Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Vista, CA
Posts: 5270

Tal Tales
Homeownership, Part I

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Denver
Posts: 20643

Oh man, I have so much sympathy for you.

Bathrooms are utter shit to work on.

I don't care how new the fucking place is, once you start digging, you find problems that are best fixed right there and then while you've got things torn up, but also mean delays in getting the damned thing done, and added expense.
When I did the bathroom in my sister's house(built in 1910) and I started pulling things apart it was a nightmare. I found multiple generations of plumbing in there. Lead, cast iron, galvanized steel, copper, pretty much everything short of recent polymer pipes. We had to replumb the entire fucking thing, or so the plumber we consulted advised and then I had to get creative with dealing with GIANT FUCKING HOLE in the floor that had been covered by the old tub we pulled out.
My advice is to go ahead and check all the bathrooms and all plumbing in the damned place and fix them as soon as possible. Next, check the kitchen, and get it up to speed. Nothing is more disruptive to your life than having those rooms out of commission, nor is anything else as dangerous to the overall well-being of your house with the possible exception of roof/siding leak letting outside water in.

Curious though, why did you have to replace the toilet in the one bathroom? Was the base cracked?

-m

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Vista, CA
Posts: 5270

No, the toilet itself was OK, but we wanted to get one of the new ultra-low-water-use ones. We ended up with one which doesn't have a flapper; it has a 1.28 gallon bucket in the tank, which flips when you hit the flush lever. The water then basically falls down the hole and flushes the toilet.

You wouldn't think it would work, but it actually does. I have not yet had to double-flush anything--but even if I did, that's still less than a 3-gallon model.

The kitchen was remodeled about three years ago, and seems to be in good shape. Luckily, the place is on a crawlspace, so it's relatively easy to get under the house and look at the plumbing. It's actually generally in pretty good shape, although it has a variety of plumbing types also--all the inlets are copper, but the drains vary between the original cast iron, ABS, and PVC (and weird combinations thereof). Some of the iron is getting pretty close to worn out, and I suspect gradually replacing that will be the majority of our plumbing work from here on in. We'll probably just replace any iron we see anytime we open a wall for any reason.

I don't know what would be involved in eventually replacing the main drain line, but we'll undoubtedly find out and be horrified within a decade or so. *grin*

Any other advice would be very welcome. We'll be replacing the floor tiles in the bathroom which had water damage with slate tile--does that work well? And how do you feel about those add-on acrylic tub liners? The surface of the tub (cast iron) is badly pitted, and looks to have been resurfaced at least once, but we can't afford to have it pulled out and replaced right now.

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 17499

If you are going to reline the tub, hire it done. Seriously. If it isn't absolutely clean and totally DRY when the new surface goes on, it just accelerates the destruction of the iron core of the tub. It's also difficult to get a really smooth finish without experience and tools for the job.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Denver
Posts: 20643

As far as replacing the main drain line, you will be horrified, but not much you can do about that.

Slate tile is great, I mean come on, it's slate, it's a rock, therefore it's tough, water resistant and it looks cool.

Tub liner, is this like a large one piece insert? I can't say as I've used one of those, but I don't see why it wouldn't work well as long as you seal edges and openings well with an appropriate sealant. If you're talking about an epoxy refinish like Simon is talking about, I agree with him, a professional will have a hell of an easier time of it.

I'd ask if you're attached to said tub for some reason, if not, I say replace it with a modern fiberglass one, at least as a temporary solution. Believe or not, you can do this yourself, the hardest part would be removal of the old iron tub because those bastards are ridiculously heavy, but if you're just going to chunk it, I'm told you can beat them into smaller parts with a sledgehammer (wear ear protection, banging on a giant iron tub is noisy on a level you don't want to experience) though I never had any luck with this technique(because aforementioned noise caused me to give up quickly as I didn't have ear protection with me).

-m

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 26147

My toilets have 25 gallon tanks with compressed air assisted pressure vessels and 30 horsepower irrigation pumps. I could flush a manatee and on occasion have.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 18998

I wouldn't have a low-water toilet in my ass if I had room for a sawmill. Those are the most worthless items in the world.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 18998

quote:

---

Originally posted by Trenchant_Troll
My toilets have 25 gallon tanks with compressed air assisted pressure vessels and 30 horsepower irrigation pumps. I could flush a manatee and on occasion have.

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 17499

Beating a tub works, if it is actually cast iron. Lots of older (but not antique) tubs are press formed steel that has been flame coated with porcelain. You can wear out a sledgehammer on them, and make lots of noise, lots of little razor sharp porcelain chips, and damned little progress.

Best tool is either a sawzall with masonry blade to start, then metal cutting blade, or (very best) a chainsaw with a 10 inch cutoff blade on the end of the arm. Those things will cut a tub in half lengthwise in about a minute, and you can rent the saw. Just do it before retiling.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Denver
Posts: 20643

I suspect the one I attempted to beat apart may have been a steel one, as I even had a few goes at it with an angle grinder just to try and make weak spots that might help it crack and I still just managed to further my hearing damage.

On the subject of 'low flow' toilets, I've seen some terrible ones(mostly in the early days of them) that didn't flush a damn thing, but most of the modern 1.6ers I've seen can handle quite a load without a problem. Can't say as I've seen one with a design like Tal describes, but it sounds interesting.

-m

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Rancho CucAmonga, CA
Posts: 453

Yes Tal, thank you for continuing to show me how little I know about home repair. I'm now in the market for something made in the last 15 days to avoid these issues.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 17499

You know, I had a house while I was in college that had original (1916) bathrrom fixtures in the main bath (which had been a childs bedroom until it was converted in 1916). The toilet tank was a 1.5 gallon brass keg with a flapper valve, and a 9 ft pull chain. 9 feet, because they installed the tank just under the 12 ft ceiling. 2 inch brass pipe led to the back of the stool, in a straight vertical drop..

I think that thing would have flushed TT's manatee, with no trouble at all. Just don't flush it before closing the lid.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Denver
Posts: 20643

I would love to get my hands on something like that.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 17499

It looked a lot like this, except even higher, with the brass keg instead of the oak tank.

Attachment: cp-185.jpg
This has been downloaded 23 time(s).

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Denver
Posts: 20643

Yeah, those are great, not that it would work anywhere in this place, neither the crap closet in the master nor the main level bathroom has a high ceiling.

-m

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 26147

quote:

---

Originally posted by SimpleSimon
It looked a lot like this, except even higher, with the brass keg instead of the oak tank.

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 17499

quote:

---

Originally posted by Trenchant_Troll
That isn't an oak tank, you dullard, it's a plastic toilet tank enclosed in an oak box.

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 28539

I picked up a free new toilet today. Our town had a free toilet drive to anyone that wanted one sign up at a lottery and I won! It's a water saver model with the button on top push down to flush.
I'm gonna install it tomorrow. It's gonna be fantastic. Oh and you better believe I will take pics!

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

(I stopped the moving so that Simple Simon can play my embedded video's. EEEEE!!!!)

Santa is coming. That gives me joy. It gives me even greater joy that Hawley will get a coal this year.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 26147

quote:

---

Originally posted by SimpleSimon
Prove it.

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Vista, CA
Posts: 5270

The pros redid the tub today. Resurfacing (~$500) rather than an acrylic liner (~$2500). We can't use it for three days, but it sure looks nice. At least, until I have to leave the room from the fumes.
A new plumbing update coming soon.

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 17499

Glad you hired it done. It is truly an awesome pain in the ass to try yourself.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged