Pipes in older homes were made from galvanized steel, copper, brass, and heavy cast iron. Unfortunately, over time as the pipes ruse, they develop weak points that crack or burst. When pipes crack, leaks would form but if the pipe actually bursts, water would flood the bathroom, potentially causing serious damage. Today, under sink pipes are sometimes made from copper but the most popular material is PVC, a heavy-duty plastic material that is strong, durable, and affordable.
If your home has older under sink pipes, even if they have not yet cracked or burst, they should be replaced with PVC pipes, a great do-it-yourself project. Before getting started, you will need some kind of light source such as a flashlight, replacement PVC pipes, rubber gaskets, PVC primer, clear PVC cement, adjustable wrench, flexible coupling, pipe thread compound, a Phillips screwdriver, and some paper towels.
Begin by turning the water off at the shut-off valve beneath the sink of if one does not exist, the water supply to the entire home would need to be turned off. Before using the wrench to loosen and remove old pipes, place a bucket or large bowl directly under the pipes to catch any water remaining in the pipes. With the water drained, use the wrench to loosen the connectors so each section of pipe could be removed. Once done, we suggest taking them to a hardware, plumbing, or home improvement store so the exact size replacement pipes could be purchased.
One important note is that as you begin the process of tightening the new pipes once in place, use your hand instead of the wrench. This will keep the pipes securely in place but loose enough that alignment adjustments could be made. Once all the pipes are in the correct position, the wrench would then be used to tighten the connectors completely. For the first step, place new rubber gaskets flat against the inside of the coupling nut on the bottom of the trap pipe. The threads would then be fitted on the pipe going into the coupling from the adjoining pipes.
For pipes without a coupling nut, use PVC primer spread over the wider area inside the sleeve fitting for connection. In addition to this, PVC primer would be spread thin on the end of the regular sized pipe that would go inside the sleep. Now, PVC primer typically has a strong odor so make sure the room is well ventilated with open windows or for rooms without windows, keep the door to the hallway open and place a fan in the room to blow air out of the room. After the PVC primer has been applied, allow it to dry for 15 minutes.
Next, PVC cement would be spread over the same areas, followed by slipping the smaller pipe into the sleeve and turning it a little for a good fit. Hold the pipes together and with a paper towel, wipe off excessive PVC cement. Let the cement dry for 15 to 20 minutes prior to adding any other under sink pipe or turning the water back on to use the sink. For the next step, the drainage arm and tall piece would be installed.
Place the tail piece’s inner ring into the upper section of the tail piece while pushing against the strainer basket. The pipe’s slip joint nut would be threaded around the threads of the strainer basket and then tightened by hand. Now, connect the bottom section of the tail piece with a coupling nut to the drainage arm at the bend. If no coupling nut exists, PVC cement could be used. Following this, the straight end of the drainage arm would be tightened to the coupling nut at the trap pipe joint.
The vertical pipe would then be installed by connecting the bottom portion to the PVC drain with a coupling nut. Using a flexible coupling, attach the bottom of the metal drain pipe and then apply a small amount of thread compound around the top area of the metal pipe. Slip one end of the coupling over the top of the pipe, tightening the band clamp using the Phillip’s screwdriver. From there, the bottom of the vertical drain pipe would be pushed into the top of the coupling, again tightening the clamp. The last step would involve using a coupling nut or sleeve to connect the top of the vertical drain to the T-pipe already connected to the trap.
