Nothing ever lines up...

Been fighting a losing battle against the bathroom sink for three days.

Took off P-trap to attempt to locate and remove slow-drain problem. Sink bowl fills up in about 2-3 seconds. Takes probably 1-2 minutes to drain a gallon. P-trap was mostly clean (some grey/black sludge) and located trouble being horrible build-up/corrision/something in the metal pipes that go into the wall.

This is a basement apartment and I rent. I'm not THAT interested in getting the sink to drain faster, I'll be happy.

So, dejected, I attempted to put everything back together and just deal with it.

But, of course, nothing will go back the way it came out. The pipe from the wall was too close to the pipe from the sink (down pipe) to allow the P-trap to line up. I couldn't move the vanity/sink further out without stressing the feed lines. I could not push the PVC deeper into the wall, because the sealing ring was already pushed up against the "downward curve" of the PVC.



So I make 3-4 trips to Ace and finally get a flex tubing, a new down pipe (old one cracked during hacksaw attempt) and have everything routed where it won't leak.



...except at the fitting at the wall. Coming out of the wall is metal (iron?). P-trap is plastic. I'm using standard washer/slip joint nuts here but I can't get the thing to seal.

The thread on the metal pipe is 1 1/4, but the tail end of the PVC pipe feels very loose. The ID of the pipe looks like it's 1/8" larger than the OD of the PVC.

Can I dry everything out, put a bead of RTV silicone on the sealing washer, and just "glue" the thing back together?

Or other suggestions? I've invested more money into this than I want.

As a follow up:

I put a good bead of RTV Silicone around the sealing ring of the slip joint that attached to the wall pipe. I think that one sealed up good. Going to wait about 15-20 hours (can't wait the full 24, methinks) before running water through it.

Had to put another bit of silicone to seal another connection, but I have options if that one doesn't seal.

Still taking forever to drain. Inside of wall pipe was incredibly scary looking. Serious build-up. Going to have to live with slow draining, I guess.

I'll check it tomorrow, post pictures, and see what the results are.

3 days, $42, .. running tab.

MrGoodbytes said:

3 days, $42, .. running tab.

Click to expand...

In the long run, it will be cheaper and you would have the problem fixed correctly if you called a plumber to clear the drain. You have already spent $42 and nothing got resolved. You just created work for yourself

Just a suggestion

drain

And for the plumber he will eventually have to call, who will have to deal with siliconed connections and have to throw that flexible thing away. But everything was just taken apart, and he did not move anything, it should have all gone back together the same way, so we are not getting the whole story.

The only thing that would cause a trap not to line up again, is if the sink has moved. If its a vanity sink, it may have moved left to right or vice versa.

If its a hanging sink, it may have dropped in the front . (a bent wall bracket would cause this to drop)

The vanity NEVER lined up. It was poorly placed when the feed lines were soldered in place and it would "flex" across the top of the cabinet. That is, it would slide at weird angles (see "slum queen" note below). The connection where the P-trap fits into the wall pipe was at a flex connection to begin with. That is, it was under a lot of stress. I should have made note to not continue when it required my largest slip joint pliers and quite a bit of effort to remove the connection at the metal pipe.

If there is ever work to be done, the entire vanity and cabinet will have to be removed, the entire wall will have to be opened, and the pipes probably replaced. The siliconed connections are not of concern: the entire assembly is going to be trashed if the current procedure doesn't work. I was just hoping to re-use some of the pipes under there.

The landlady is a bit of a slum queen but we've tried to make this place as home as possible. Previous owners included many a college kid. =\ I'm not in the mood to call and pay a plumber to drill out the lines, if possible, and wait 6 months for possible reimbursement.

Update in about 12 hours when I run water.


My main question wasn't about the flex fitting, but I felt that some background info was required. I was concerned about using RTV Silicone in plumbing applications. I've seen arguments both ways and was curious as to your opinions. Trust me, I spent hours trying to seal the thing up "right." But I did not want to put the feed lines under the pressure they were at before, nor the drain lines, so I had to rig something up.

Well, you've not contributed to the sluminess by doing it this way.

I don't think you've seen arguments both ways on this forum.

Ah, a trap won't line up, so the answer is a corrugated downtube and silicone. Thanks for the morning chuckle. BTW - if it leaks, you can always use electrical tape.

So scoot the vanity a bit and shim it at the back so it doesn't move. Not a difficult fix.

MG said:

So scoot the vanity a bit and shim it at the back so it doesn't move. Not a difficult fix.

Click to expand...

That was my first attempt to fix it. I had worked out that the vanity would have to raise up about 1/4" to let everything line up... but that pulls the brass hot/cold feed lines out of the wall and puts stress on their joints. Letting go of the vanity/sink results in it sliding back in towards the wall--pulled by the feed lines.

And finally, the end result:



And looking upwards at the feed lines:



No leaks. Sink still drains ultra slow.

Pipe had corrsion inside, but the sink will fill up even when the tap is flowing thinner than a #2 pencil. The toilet that's 3ft away drains fine. The shower that's 3ft away drains fine.

*shrug*

I have no idea how old this house is, but I believe the basement was finished in 1993. Pipes have probably been untouched since.

It drains, though, and no leaks. Guess I'll just have to deal with it.

You should check to see if your "slum-queen" could spring for a plumber to come out to snake the basin drain out.

It won't hurt to ask. The worst that could happen, she says "no". and you won't be out of pocket either way

Thanks, I'll keep it in mind. There's a four-legged creature I'd rather she not know about, so it generally prevents me from calling her. The draining is more of a preference than necessity... but you know the things that bug you the most are the small things.

Wonderful work.... but not quite sure why you are touching plumbing that you dont own to begin with. Obviously you are not experienced and could have created more damage by trying to fix it. You get your landlord's approval before touching it? Your responsibility as a tenant is to notify your landlord of any issues and let them make a decision on how to address it. If you are not happy with the way they operate their operation, MOVE.

Those old faucet lines are copper - replacing those with stainless braided flexible lines would have allowed you to move the vanity easier. However...those shutoffs are probably quite old and stuck open so you'd have to shut off the water to the apartment somehow. If it is a basement apartment as you state, that would likely mean shutting it off to the house instead...and could give away your four legged friend (which I bet your landlord knows about and will screw you over on with your deposit).

With all due RESPECT, 90% of the time, its the landlord that gets screwed over somehow at the end... not the tenant.