Hello,

I'm doing a bathroom gut and have run into an issue that I've never dealt with before. I've stripped the floor of its linoleum and 1/4" wonder board. I noticed that the 3/4" subfloor also needs to be replaced so I'm going to move forward with that. Here is my problem while I have the floor and piping accessible...

I'm going to change the layout of the bathroom which will require the toilet flange to be extended 19" from its current location. This extension will take place along the same floor joist (accessible from the basement). The run is about 12 feet of 3" copper and is properly slopped at 1/4" for every 4 feet.

I'm thinking of a copper to PVC union once the pipe is cut then attaching the closet flange once I install the new 3/4".

How would you extend it? Are there any issues with a waste line if you have a union from copper to PVC? Meaning, will anything from that connection potential "catch" solid waste since it's no longer a seamless run? Also, the new flange will be a 14" rough-in due to baseboard heaters, any issue with that other than the extra 2" behind the toilet? Thanks.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Boobletown,

First I have to say that I have never seen 3" copper waste lines. But if that's what they are it's still no problem. Cut the copper square and join it to a 3" PVC by using a 3" Fernco rubber coupling. Once you have converted to PVC then it's just a matter of running to the new location, keeping the 1/4" pitch and supporting the run.

You are correct in that the only complication of the 14" offset will be the extra 2" of space behind the toilet.

I've seen copper drains before, but every single one of them I've seen was leaking.
You could see a green line right on the bottom where it had corroded.
I'd cut the whole thing out not just add on to it.
That 2" space can cause another issue.
What's going to happen is someone's going to lean back on that tank at some point which will flex the rubber donut and can bend or snap off the tank bolts.
I'm dealing with one now just like that.
There's a floor joist right in the way.
The right way to fix it since your going to have the whole floor out anyway is to cut the floor joist and head it off with doubled up headers.

quote:

Originally posted by Jaybee:
First I have to say that I have never seen 3" copper waste lines. But if that's what they are it's still no problem. Cut the copper square and join it to a 3" PVC by using a 3" Fernco rubber coupling. Once you have converted to PVC then it's just a matter of running to the new location, keeping the 1/4" pitch and supporting the run.

You are correct in that the only complication of the 14" offset will be the extra 2" of space behind the toilet.

While most old abodes in this region were piped with cast iron waste pipes, copper runs a distant second. Hard to imagine a world when copper would be used in that fashion. Times have sure changed.
So surely this is a regional thing. By the way, in the last two years I was on two different jobs where cast iron waste piping failed, and not a pretty sight to behold.
You may want to look into the purchase of a toilet with a 14" bolt setting away from the wall. Most often a special order, but available from better suppliers. That additional 2" difference may be of help... This could be a big help in the final look of the project if the heat source is in the way.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CommonwealthSparky,

quote:

Originally posted by joecaption:
I've seen copper drains before, but every single one of them I've seen was leaking.
You could see a green line right on the bottom where it had corroded.
I'd cut the whole thing out not just add on to it.
That 2" space can cause another issue.
What's going to happen is someone's going to lean back on that tank at some point which will flex the rubber donut and can bend or snap off the tank bolts.
I'm dealing with one now just like that.
There's a floor joist right in the way.
The right way to fix it since your going to have the whole floor out anyway is to cut the floor joist and head it off with doubled up headers.

You bring up an excellent point regarding the 2" space Joe. I was going to shim the back of the tank or build out a decorative shelf on the wall that it sits against. To me, it's not worth it to cut out structure and potential have a slew of other problems associated with that just to gain 2". Even if that was an option, the toilet sits directly above the main structural beam in the basement where the 2x12's intersect, effecting both structural floor joists. I believe that's why they located the toilet in the original location, which created the problem of knees hitting the wall when you sit down, hence the flange relocation!

The pipe is also definitely copper, in fact the entire house is copper piping. They also have a well and not city water if it matters.

I also made a mistake in the slope calculation, it's a minimum of 1/4" per foot, NOT 1/4" for every 4 feet...that's the distance you should space your hangers...my bad.

you will need what is called a 3 inch copper x 3inch pvc mission band
it can be found at a plumbing supply house. and is connected to the piping by a 5/16 nut driver
a 14 inch rough toilet neds to be installed. the supply house usually has them in stock in the color of white with elongated bowl
if you want another color and a round bowl it can be ordered
attach the closet collar to the floor with brass screws. NOT metal

when they built my house the person who laid out the location of the toilet must have failed rulers 101 as they laid it out for a 12 spacing instead of 10, rather than buy a 12 inch toilet , they just put in the 10 incher and didnt have to spring for the added expense.
I did what you are thinking and glues in a spacer to the back of the tank and a soft rubber between the spacer and the wall ( so that any movement wont damage the wall) been that way for about 15 years and will stay that way until I replace the toilet

quote:

Originally posted by nona:
when they built my house the person who laid out the location of the toilet must have failed rulers 101 as they laid it out for a 12 spacing instead of 10, rather than buy a 12 inch toilet , they just put in the 10 incher and didnt have to spring for the added expense.
I did what you are thinking and glues in a spacer to the back of the tank and a soft rubber between the spacer and the wall ( so that any movement wont damage the wall) been that way for about 15 years and will stay that way until I replace the toilet

It's more of a mystery than that Nona. 12" toilets are the standard, 10" offset models are more rare and thus, they cost more. Sounds like in your house that they did the rough-in correctly and somebody just bought the wrong toilet. Maybe it was left over from another project?

it may be that the plumber that roughed in the plumbing missed the measurment. and roughed in the toilet wrong
if it is roughed in at 11 inchs from wall to center line of the waste pipe then a 12 toilet will not fit
so to fix the problem. they installed a 10 in rough toilet. and its to far from wall
if this is the scenero, their are 2 fixs that will work
1 is to cut the flange out and install an offset flange. this option i give you is a fix but in my opinion not a good fix. offset flanges tend to leak and are easy to get stopped up. because of the offset but it will work
the correc6t fix is to bust the floor and rerough correctly
measure from the wall to the center of the bolts
is it 12 or 10? or 14

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Frodo,