My wife lost a necklace down the bathroom sink. I took off the trap (which was quite a pain) and got out the necklace. Now as I am trying to replace the parts I realize I can not replace them because all the parts are rusty and corroded. Is it easy to go get some plastic PVC pipe and replace the trap or should I get a plumber to redo the whole thing from the wall to the sink. I know virtually nothing about plumbing so I don't want to screw up and have water running in the walls and fill my wals with mold, etc.
The first rule to plumbing is if you dont know what you are doing then dont touch it. The plumber will cost you a lot of money parts and labor, and labor is around $40 and hour or more. The parts are quite cheep and easy to repair. Without looking at what you are doing it makes it a lot harder to explain or understand what is needed to be done to fix the problem. I would assess that you need a new j-bend and elbow. But I am going to say that you should call a plumber and while he is fixing that problem you should ask him about a new drain trap for the sink. One that might keep this problem from occurring again. Good luck
Let's take a look at this problem, if you got the necklace out that is a plus and, now for the problem of putting it back together and not have it leak. The old trap is junk, that is a given, the next thing to ask yourself is did I have water going where it should not be going before she lost her necklace in the sink, if the answer is no then we can proceed on a little farther. You can go get a new p.v.c. trap but, the problem that you need to address is how is the trap attached to the wall. If you have removed the part that is slipped over the trap at the wall and there is a nut there you are in luck, because, you loosen that nut slip the old trap part out and install the new trap and then connect up the rest of the trap. If you remove that cover at the wall and the trap is soldred into the pipe at the wall then you are just about out of options, you can cut the trap at a good spot and just try to repipe it or call a plumber to get it done. It is never an easy job to change out a trap.
Replacing Sink Drain Pipe
This Site Might Help You. RE: How to repair corroded bathroom sink pipe? My wife lost a necklace down the bathroom sink. I took off the trap (which was quite a pain) and got out the necklace. Now as I am trying to replace the parts I realize I can not replace them because all the parts are rusty and corroded. Is it easy to go get some plastic PVC pipe and replace the...
I really hate to disagree with a 40 year plumber, but I've changed dozens of these things and far and away, the majority of them were a snap. It's rare that the tailpiece, (the pipe that's actually connected to the bottom of the sink), goes bad, so odds are you're going to need at least the trap portion of the drain line. If you're working inside a vanity, then you really don't have much room, but should be able to remove the pipe that either goes into the wall or straight down into the floor, along with the trap itself. If it goes into the wall, you need a P trap, if it goes to the floor it's called an S trap. Most bath sinks use 1 1/4 pipes for drains, however, sometimes they go into 1 1/2 pipes before they get to the wall or floor. In that case the nut that tightens to the drain line usually has a larger tapered washer included in the set, which you would use at that point. Get PVC, don't use brass. It's much less expensive and will last forever. You can see what happens to brass when exposed to lime and calcium, crud and corrosion. If you're not real sure about your project, take a picture and take it along with you to the hardware store. Show it to one of the employees and they should be able to help you find what you want and even show you how to put it together.
