Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Dripping Faucet

So, we've had a slow drip in the "guest" bathroom since we moved in last May...

Here is how it got fixed...

Leaky faucet --> Buy a new faucet
Buy a new faucet --> Buy a new sink
Buy a new sink --> Buy a new vanity
Buy a new vanity --> Need to lay 8 new tiles
Need to lay 8 new tiles --> Need to match grout
Need to match grout --> Need to resurface all grout to match
Need to resurface all grout to match --> Need to wait a long time for things to dry
Need to wait a long time for things to dry --> Weekend shot
Weekend shot --> Last minute run to hardware store to get parts for drain
Last minute run to hardware store to get parts for drain --> Rush to buy stuff
Rush to buy stuff --> Drain doesn't (can't) line up correctly
Drain doesn't (can't) line up correctly --> Leaky drain

So now I've got from a slowly dripping faucet to a very drippy drain pipe. But the tile, grout, vanity, sink, and faucet all LOOK good.

The drain from the sink (pipe that comes straight down) doesn't and couldn't line up with the P trap. The previous people had the bathroom plumbed for an offset (to the left) sink, and then put in an angled PVC connector to reach a centered sink. Well, I couldn't take that connector out because it extending into the wall cavity. Because of that, even though it replaced the P-trap and everything else, it physically can't go "back" (towards the wall) any more. That 1/4" difference is preventing the rubber gasket under the drain hole part of the sink itself from sealing correctly.

So for now, I have the sink top pushed away from the wall 1/4" and I have a bucket under the drain just in case. I warned the family about not pushing the sink back towards the wall and that it wasn't secured down yet, but at least they can use it to wash their hands quick.

I heard of some sort of flexible connector, I will need to get that and replace part of the "down-pipe" that comes out of the drain area of the sink so that it isn't stressing that gasket.

Anyway, it has been fun... not really. I did get a chance to brush up on my tiling (lack of) skills. Turned out pretty good. The previous people, for some reason, chipped out about 1/2" of the tile right where the previous vanity went. I am not sure why they didn't just have the vanity on top of the tile. Because of that, it added a ton of time and work. I had to chip out (air tools to the rescue) the broken tiles, get rid of the old mortar, and tile away in hopes that it would line up. It did. I guess that I will use that experience, plus previous experience with 1 large tile job that I helped out with a few years back, to have the confidence to tile our basement bathroom...

I feel your pain. We also went through the same trauma last month with a leaky faucet. It went down something like this.

Leaky faucet --> Buy a new 45 cent rubber gasket.

Sorry, that was mean. True story though.

That sounds a little like the downstairs bathroom in my house. To make a long story short, there's nothing left of it, except for a new toilet right now. No walls, no sink.

I already had a faucet "repair" kit with the rubber gasket, springs, etc. It would have been an easy fix, but one of the things on our "hit list" when we bought the house was to update the bathrooms. So this was my wife's way of getting the hardest part of the guest bathroom done. We actually bought the faucet, vanity, and sink several months ago, so it was just a matter of time. It will be nice to have it done. Of course, then I need to hang the matching mirror (that isn't a problem, but the old mirror is glued to the wall, so it will probably be a mess behind there and the new mirror (just watch) will be a little smaller.
I also need to get a new light for above the mirror, but that can wait a little bit. I need to start building my stage and riser for my theater. Or at least start getting the lumber and cut the pieces while the mudders/tapers finish their bit.

reminds me of the movie money pit.

Reminds me of every single plumbing project ever.

My Lowe's is open until 10pm most days. We used to have a 24-hour Home Depot (before the recession). I liked that.

Nick, can you saw off whatever is coming out of the wall and start from there with a cemented PVC fitting? I guess I need a picture.

I feel your pain. Good luck.

The problem is that in the wall is 1.5" pipe that comes to a 90 degree fitting which then was connected right to a 60 degree fitting with just enough pipe to connect them. I then cut off all but about half an inch (maybe a hair more) of the pipe coming from that and hooked up the new P-trap. I can't cut between the first 90 degree and 60 degree fittings because there is only a sliver of pipe showing. I would have to cut into the wall to get the 90 degree fitting off and start from that point. I just bought my flex drain piece for $5. It will be fixed in 5 minutes of work. Then I get to attach the sink to the vanity and caulk the sink/wall edges...

oh. nevermind.

Here's what's been happening to me for the last couple months.

Downstairs toilet's flush got progressively slower over a period of months. Plunging no longer helped, so I bought a toilet snake. I fed it down the drain and found that it was difficult to twist. When I brought it back up, the cutting end was clogged with root material.

Oh. Crap.

Fast forward to a few plumbers making their way through to gather data for their bids. Camera footage showed almost complete blockage due to tree roots in the sewer pipe. The town came out and scoped from the curb all the way to our main stack. That section was clear. We now know the impacted section of sewer pipe exists under the foundation between the downstairs bathroom and the main stack, ~ 6 feet long. 2/3 of that length is directly below our HVAC unit.

We get a few different options and quotes for the jobs. One is for pipe-bursting from the curb to the toilet, which avoids having to move the furnace. $13k. The rest involve moving the furnace, cutting a hole in the foundation, replacing the affected sewer pipe, filling the hole with gravel and concrete, and then replacing the furnace.

In the end, we went with a company that was in the top third, cost-wise, but we got a new air-handler and heat pump as part of the job. The one that needed to be moved was original to the home (1970s construction), so we felt that moving it and putting it back would only encourage it's untimely failure.

The work was completed last week. The HVAC guys were kind enough to put the washer/drier back in the utility room and connect it up. Unfortunately, the cold water connection had a slow leak which I only discovered a few days later when I noticed some swelling at the seams of the laminate floor just outside the utility closet.

I just took care of that problem last night. The swelling will go down as the moisture dies and will likely be hard to detect. (I know because we had a problem in the kitchen when the dishwasher's gasket started leaking a couple years ago...).

So now all I have to take care of is the bathroom. I tore out the vanity a few days ago and we've gotten a quote from a drywall guy to replace all the ceiling and a couple walls. He's asking $200/day for 2 days, which seems to be reasonable for our area.

After the bathroom is drywalled and mudded, I will sand it and paint it, reinstall the light fixture and mirror, put in new light and exhaust fan switches, lay a new vinyl floor (ordered today), new door trim and baseboards, new vanity/sink, old handtowel and toilet paper holders, and finally put the old toilet back on the new flange.