Today I plumbed.
Well, actually, yesterday I plumbed. My plan involves shifting the original location of the tub a couple of inches over and out to make for a larger shower and a slightly deeper edge on window side to shelve my bath things. The front of the tub surround will be flush with the tub edge, though. You’ll see. It’s going to be brilliant!
So, here I was, tugging at the existing drain to see if it would pull just far enough to where I wanted it. No such luck.
It just wasn’t going to go in the hole. (Side note: hole saw drill bits are the bomb! Where have you been all my life?)
So, a trip to Home Depot was in order. (Aren’t trips to Home Depot always in order during your projects?)
I spent who knows how long standing in front of the ABS fittings section in the hopes that a miracle fitting would appear that would allow me to not have to cut the pipe under the subfloor and rebuild the trap out from there. Maybe there was a slightly longer trap. Maybe there was…. I don’t know. Something. So I just started collecting all the items for doing the thing the only way I knew how. Cut the pipe and rebuild it out longer.
After spending far more time than I should have, I finally flagged down a sales associate. I’ve had pretty good experience with knowledgeable folks in the plumbing aisle, so I hoped this would continue. I know YMMV here, but I’ve always found Home Depot to have slightly better staff than their blue competitor down the street, which I also shop at.
The associate listened to my question, looked at all the pieces I had laid down, and proceeded to tell me that he was impressed that I had gotten all the parts I needed (primer + cement included). Ladies, we must step up our game. No one should be impressed that we successfully managed to collect the pieces that will fit together to form a drain pipe. Or maybe I just had a leg up as the daughter of a pipefitter (Thanks, Dad!!!).
So, no. There are not magical devices to more easily extend your pipe. (Insert crude joke here.) And with that, I brought home my haul.
All the new pieces. The next part took way less time and effort than I anticipated. I took my hacksaw and cut the old pipe behind the first fitting. Then I cut the new pipe pieces I would need for the extension and the new drain. ABS smells TERRIBLE when you cut it. I sanded all my inner burrs so they don’t collect hair and stuff and clog the drain down the line. Fit everything together to see that it measured out correctly before permanently gluing them together. After everything matched up, I swabbed cleaner/primer and then cement and pressed them together.
A perfect fit.
After letting it set for a bit (dad said at least 30 minutes, but it was time to start making stuff for tacos, so it was closer to 45 minutes to an hour before I got back around to it). Poured 4 cups of water in. No detectable leaks. I checked again this morning to make sure since now there’s water sitting in my trap, and still no leak.
Ladies, we must never be afraid of fixing the plumbing. That has literally been the easiest thing I’ve done in this project so far. I am confident it will pass inspection.
I’ve also decided I may replace the valve in the shower just so it’s new when the walls go up. I haven’t yet gotten the valve for the tub because certain valves go with certain faucets, so you have to get the valve that matches. And, well, I can’t decide on a faucet yet.
I was hoping that I’d also get my duct in early, but, alas, it didn’t get here until late. I decided in retrospect to go through the gable. It’s a little less harrowing than cutting the roof, but more because folks say if you live where it snows, it’s best to go through a wall if you have the option so that it doesn’t create ice dams or cease to function when covered in snowpack. Not that we get excessive snow here, but we get enough that I decided on the easier alternative.
My exhaust fan/light came in too, so I’m very excited about the next phase of the project. I really only want to be up in the attic once, so next weekend’s work will be the exhuast fan in total!
As a side note, I took a trip over to my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. This store is amazing! It didn’t have exactly what I wanted, but it has so much stuff. I was specifically looking for a 60″ vanity… or a 60″ dress deep enough to hold a sink (so at least 19-20 inches). There are a few more in the area, so I may check out other stores, too.
Next steps:
- Install exhaust duct through gable
- Install new exhaust fan/light combo
- Replace shower valve
- Call for rough plumbing and mechanical inspection
- Purchase cement board, drywall, osb base, 1×6 supports for tub, 2×4 support for tub surround.
In the meantime, ladies, don’t let your project ideas intimidate you into action. Make a plan, and just start!