I need to cut out an inspection hole in a kitchen dining area as neatly as possible. The drywall has wallpaper on it. This wall is common to a bathroom on the other side and I need access to the tub drain.
Instead of water backing up into the tub (which is last in line plumbing wise,before the main black water line leaves the foundation to the septic tank), it leaks out at the tub-drain joint and flows out onto the floor. I’m looking forward to fixing this one!
I’m seeking advice on how to cut out a large enough section of wallpaper covered drywall to minimize damage and when put back together, will look nice, since it will be in a very visible location.
Thanks in advance for your reply!
Replies
Is the wallpaper in good enough shape to steam it off from seam to seam?
Edit to add---- is this slab on grade?
“It so happens that everything that is stupid is not unconstitutional.” —Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
Edited 11/1/2006 8:40 pm ET by plumbbill
The wallpaper is in excellent shape and stripable.The wall is a simple 2x4 bottom plate/studs on concrete foundation. I just realized . . . the tub sits parallel to and right up against an outside wall. Sheathing is 1/4" or so standard plywood. Perhaps I could pull a section of it off and go at it that way? Don't know if I'll have access to the drain from the side of the tub though.I'm wanting to get this done ahead of time so that when my plumber friend comes over, it'll already be done.
OK
Slab on grade means there is a "buck-out" for the tub drain.
If water is coming out from the wall when another plumbing fixture is being used , it could very well be a leak in the pipe somewhere else.
Path of least resistance & it's coming up through that buck out.
If it's only leaking when the tub is draining, might have the problem in the waste & overflow connection to the trap or the trap itself.
Could be able to get to it from the outside, but that could be a tough reach.
Peeling the wall paper from seam to seam, & do a cut & patch a few inches away from the seam is actually pretty easy---- biggest part is peeling the wallpaper & putting it back without it shrinking.“It so happens that everything that is stupid is not unconstitutional.” —Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
I now remember my plumber friend mentioning the "buck-out". I'm assuming this is what I have, but it's only a guess.I think what is going on is that there is a rough pvc edge or uneven pipe cut or poor joint, etc. in the soil line which catches some toilet paper and waste every time it goes by. Over flushes, it builds up. When it obstructs enough of the pipe, the shower or a toilet flush or washing machine discharge will flow enough water through there where it can't exit properly, and because of a loose or rusted connection at the tub drain/trap, it flows out there instead of backing up in the tub. I have run a long snake through the closet vent stack and also through the clean out just upstream of the septic tank. I don't use the kitchen disposer much, so I'm assuming toilet paper and waste build-up.I'd suspect stripping the wallpaper would stretch it and it wouldn't go back on right. Not much experience with wallpaper.Thanks for your reply
This may sound like an odd thing to do, but I have started putting a circular 4 inch wall vent in my new houses so that I can look at the tub drains without cutting a hole later. I was taken to small claims court for damages to a bathroom floor and walls that were caused by teenagers showering without the curtain shut. The owner blamed it on faulty plumbing and the only was to prove my case was to cut an inspection hole. I won the case but the judge gave her $200 for drywall repairs!
No new owners have ever questioned the presence of the vent. I doubt many of them have even noticed it.