General Plumbing Question

[SkunkedAgain]

After I finish my basement remodel, I will likely be moving on to our main bathroom. One of the things that I would like to do during the expansion is move the location of the toilet a few feet. The sewer pipe goes straight down through the basement into the floor. Since I have no plumbing knowledge, it's definitely something that I will hire out, but I have a few general questions:

1) Will they have to move the entire pipe so that it goes straight down, or can a plumber run the new toilet pipe at an angle to the existing pipe?

2) How pricey is it to pay for such work?

I know that I'll have to get bids at some point, but I'm so far away from needing the work done. I'm just in the conceptual planning phase and trying to decide whether it is even worth considering.

[CAMAN]

It can be angled to the existing pipe as long as there is room for proper slope. Which any good plumber should be able to figure out the proper configuration.

No idea on pricing, but just make sure they DO NOT TOUCH any of the floor joists or support. I helped remodel a home this summer where a plumber moved a toilet in a previous remodel and cut a 12 inch notch through 2x12 floor joists and left 1 inch of material at the bottom.

[krinkle]

Sounds expensive.

The toilet needs to be with in 4 feet of the vent and no more than one 90 degree horizontal bend if I remember right. If its moving farther than that the vent may also need to be moved.

Hard to say on pricing. With the way plumbers are pricing jobs today it may be $50 or $5000 for the same work depending on who you get out there. There is no standard pricing anymore.

[WallEYES]

+1 with Krinkle on the distance from the water closet trap to the vent is 4 feet, with a maximum of 2 45 degree or 1 90 degree elbow between the vent and water closet. You need a minimum 30 inches clear space with 15 inches center from the wall or cabinent with 2 feet clearance in front....I think this would be a simple thing to do by using 1 45 degree elbow to get to your new location and shouldn't cost you any more than 3-500 clams

[delcecchi]

Is it PVC or cast iron?

[SkunkedAgain]

It is cast iron. Great point about the vent. I hadn't thought about that.

[delcecchi]

OK, guys, is it legal to cut the cast iron and switch to pvc with one of those rubber and stainless things with the hose clamps? They did it replacing some galvanized when we got a new kitchen sink....

[frazwood]

OK, guys, is it legal to cut the cast iron and switch to pvc with one of those rubber and stainless things with the hose clamps? They did it replacing some galvanized when we got a new kitchen sink....

In my city, these are legal if they are banded (i.e., covered with a stainless steel band) but they are illegal if they are not. You can buy both versions of these at a Big-Box store, but only one qualifies as "up to code".

Based on your description, it sounds legal to me.

[delcecchi]

Then, if they are really code, and the venting is ok, or can be made ok easily, that might make the solution relatively economical. PVC is a lot cheaper to work with than cast iron.

So cut the cast iron off on the vertical part and transition to pvc. Should be relatively straight forward even if hiring it done. Would make fixing the venting if necessary easier too. Just brainstorming, not being a plumber or even playing one on TV.

[Redlantern]

Frazwood is right but I'll clarify it a bit more. Some of the bands with the stainless steel shield and hose clamps are meant only for cast iron to cast iron connections. They're called no hub couplings. What you want to find is a coupling that is labeled for use as plastic to plastic,plastic to cast iron, extra heavy cast iron or steel. Since the dimensions of the pipes aren't exactly the same, the rubber gasket is made with this in mind. In the trade we commonly refer to them as Mission Bands but that's really a name of a manufacturer of these type of couplings. What you'll probably find in the box stores is a brand called ProFlex. Just stay away from the unshielded types. They are refered to as Fernco's. Just rubber and two hose clamps. Doesn't meet code in the application you are looking to use them for.

[PurpleFloyd]

I know it costs more in the short term but in our previous house i tore out and replaced all of the cast waste pipe and the galvanized supply lines and replaces with PVC and copper. There were several places that looked good on the outside that were nearly corroded through from the inside and were leaks just waiting to happen so I decided to front some money right then and there to eliminate some costs down the road from leaks.

As to moving the stool, someone brought up the floor joists and for a good reason, you don't want to notch or cut into them for any reason. however, if it happen that there is a joist running through where you want the stool, you can header that joist off and tie it into the joists on either side of it That will allow you to position it exactly where you want it without sacrificing the integrity of the framing.

[Redlantern]

Good advice on replacing the galvanized and cast, Purple.

12 inch rough in water closets are the norm but 10 and 14 are available. These can help out with joist locations that don't work with bathroom layouts.

[SkunkedAgain]

Here is another general question: I just had the floor drain in my basement snaked out. The clean-out plug is a threaded PVC plug. The cleanout hole has no threads, so the plumber just pounded the plug in place with a hammer. Is that common or would I be better off getting a completely rubber plug that would do a better job of keeping the sewer gases from backing up into the house?

[delcecchi]

That sounds really cheezy given that they make rubber ones with a wingnut to tighten them...

[Redlantern]

No threads? Very strange. Must be a defect from the manufacturer. Unless the drain cleaner was just being lazy, stupid or blind. The threads are a little bit further in than you would think on a one piece plastic floor drain. If you have doubts about it being air tight, go with what Del is talking about, commonly called a dollar plug.

[SkunkedAgain]

The floor drain is all cement and metal. There is a little bit of cement actually in the cleanout base. There are no threads in the cleanout base at all, it's a smooth pipe with no internal threads no matter how far you stick your finger in there.

I bought two of those "dollar" plugs, that are plastic with a rubber ring that expands when you tighten them. The 1.5" is too small with the wing nut tightened all of the way, and the 2" doesn't even fit.

[delcecchi]

That is really strange. Was the house plumbed with Plastic?

Maybe they forgot one of these ?

It is a bushing that fits in a pipe to provide the cleanout plug opening.

Called a Tom Kap.

[nobody05]

Ran into the same thing 1.5'' is to small and 2'' is to big. So i gobered the 1.5'' with silicone and stuck it there.

[marine_man]

I had one like that.. a cast iron floor drain in the concrete floor. The threads in the drain for the bypass stripped out and I couldn't get either plug to fit.

I ended up buying some sheet rubber from a hardware store and cut it to be the same circumference as the 1 1/2 plug and tightened it up. Problem solved.

marine_man

[WallEYES]

Back before my time there were floor drains with out threads...they cleanout plugs were made out of lead and they were tapped into place with a hammer or mallet.

[Redlantern]

You're right Walleyes, I made an assumption it was a one piece plastic floor drain.

[Archerysniper]

Back before my time there were floor drains with out threads...they cleanout plugs were made out of lead and they were tapped into place with a hammer or mallet.

+1,000 even on the newer ones the threads rot out or are removed by a drain cleaning cable and that is what we use to fix or replace the original plug.

[SkunkedAgain]

Yup, that's the ticket. This is a 1950s "Sears" house in a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. My thought was to just find a graduated rubber stopper somewhere - like a rubber wine cork.

I think that my pipes have settled a bit causing me to require an annual cleanout between my laundry floor drain and the main clean-out - about a 50ft run. I'll have to make sure that my cleanout plug is something easily removable when needed.

Thanks for all of the replies. Marine man, I'll probably get a sheet of rubber and try your idea

[SkunkedAgain]

Bright idea. Since I bought and tried both the 1.5" inch and the 2", I might as well cut the rubber off of the 2" and put it around the 1.5" That ought to give me the added girth that I need