Copper pipe IN thick set mortar???
I’m doing a bathroom remodel on a circa-1950 house and need some advice please.
QUESTION: Can I mix and pour a new thick bed SURROUNDING the copper pipes as before? OR should I be worried about different chemical reactions to the copper due to components in modern building materials.
I’ve removed the thickset and exposed the 1″x6″ boards between joists. I was going to install a fresh 3/4″ subfloor, and then use hardeeboard and thinset… but, there copper water feed pipes in the floor that WERE buried in the thick bed mortar. Additionally, the floor varies in heights and will require a mortar bed varying from 1.5″ to 3.5″ in depth.
THANKS –
GREG
“Historic Townhomes in Washington DC”
Replies
Buried pipes
I can't say that I have ever seen copper pipes buried in a mud tile job, but if they were there for years and you have had no problems, you might safetly leave them there. Thick mortar beds were common in both residential and commercial tile installs for many years, and the material has not changed.
My first choice would be to rerout the pipes to below the the subfloor and the do a regular mud bed. That would leave you access to the pipes for future repairs/maintenance and remove the worry about possible adverse reations.
There's always a danger that the new mud may be more corrosive/reactive than the old. Probably best to wrap them somehow if it can be managed. (Or at least wrap a couple of inches where they come out, so that there's a little flex there and less tendency to stress the copper.)