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Discussion Forum

Laundry Room Plumbing Issue

jtotherod | Posted in General Discussion on July 21, 2010 09:28am

I’m not sure if this is the right area but I figured it would be as good as any of the other area.  So here is my situation.  I recently bought a house that needs a lot of remodeling work.  There was a leak in the laundry room that was causing slight mold and damage to the drywall.  When I took the wall off, I could see that the old gate valves have been leaking and caused the damage.  I bought a replacement unit that has quarter turn ball valves and a 2″ PVC drainage pipe outlet.

I’m not worried about having to solder the copper pipes but I’m not sure how to deal with the drainage.  The existing pipe is copper with a trap that connects to a cast iron elbow vent/drain.  My new washing machine box has a 2″ PVC drainage outlet.  So what would my best option be:  Use a fernco fitting between from PVC to copper?  Remove the copper and re-plumb into cast-iron tee with PVC?  Or any other options?

I’ve attached a picture for reference.  Thanks!

Reply

Replies

  1. DanH | Jul 21, 2010 09:35pm | #1

    If I could get a Fernco to work, I would.  I'm not sure if they will fit tighly on the smaller copper, but it's certainly worth trying.

  2. rdesigns | Jul 22, 2010 10:25am | #2

    The drain flow from new washers can often overwhelm a 1-1/2" trap, so you ought to consider enlarging the trap and fixture drain to 2"

    I recommend cutting out the CI tee and replacing it with a PVC tee which will have two short PVC pipes glued into the upper and lower ends of the tee. These ends will then be connected into the CI stack via Fernco or whatever neoprene-with-SS-bands couplings that are allowed. The new 2" PVC branch will then become the starting point for your new 2" trap arm to serve the the washer

    It looks like there's a CI hub just below the existing CI tee, so you would cut the CI just below the hub, and cut the stack above at a point high enough to fit in the new PVC assembly. It appears that the vent line above the existing CI tee is not CI--I can't tell if it's galvanized or what, but the coupling that's about 18" above the tee rules out CI. 

    .

    1. DanH | Jul 22, 2010 05:50pm | #5

      Good point that it should be a 2" line.

    2. jtotherod | Jul 23, 2010 12:13am | #6

      I think that this sounds like my best option.  It may be a little more work than some of the other options but I might as well upgrade while I have everything torn apart and do it the right way.

      For info, I'm pretty sure the vent pipe is ABS or PVC.  So that should make everything a little easier if that is the case.  I will be working at the house again this weekend, so if I get the chance to work on the laundry room, I will let everybody know how it goes and what I end up doing.  

      Thanks everybody for the suggestions.

      1. DanH | Jul 23, 2010 08:44am | #9

        Yeah, from the picture it looks like everything above the tee is ABS.  In that case you could replace the tee if you want to.  Depends on which is easier -- replacing the tee or replacing the fitting into the tee.

        Do note that if you replace the tee you may have trouble finding an ABS fitting, so you'll need either the special combo glue (not allowed by some inspectors) or a <generic brand rubber coupling> to join the ABS and PVC.

  3. Shacko | Jul 22, 2010 02:47pm | #3

    Fernco Coupling

    >>> Fernco fittings are not allowed inside  a building line in most jurisdictions.<<<

    Fernco is a brand name, they make shielded couplings just like the Mission, just info.

  4. Shacko | Jul 22, 2010 02:53pm | #4

    wash machine hook-up

    Agree with rdesigns you should upgrade to 2in. while you are there, but if you don't want to all you have to do is cut the copper and unscrew it, add a pvc adaptor and continue with pvc.

  5. jtotherod | Jul 23, 2010 12:51am | #7

    While I'm thinking about it.  I believe the Cast Iron Tee is already 2".  Would there be an issue with replacing the copper with 2" PVC and using a 2" Male Threaded PVC adapter into the Cast Iron Tee?

    1. rdesigns | Jul 23, 2010 09:38am | #10

      A closer look at your picture seems to show that the hub right below the existing tee is the hub of a fitting, making it hard to cut out the hub to create a clean starting point for new abs or pvc pipe and fittings.

      The easiest and surest way I can see is to remove the copper stuff, plug off the CI tee with a threaded plug, and cut in a new abs sanitary tee in the abs line just above the tee.

      You will still be able to set the new tee low enough to meet the code minimum (18') for the length of the standpipe above the new p-trap.

      You will improve flow, not only by the increase in pipe size, but the new abs sanitary tee branch will enter the body of the tee with a more gradual sweep than the existing CI tee.

  6. cameraman | Jul 23, 2010 08:20am | #8

    I would leave the CI alone, the weight of the CI above that TEE would come down on you. Or the movement could make other joints above the laundry leak. Even a though a good smack with a slege could break up that fitting, it could break more than you want to.

    Remove the copper and run all new 2" pvc drain.

    1. rdesigns | Jul 23, 2010 09:42am | #11

      One of the OP's later posts said that the vent line is abs, so he'll have no worries about a heavy CI line above.

  7. jtotherod | Jul 23, 2010 11:42am | #12

    Thanks everybody for the help.  I will keep everybody updated with what I end up doing!

    1. jtotherod | Jul 26, 2010 09:32pm | #13

      Ok, I wasn't able to finish completely since I had other projects to work on as well but here is what I was able to come up with over the weekend.

      Luckily the cast-iron tee was sealed with a rubber 'donut' on the hub.  Once I was able to remove the old copper and cast iron tee, I was able to start the new plumbing with 2" PVC.  For the drain connection, I replaced the old rubber donut with a new fernco donut.  So anyways, here is what I came up with.

      1. rdesigns | Jul 27, 2010 09:59am | #14

        That'll work.

        That'll work, but it also wouldn't hurt to install a cleanout between the tee and the hub.

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