So, DIY?

I'm competent with Sweating copper,fitting and glueing up PVC. I've never done a complete Drain and vent installation. My Son and Law and I are rehabbing a house that used to be his late mothers. My daughter and he are going to move into it when we are through. It has one 5x11 bathroom. It and the Kitchen share a wet wall. the Kitchen will have a sink and dishwasher. It has 3" PVC running out back wall of the basement. I'm pretty sure we can do this but my my main concerns are getting vents in the right place. Is this something you guys would be willing to help me lay out?


Thanks,
JohnnyV

P.S. I'm a Journeyman Auto Mechanic so I know all about non professionals trying to do my job.

You'll get plenty of help from the pros here. They'e great. Just try to keep yr questions specific and brief and post descriptive pictures.

I plumbed a basement b-room with the help of the guys here. What worked well for me was first getting a couple Black and Decker/Stanley bks on plumbing as well as a current 'Code Check' bk on plumbing. Then I'd find out fm yr township whether they require a licensed plumber to do the work.

Those sources will be enough to do a basic sketchup of yr design. Post that design here and y'll get lotsa good feedback.

A couple of basic rules...

> drains have to slope down.
>vents cannot go horizontal ( less than 45") until 42" above the floor.
>vents must not have bellies...they should always slope continuously back to the drain
>vents come after the trap!
> there are certain details about how vents must be taken off, and what specific fittings can be used for vents and drains.


As mentioned, a simple book from the library will fill you in on some details. If you have any way to post a sketch or photos, you will get plenty of advice here. ( sometimes more than you want, but don't be scared!)

You could dry fit some things in, but don't glue anything right away, because undoubtedly there will be some corrections.

Great, thanks for the replies...study study study....I always try to research as much as possible before starting one of these projects...been a "hands-on" guy since I was about 4..lol. I know thats how I ended up in the repair business....I picked up several books on plumbing. One of them is the "For Pros By Pros". Rex Cauldwell author, also picked up the Plumbing "Code Check". Its a flip book with alot of good info in there.

My Son in laws Mother paid one of these "Ready Rescue" places a couple years ago to come in to fix her plumbing...My God what a mess. 5k dollars later it looked like the guy threw every and any fitting he had on the truck in the mix of DWV system in the basement. I sort of need to leave room also for a later basement Bathroom.


thanks
JohnnyV

Touching on where this discussion is going, is there a reason so many of the plumbing books don't get too far into DWV systems? I have the B&D book and a couple others, and most only let you know how to transition or repair. In my opinion, the DWV is the most complicated part of plumbing.

In addition to the vents, there are several things that crop up here frequently that guy screw up on. You may already be aware of these things, but it never hurts to repeat. You want to be sure you have at least 1/4" per foot slope on the drains and that the toilet flange is properly placed, 12-1/2" from the finished wall to the center of the flange, the flange rests on top of the finished floored, not recessed or proud of the floor. Obviously there are other things that have to be properly dealt with, but these are some that come to mind.

Another tip:
There are some situations where a 'wet vent' or a shared vent is permissible, but it's the simplest and cleanest if every fixture has its own vent.

Well, 12.5" from the stud wall assuming you are using 1/2" drywall! It's 12" from the FINISHED wall for the center of the toilet flange. And, the flange should be on TOP of the finished floor, not embedded in or below the new flooring. Anchor it tight to the floor with no gaps underneath.

Fubar411 said:

Touching on where this discussion is going, is there a reason so many of the plumbing books don't get too far into DWV systems?

Click to expand...

There are quite a few reasons.

First, there are a number of different codes in place across the United States. And there have been other codes that have been abandoned. In addition to that, different states adopt the codes differently, and further, many cities have their own restrictions above and beyond the code.

Second, there are sometimes different ways to accomplish the same thing.

With all the complexity, plumbing isn't something that you can just do. It takes a lot of learning to learn proper practices, as well as maintenance of tools and learning to read blueprints and the math and so on. Just being able to read does not make it possible to scan a code book and understand what you're reading.

It takes time and we're all standing on the shoulders of giants - those who went before us and taught us not only how to do it right but how to do it well.

It's the reason that those schools and hospitals I worked on when I was a young apprentice didn't float away. It's the reason I didn't have callbacks on all the many hundreds of houses I plumbed. It's the reason I can finish a job in a few hours that would take someone else days. Knowledge and experience.

And the reason that I come to these forums, besides being able to lend some of my expertise to help others, is that I learn something every day. I do not expect to ever know it all.

Did you think you can get that from a book aimed at amateurs?

no, no I don't

I spent a couple weekends trying to DWV my 1/2 bath and ended up calling in a pro. I had it probably 80% of the way there, but it would have been a nightmare the way I had it.

I just couldn't figure why nobody wrote about how to do it.

Oh I know that just as the Mechanic working next to me in the shop may have different techniques for doing the same job I'm doing,2 plumbers given the same project, will probably not do it exactly the same but both will probably be mechanically correct. As far as interpreting Code books, no the average guy can't decipher all the terminology in the code book.

Us DIY guys are not a threat to the plumbing industry. What I have seen as a threat,at least in my area are all the competing service companies. Since all the manufacturing jobs are going away, more and more we are becoming a nation of Service companies. I see more and more corporations taking jobs from smaller mom and pop service companies. I would bet that less than 1 percent is done by Do it yourselfers...

Sorry about the Soap Box...I'm not here to step on toes or talk about how easy a plumbers job is....I know You guys really earn your money. I really wish I'd have taken up a different trade than auto mechanics. Plumbing, electrical or carpentery....

So I'll put together a drawing and try and post it up here and maybe you guys can critique it for me and we will be able to do this ourselves.


Many Thanks
JohnnyV

Fubar411 said:

no, no I don't

I spent a couple weekends trying to DWV my 1/2 bath and ended up calling in a pro. I had it probably 80% of the way there, but it would have been a nightmare the way I had it.

I just couldn't figure why nobody wrote about how to do it.

Click to expand...

I think it was the Stanley plumbing book that had a good chapter on creating a basement bathroom, from jacking the concrete to the finish.