Where it Began
I was attempting to replace the broken pipe leading to my bathroom sink when another pipe broke closer to the central line for the entirety of the bathroom plumbing. After having two steel pipe snap due to rust I was determined to replace as much of the plumbing with PVC as I could.
The Journey into PVC
Not knowing how PVC works made the process a bit difficult and definitely created a delay in my posting schedule. I had to make several trips to the big box store to get the right fittings after having to make a few alterations when things did not work the way I expected them to.
I did find working with PVC to be fairly forgiving but because I was not sure how everything would fit together making precise measurements was not an option.
Dry Fitting Rubs Rough
Dry fitting the plumbing is a fantastic thing a person can do with PVC but it is not a perfect system as I came to find out. One of the problems with dry fitting is as soon as one adds primer and cement the two connections fit together much more snugly.
Unfortunately, the tighter fit means I lost about a quarter of an inch of pipe when comparing the dry fit to the final product. Luckily nothing leaks but from the picture, one can see that a few connections are on the snug side.
Thankfully it Worked
When I finished reworking the plumbing I was expecting a leak or two as it was my first time ever doing plumbing but so far there have been no leaks and I am rather happy with how the project turned out. With that said it did take me a long time to finish the project but that is more out of my own stubbornness to use what I know rather than adventuring out.
What I Did Wrong
I reluctantly used a hacksaw to cut the steel pipe and PVC pipe as it gave me a lot of control which was needed because hot and cold water lines were close by. I also am most familiar with a hacksaw which gave me the confidence to cut the pipes.
With that said the hacksaw took me about two hours for each steel pipe I cut and there were five pipes I needed to cut. Although the project was straightforward it was extremely time-consuming but if I had used a reciprocating saw my time of completion would have been only a few hours and this blog would have been completed on time.
What is Next?
Next, I will be doing what I set out to do in the beginning which is to finish the sink plumbing. I have to make a cut into the vanity as the bathroom is extremely small but once that is done the vanity can be seated fully in and I can focus on the plumbing.
As for that plumbing, I am unsure how it will be fitted because the pipe coming from the wall is an inch over from where the sink is. However, when I figure it out I will be sure to include it in part two.
Overall I would say the plumbing work has gone pretty smoothly but do buy and use the right tool. I might wait to publish part two and give myself a bit of a break from working on the bathroom as I have to fix my car sometime as well. My wife and I also have some new light fixtures to install and I might attempt to install those as well. See y’all next week!