My walls are textured and I’m so ready to get the rest of my floor and walls finished, but before I could proceed, I needed the drains set and the plumbing water lines finished. During demo, I had a plumber cap my water lines so that I could avoid any water catastrophes that might have occurred. The bill was minimal, so I thought putting it back together would be a similar cost. I wanted to replace the shower and tub drains, water lines minimally moved, and shutoff valves placed where the caps currently are. My husband and I made a bet. I thought it would be a few hundred dollars and he guessed closer to 6 hundred. Let’s just say he was closer, but still way off…
ALMOST $1800!!!! This just pissed me off. Upon closer examination of the numbers, I agreed on their quote for the materials, but the labor is outrageous. Keep in mind, my studs and drains are already exposed! No way could it take an experienced plumber this long to complete the work. An hour for 2 drain replacements? I am so doing this by myself just to prove them wrong.
Plumbing is completely new to me, so I am going to start with the “easiest” parts to build my confidence and work up from there. Thus, I am starting with the shower and tub drain replacement. P traps here I come!
What the hell is a p trap?
A p trap is a u shaped pipe that attaches to a drain to prevent stinky sewer gasses from rising up from the pipe. They come in different sizes materials depending on the specifications of the waste drain it is attached to.
Materials/tools for drain replacement
For my project, I am replacing the tub and shower drain. So figured out I would need different sizes for the tub and shower drain replacement. The current drains are made with ABS pipe, which looks like a black version of PVC pipe, so I am sticking with that material. Also, different pipe material requires different cement. For example, PVC pipe requires a cement with a primer where ABS requires a different cement with no primer. These are the materials I ended up using:
- 2″ ABS p trap
- 2″ ABS pipe coupling
- 2″ ABS pipe
- 1.5″ ABS p trap
- 1.5″ ABS pipe coupling
- 1.5″ ABS pipe
- ABS cement
- file
- Sawzall
Out with the old p trap: waste drain removal
First, I removed the old p trap by simply cutting it off with the sawzall, making sure to cut it off as squarely as possible and as close to the old coupling as possible.
This will ensure that the pipe will completely slide into the fitting and create the appropriate seal.
Next, I used a file to remove any bumps and square the cut for the perfect fit.
The old p trap was in need of replacement as you can see above. That is it for the removal! Not too bad so far… now I just have to put it back together.
Replacing the shower drain
To begin, I dry-fit the pipes and fittings together to make sure they would be in the correct spot. I didn’t have to worry too much about drain placement because of the customizable shower base I purchased, but I tried to make it as close to the old drain as possible. I measured and cut a small section of 2″ pipe using a chop saw and filed each end. Next, I cleaned each end of the pipe to prepare for the cement.
I attached each section of pipe one at a time using the pipe cement.
When using the cement, you have to move somewhat quickly because the bond forms immediately.
When applying the cement, I made sure to fully coat the end of the pipe and the inside of the coupling.
After the cement was applied, I pushed the fittings together by twisting until fully inserted. Then I waited about 30 seconds until the bond was complete before moving on to the other pieces.
After it was all put together, I tested the connections by pouring water down the drain and checking for leaks. All good!
Tub drain replacement
For the bathtub drain replacement, I repeated the same process except for when it came to the placement of the drain. I needed the drain to be closer to the wall and farther from the window.
I simply extended the pipe and turned one portion of the trap to get the correct placement, then checked for leaks. Wow… I actually did it!
Now let’s review that plumbing quote…
For the tub drain replacement, they listed materials costing $15 and labor at 2 hours for $252.
My total material cost was $15, but it only took 15 minutes.
For the shower drain replacement, they listed materials at $15 and labor at 1 hour for $126.
My material cost was $15, time to complete 15 minutes.
With this project, I am not only proud that I figured it out, I am also vindicated. F you plumbers… I got this.