. It's model number is EK302.

Anyway, I've discovered that the drain pipe supplied with the trap that would go into my wall measures 1-3/8" O.D. Likewise, the trim piece and connection to the bottle trap are all 1-3/8" dimensions. This apparently is not a standard US size since I can not find any PVC fittings to connect this to. In millimeters, I believe this pipe is 34.93mm O.D. Is this a European standard? Readily available fittings in the US are all 1-1/4" or 1-1/2". How can I connect this bottle trap to my in-wall drain/vent pipe? By the way, my in-wall drain/vent pipe is 2". Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. :)

Have you measured American pipe fittings or just read the size? The ID/OD stuff can be confusing. Plumbing is all based on nominal ID. Modern, thinner walled pipe will be slightly larger inside then the nominal size. I think you will find the 1 1/4'' tubing will be about 1 3/8'' OD. 1 1/4'' NPT will have an OD of about 1 1/2. A 1 1/2'' tee might measure 2'' OD. Either measure carefully or take your pieces with you, and match them up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrwigglwbee

Hello. I have a little problem. I'm remodeling my bathroom and am installing a basin sink. I recently purchased a chrome minimalist bottle trap from the UK. I believe it's a Hudson Reed. It's model number is EK302.

Anyway, I've discovered that the drain pipe supplied with the trap that would go into my wall measures 1-3/8" O.D. Likewise, the trim piece and connection to the bottle trap are all 1-3/8" dimensions. This apparently is not a standard US size since I can not find any PVC fittings to connect this to. In millimeters, I believe this pipe is 34.93mm O.D. Is this a European standard? Readily available fittings in the US are all 1-1/4" or 1-1/2". How can I connect this bottle trap to my in-wall drain/vent pipe? By the way, my in-wall drain/vent pipe is 2". Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. :)

I'm not all that familiar with bottle traps but they sound like a modified drum trap from what I can pull up from the web. Since I notice that most of them are manufactured in the UK and are priced out in pounds I question if they would be in code here in the US. Section 702.4 (a) of the Standard Plumbing Code states; Drum traps shall be limited to special fixtures designed for drum traps and are subject to approval by the Plumbing Inspector.
They shall be not less then 4" in diameter and shall have a trap seal of not less then 2".
You do reside in the states don't you? Regards, Tom

Thanks for the responses.

My drain pipe is a true 1-3/8" O.D. I've purchased an assortment of 1-1/4" and 1-1/2" fittings such as trap adapters - the ones that are compression fittings. The 1-1/4" adapter is too small to work with my drain and the 1-1/2" is too large to seal.

I don't know about codes. I know I didn't realize my trap was 1-3/8" until after I got it. You can buy 1-1/4" bottle traps in the states that function the same as mine. I like the look of mine better.

I've currently come up with modifying a 1-1/4" I.D. lavatory mack washer to stretch over my 1-3/8" pipe, slip the pipe into the 1-1/2" trap adapter up to the washer and screw on the compression nut. This works really well and produces a tight seal. I think this is the best solution I can find if there are no 1-3/8" fittings I can buy.

Now my next problem is concealing the adapter in the wall so the pipe looks nice coming out of the wall. This is something I would like to be to code. My wall is framed 2x6 with 2" vertical drain/vent up through the roof. There's currently a 2"x2"x1-1/2" Tee that my 1-1/2" trap adapter would cement to but this protrudes into the bathroom farther than I would like. I need to figure out how I can tuck the trap adapter into the wall so that no more than the compression nut is left protruding past the wall board. As of now, the end of the Tee rests flush with the wall board. I really can't move the Tee from where it is otherwise it won't be aligned with my desired center. Any suggestions as to how I can conceal and trim the wall termination?

I don't quite understand what you are doing. You can buy round chrome things meant to cover the gap between the wall and the pipe. Most of them are flat, but some are more of a funnel shape. If the pipe is PVC, and you don't want chrome/PVC/chrome, you could buy maybe a 3'' PVC cap, drill a hole in it to fit the pipe, and slip it over the pipe to cover the adapter.

A radical solution would be to cut the wallboard between the studs from floor to sink, remove it. Then cut the 2'' pipe, jog it backwards, up, and then back out. Use 45 ells or even 30's if you can find them. The smaller the angle, the fewer problems with clogs. Then use a long enough pipe to go back inside the wall. Replace the wallboard, and tape and mud the joints.

Quote:

Originally Posted by labman

A radical solution would be to cut the wallboard between the studs from floor to sink, remove it. Then cut the 2'' pipe, jog it backwards, up, and then back out. Use 45 ells or even 30's if you can find them. The smaller the angle, the fewer problems with clogs. Then use a long enough pipe to go back inside the wall. Replace the wallboard, and tape and mud the joints.

It is tough to visualize what I'm doing. Your later solution is what I'm considering. The wall is already open. If you're facing the wall, I can't jog the 2" drain any farther back because it's as far back as it will go without poking into the closet on the other side. However, I could jog it to the left using a series of 30's and come back off of the Tee to the sink with a 90 elbow in the wall and connect the sink drain to that. this will put the PVC connections right about where I want them in the wall so it finishes off nicely with a flat, chrome cover plate. My only concern with this is whether or not it's permissible to code to jog the vent/drain pipe with this arrangement. I live in Norman, Oklahoma. I would think it would be okay since the 2" vent/drain is maintained from roof to slab, but would the 30's jog and 90 elbow be okay?

Don't like the 90, a place waiting for a clog to happen. If you must do it, make sure it is the longer radius DWV elbow. Can you replace the tee with a threaded tee that won't need an adapter?

Quote:

Originally Posted by labman

Can you replace the tee with a threaded tee that won't need an adapter?

I like this thought a lot but I haven't seen a threaded tee at Lowe's. Where can I find this?

You wouldn't be talking about a threaded tee kit that typically goes under a kitchen sink would you? The only threaded tee I've seen is threaded on all three ends for compression nuts and the wall thickness is considerably thinner than a sch40 2" pipe. Just looks fragile.

If I can find a 2"x2"x1-1/2" tee with the 1-1/2" opening threaded, I think this would be perfect.