Bathroom waste pipe question

Becles

Busy refitting our bathroom. In a previous life, it used to be a seperate toilet and bathroom, but the previous owner knocked it all into one big room. The toilet stuck out a bit, as in this picture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/becles/before2.jpg

It was just a stud wall behind the toilet, so we decided to remove that and move the toilet back to make the room bigger. The soil pipe is tucked in the corner, so we knew we would have to box round that.

However we've got a problem with the pipework. Here's another pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/becles/pipes.jpg

1) What is the bit with the yellow tape wrapped around the end for? Can it be removed?

2) The pipe that runs along the floor from left to right is the waste from the bath and sink. Ever since I moved in, the bath has been slow to drain, and we've think it's because the water runs uphill where it bends round to go into the soil pipe.

Can this be altered so the pipe goes straight into the soil pipe, or is the uphill bend needed to stop smells?

phill99

The pipe with the yellow tape on it appears to be an old overflow pipe, although I'm open to correction. If you are not planning to put the new overflow into it then it isn't needed.

An uphill bend isn't needed to stop smells. That is what the trap is for under your sink and bath. The water in the trap stops smells coming back up the plug hole.

So where does your pan actually discharge to now?

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Becles wrote: »

Busy refitting our bathroom. In a previous life, it used to be a seperate toilet and bathroom, but the previous owner knocked it all into one big room. The toilet stuck out a bit, as in this picture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/becles/before2.jpg

It was just a stud wall behind the toilet, so we decided to remove that and move the toilet back to make the room bigger. The soil pipe is tucked in the corner, so we knew we would have to box round that.

However we've got a problem with the pipework. Here's another pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/becles/pipes.jpg

1) What is the bit with the yellow tape wrapped around the end for? Can it be removed?

2) The pipe that runs along the floor from left to right is the waste from the bath and sink. Ever since I moved in, the bath has been slow to drain, and we've think it's because the water runs uphill where it bends round to go into the soil pipe.

Can this be altered so the pipe goes straight into the soil pipe, or is the uphill bend needed to stop smells?

The yellow stuff is just a temporary cap someone has put on. You can take the white pipe out & permanently seal the soil pipe.

Apart from the trap a drainage pipe should always run downhill at 18mm -40mm per metre depending on what the pipe is for.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

phill99 wrote: »

The pipe with the yellow tape on it appears to be an old overflow pipe, although I'm open to correction.

Its either a 32mm or 40mm drainage pipe.

If it was an overflow it was installed by a someone who didn't know what they where doing.

But judging by the below drainage running up hill around a half a dozen elbows you could be right....

Anyways I think its the overflow pipe coming straight out of the external wall.

What is in the room the other side of the tiled wall next to the soil pipe?

keystone

Becles wrote: »

However we've got a problem with the pipework. Here's another pic:

Now we know why the loo stands out into the room. I'm guessing theres a vertical outlet from the current pan (obscured in the pic by the pan) and the loo wouldn't go closer to the wall and the pan connector mate properly with the soil pipe. I'm guessing the soil pipe drops vertically to below the floor makes a right hand turn and then joins the main stack below the branch that is visible. Hence the wall was brought to the loo.

1) What is the bit with the yellow tape wrapped around the end for? Can it be removed?

Its an old basin (or some such) waste that was no longer required when the room was last refitted. Trouble is you can't just remove it because theres a strap on boss which connects it to the soil stack. In order to remove it you need to replace that section of pipe anyway and whilst you are about it you can throw away the brown underground connector making the inserted section long enough to connect direct to the vent section.

2) The pipe that runs along the floor from left to right is the waste from the bath and sink. Ever since I moved in, the bath has been slow to drain, and we've think it's because the water runs uphill where it bends round to go into the soil pipe.

Can this be altered so the pipe goes straight into the soil pipe, or is the uphill bend needed to stop smells?

Poor installation planning last time round. They probably worked from the bath towards the stack but then found that the boss on the soil stack branch (there's another loo behind the tiled wall on the RHS isn't there?) was higher than anticipated. The lack of pipe clips on the bath waste might also have something to do with it. The problem you have here is that you cannot run the bath waste directly into the branch because it will then be directly opposite the other loo outlet. Thats why the bosses for bath / basin / shower waste on all branches are at right angles to the main 110mm branch. Without seeing whats in the (expected) void behind and below the loo I think you have to keep it as it is but with the correct fall and properly clipped.

Cheers

Becles

Yes there is another bathroom on the right hand side, with a toilet flowing into the pipe that disappears off to the right through the wall.

The previous owners seemed to bodge a lot of jobs, so we don't have any faith in things we find

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Becles wrote: »

Yes there is another bathroom on the right hand side, with a toilet flowing into the pipe that disappears off to the right through the wall.

The previous owners seemed to bodge a lot of jobs, so we don't have any faith in things we find

To be fair there is a little sense to his thought its just the application that's poor.

keystone

Becles wrote: »

Yes there is another bathroom on the right hand side, with a toilet flowing into the pipe that disappears off to the right through the wall.

The previous owners seemed to bodge a lot of jobs, so we don't have any faith in things we find

Its not that bad - I've seen a lot worse. Yes there is some bodgery about it.

Am I correct about the soil pipe for the loo in the picture?

Cheers

Becles

We are pretty certain it goes vertical and joins up below, but we haven't removed the pan or the floorboards yet and can't see for definite yet.

Does that mean the loo won't go back against the wall now and we have to build it back up?

keystone

Becles wrote: »

We are pretty certain it goes vertical and joins up below, but we haven't removed the pan or the floorboards yet and can't see for definite yet.

OK but I think I spot what looks suspciously like another branch below the one we can see as highlighted here:

Does that mean the loo won't go back against the wall now and we have to build it back up?

Frankly I can't tell you remotely. You will have to see how it comes together. Its probable that is the case but you'll need to box in the pipework anyway. It almost certainly will not go back to the block wall even when boarded/skimmed and tiled.

Its plain that they didn't think about loo distance to wall when they bult the main box the first time round. If they'd brought it far enough forward (ie an extra couple of inches) and there would have been no need for the latter add-on!

Cheers

Becles

Thanks so much for the help. I'll get hubby to read the thread tomorrow.

We were orginally just going to tile over what was there and not move anything, and put the new toilet in the same place.

However we were not confident about changing the radiator for a towel radiator as the pipework for that needed altering so we paid for someone to come in and do that.

He asked why the toilet stuck out so I explained about it being two seperate rooms and the extension and said the previous owner did all that work. He said it would be best to remove the wall as there would be nothing behind it and it would be a simple job to move the loo back to the breeze block wall.

We got a shock when we started taking the wall down and discovered the soil stack so had to change plans to box that in. There was a load of rubble down the hole on top of the pipes, so we didn't actually see the pipes in the picture until all the wall was gone and the rubble removed.

I wish I hadn't listened to the radiator man now