Washer Valve Box Questions

Picture 1: Twisted pipe resulting from trying to unscrew corroded valve. I ended up unscrewing the galvanized pipe below in the basement crawlspace and replacing an elbow with a tee to do that sillcock installation.

Picture 2: How do you add a drain extension onto this valve box. When I screw in the new pipe, the valve box will sit an inch or two above the threaded iron-pipe drain. The old metal box had an extension that screwed into this drain.

Picture 3: How do you remove the plastic plug in this box? I tried unscrewing it and had no luck. Do you just pop it out or does it unscrew?

Is it against code to use flex supply lines for the final 12 inches or so up to the threaded pipe of the valves? They will be buried in the wall.

Ethical question: Should I charge for this repair, since I could have unscrewed the galvanized pipe at the bottom and not ruined the copper pipe? Is it probable that I would have had to cut out the wall anyway, and replaced this stuff?

It looks like a knockout plug. Cut the steel pipe and use a rubber coupling to transition to pvc and glue that into the box. Yes you should charge.

Like kordts said cut the galv pipe and reconnect to the box useing PVC and a banded coupling. It has a solid band that goes around the whole rubber part.

Then connect on to the Galv. water pipe with brass then transition to copper. Do this with the side that is not twisted as you should not have the copper going directly to the Galv. and that is what the pic looks like so the copper was done wrong anyway.

Charge for it.

I remember a while back when a woman "handyperson" that was not a plumber asked a similarish question and everybody jumped down her throat saying she had no business going plumbing work and charging for it if she didn't know what she was doing. Just an observance.

But you did seem to make a bit of a mess on this one. Don't charge too much.

there are ten times more reasons why to charge full rates than there are reasons to reduce your bill. You might already have developed an attitude that says you made a boo-boo, and this is not good. Since you asked.

david

Questions that haven't been answered:

Should I have cut out the wall in the first place instead of trying to unscrew the cold faucet without knowing how it was attached to the galvanized pipe? If that's the case, I would have had to replace this mangled pipe anyway.

Is it kosher to use a braided flexible steel supply line to the new galvanized stub-out I will be installing?

Why do I need to cut the drain pipe. Can't I just insert a banded rubber coupling over it the way it is?

Plumb or Die said:

I remember a while back when a woman "handyperson" that was not a plumber asked a similarish question and everybody jumped down her throat saying she had no business going plumbing work and charging for it if she didn't know what she was doing. Just an observance.

But you did seem to make a bit of a mess on this one. Don't charge too much.

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I try to be as honest as I can with my customers. I tell them exactly how much experience I have with their problem, whether it's plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc... Sometimes, they say no thank you, but most of the time they say go ahead and fix the problem. Being the honest sort of guy I am, I like to give people a price break if I'm doing something that takes longer than it should or if I screw up.

My point in starting this thread is to find out if I really screwed up or if that pipe would have to be replaced anyway. I'm sure every plumber on this forum has had to replace additional pipes when they were doing a job. I'm just wondering if there was a better way of doing this, so I can keep learning.

Honestly, I would cut more wall and replace the trap also but look in the wall first and see what you are working with.

No, don't use bradded SS in the wall.

Yes you would have had to cut some wall to get at the other side to hold it back, in opening up the wall you found the water lines incorrectly hooked up to galv. pipe which would have eventually leaked and would have caused more of a problem.

Better to have found it now than later.

Cass said:

Honestly, I would cut more wall and replace the trap also but look in the wall first and see what you are working with.

No, don't use bradded SS in the wall.

Yes you would have had to cut some wall to get at the other side to hold it back, in opening up the wall you found the water lines incorrectly hooked up to galv. pipe which would have eventually leaked and would have caused more of a problem.

Better to have found it now than later.

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Thanks Cass,

That galvanized drain pipe pipe screws into an old cast iron trap in the crawl space below. I don't need to cut the wall to access it. But why mess with that?

I think most plumbers would have had to cut some wall out to access the pipe below.
I believe that was suggested before you started the job on another post.

I look at things like this.
It's not my fault that the customer wants some work done.
I could stay at home and read a book, or go play catch with my kids.

But if they ask me to get in the truck, and come out with the tools.
I will be doing the plumbing gig on them.

To remove the shutoffs from the copper male adapters, you would have needed to have pliers or a pipe wrench to "back it".
Most of the time it means cutting some drywall. Sometimes you get lucky though.
Or should I say, the homeowner gets lucky.
The job is what it is.

When I cut into a 1.5" washer drain like that, I like to use a reducing coupling, that way I can increase the standpipe, up to the box with 2".
Granted it still has a 1.5" trap, but at least you have a little more capacity when the washer pumps out.

When connecting to the galvanized, use brass adapters to copper.
Then you can use compression shutoffs in the box.

Or most of the shutoffs with boxes can be soldered on the inside of the fittings.