Improper plumbing & trying to remodel bathroom/laundry

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I'm too lazy to upload the before sweeping up the mess of trimmings, tape cutoffs, and other junk at the moment (save for one pic) so I'll post the ones after I cleaned up.
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This part wasn't cleaned when I took the picture. I still need to scrub that floor more. I do wonder if I can get the red stain near the tub out but am not sure. I think ink from a box transferred the floor from sitting too long and getting wet. I need to vacuum the carpet outside the door as well. Please excuse the mess-- my cats knocked a bunch of stuff down-- you can see a broken mug to the left.
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I mopped and then scrubbed the everloving crap out of the floor square by square.
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While scrubbing I discovered a small screw had somehow gotten under the vinyl right in the middle of the damn floor. I had to pull the vinyl up and get it out. It punctured a small hole in the vinyl but you can't see it. Vinyl didn't go down quite as flat as before but I don't care. LOL. If it really bugs me too much I can adjust it bc the adhesive is rather forgiving.
Got the stuff laid out and had the straws on the bolts before putting the waxless seal on so the toilet could be test-fitted first.1663032924612.png
Friend got toilet in place easily and made sure the tank fit snugly.
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I put my new trash can in.
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Next step is fixing the toilet seat (glue will take 24 hours to cure) and some cleanup. I will need to get everything off the vanity so we can use the sink.
 
Eddie_T said:
Are the waxless seals as easy as advertised?
Click to expand...
Yes. You just put them over the bolts, set the toilet on top, and if you had to use the spacer you sit on top of the toilet to squish it down and secure the bolts. I used Toiletmaster bolts where the caps themselves screw on to the bolts instead of having to put nuts over washers on the the bolts and then putting caps on. No messy wax to deal with.

I used the Fluidmaster Better-Than-Wax seal. Those green puffy ones delaminate from what I've read.
 
My brother came running in here earlier because he had to pee & Mom was in her bathroom. So he was happy to be able to use a toilet instead of having to go outside in the dark with the mosquitoes.

I've been thinking about the laundry room and was looking at my diagrams of where I would have plumbing go and then did measurements (in sketchup). My original plan was to have the drain for the standpipe go down just to the right of the window but I realize that might block access behind the machine for the dryer vent. My state allows 6' run on 2" pipe and it's under 6' to run almost to the wall and then have it go up and have a cleanout at a convenient height.

I'm also re-evaluating the idea of a shelf level with the machines behind them. I wanted something to cover the gap between the machines and keep stuff from falling behind and then I had an epiphany. I could use some sort of arylic sheet laid over the top of the machines and add a ledger on the back wall with a cut-out for the supply line/drain box (which I might recess at least slightly) and have it butt into the window sill about 2" instead of making some sort of box. I can add some sort of clear bumper things to make it stay in place on top of the machines and if I need to move it I can.

I hope this is making sense. Rough sketchup view of it.
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I'm currently looking for a cleanout tee model to plug in on the pipe up on the right. Obviously the edges of the acrylic/plexiglass would be chamfered so they won't stick out and injure anyone. I'd have 1x1s or 1x2s up the wall behind as a ledger for the acrylic and maybe some pieces along the sides as well. If I butt the plumbing box against the wall I *might* have enough room for the washing machine plug to go into a 20amp GFCI outlet above it on that little wall piece. The plexi would be cut in that spot for the plug and if the box trim blocks the front it will keep stuff from falling behind.

I was looking at this product OPTIX 36 in. x 72 in. x .093 in. Acrylic Sheet MC-10 - The Home Depot but I think I might have a sheet large enough already down in the workshop.

The reason for having something clear is so the color of the machines will still show through and we can still get more light from the window & see if anything fell behind more easily.
 
I take the opportunity to always pee outside... (lol)
Wonderful feeling...
There's a picture somewhere around here, with Grandson (4 years old) and Grumpy with our pants to our knees...Pitching a moon... having a leak... LOL
 
It's harder to get to the outside because the lights don't work in the front room to get to the front door and there are mosquitoes out. For some reason it reminds me we had a cat who loved to play outside but would come back in and use the litterbox instead of going outside. She would desperately howl at the door to be let in to use the litterbox. When we were moving we had a long car trip and she wouldn't go in her carrier. We stopped at a rest stop and had to get her litterbox out for her to go.

Mom told me that her highest priority for me to fix is the back door. She thinks I can just pop the door in and has no idea what a pain it will be to clean this up, replace the floor, install a proper header at the correct height. It also needs flashing, a non-rotted sill, etc. She's never actually done any sort of handywork so she has no concept of what it is like.
 
zannej said:
She thinks I can just pop the door in and has no idea what a pain it will be to clean this up, replace the floor, install a proper header at the correct height. It also needs flashing, a non-rotted sill, etc. She's never actually done any sort of handywork so she has no concept of what it is like.
Click to expand...
Welcome to a man's world! I go through this with my wife all the time.
 
I don't know how my dad handled it all those years. She kept expecting him to do stuff he didn't know how to do. After he died she got me a tiny handsaw (basically a coping saw) and wanted me to go cut up some huge oak branches that fell in the yard. The person our insurance paid to remove it just piled it up in the driveway. That saw wouldn't cut through a sapling much less oak. But she got mad at me and said "You always say 'no' to my ideas when I give you suggestions!" and I had to bite my tongue and to keep in "That's because your ideas are STUPID!" If she'd ever done manual labor in her life she might have an inkling. I think she planted some stuff in a garden maybe, but never did any of the heavy duty work.

I'm not married and don't plan to ever get married, but I pretty much became the "man" of the house after my father died.

I will say that I've known couples where the husband was in charge and the wife did everything she was told and very rarely argued. I prefer to see more equal relationships where people listen to one another and cooperate. But, I haven't really seen many examples of that-- which is why I have no desire to be in a relationship with anyone. I am happy being the crazy cat lady.

I haven't uploaded the pics yet, but I got my toilet seat installed.
 
Cover plate under the supply line to cover ugly cuts in vinyl.
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New hinge put on the seat (note: the brackets came attached to the hinge this way)1663390223284.png1663390281104.png
Installed correctly
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Current pic1663390361336.png
Times the screwdriver was fumbled and fell into the toilet: 1
Times the bottom plate of the hinge kit fell off and into the toilet: 2
Times the bolts and brackets fell into the toilet: 3
Number of F-bombs uttered: 10+
Aside from trying to get the seat to go on the brackets (which I mentioned came attached to the hinge the wrong way), the hardest part was getting the cylinders of the old hinge out.
That stupid back plate for the new hinge didn't want to stay on though so I had to tape it on.

Edit: I haven't taken pictures yet, but I moved the large trash can over, put in a smaller one next to it (so I can put small stuff in it without getting up and stepping on the lever for the big can), put my squatty potty in, and put in a bath mat (although, I think the bath mat needs to be washed and it looks a lot darker in that lighting so I may go with a lighter bath mat and use that one as a cat bed).
 
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Great job there @zannej ... Is it a soft close toilet seat... But great job...

My wife and I used to run a small renovation business together... She is up on tools and building as much as I am... When we go out to dinner or out somewhere with friends and or family... She is very much a Lady, but when she's got her hard toes on, she is one of the guys and swears like me anytime... I dunno about you guys, but I find it extremely sexy with a Lady in jeans and hard toes...
(wyked grin)
 
Thanks! I have a hard time finding hard toe shoes that fit me well. I had a pair but I have no idea where the went. My skin doesn't react well to denim. LOL. I mostly wear sweatpants and stretch fabrics. But I like loose stretch fabrics so I get men's pants. I am a tomboy out in public and a tomboy at home. I'm one of those women that they complain about who doesn't shave, doesn't wear makeup, etc. I just don't care.

Anyway, that laundry cart turned out more useful than I'd expected.
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I discovered that the box of leveling mix flattened the crease that had been in the vinyl so I moved it over to another spot that still had a visible crease and will leave it to see if it flattens out.
Need to figure out how to get hard water stains and coin corrosion stains out of that sink now. Black side mirror will be going on the door in the bedroom. I might get a white mirror for inside the room. Eventually that little mirror above is getting replaced. I left them dirty to avoid my reflection showing.
I used the vacuum on the counter because some of the leveling powder spilled on it. Unintentionally sucked up some things I didn't want it to suck up so I will have to take it apart outside and look for what it grabbed.
 
Well, @zannej, You'll have to excuse me and let me apologize, I thought YOU were one of the guys here... I am so sorry... I am a little embarrassed, which I never get...

My brain is not working right now, but I have a mixture recipe to take all stains out of toilets and sinks... Still takes a little bit of work... But it will work... Now... Please remind me, if I don't get to you in the next day or so... Cuz the memory is not there... Need a boot in the a55 sometime to get me going...

Again, I apologize for assuming you were one of the guys... Good Night, Sweet Dreams, and God Bless
Cheer~
Mike
 
zannej said:
Thanks! I have a hard time finding hard toe shoes that fit me well. I had a pair but I have no idea where the went. My skin doesn't react well to denim. LOL. I mostly wear sweatpants and stretch fabrics. But I like loose stretch fabrics so I get men's pants. I am a tomboy out in public and a tomboy at home. I'm one of those women that they complain about who doesn't shave, doesn't wear makeup, etc. I just don't care.
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Sounds Great, You go Girl!
 
Thanks, Redneck. No need to apologize. I get called a guy a LOT. Even my in-person friends joke that I'm a dude. Had a friend who not too long ago was talking about how all women do something (can't remember what) and I said "I don't do that" and he said "Well we all know you're not a woman!" LOL. I actually find it amusing. Also, I played male characters in video games to avoid getting vivid descriptions of male genitalia messaged to me. Pretty much the pre-graphical version of sending dick pics. Had some friends I played with for 5 years who thought I was a guy the entire time. So I'm never offended by it. I give off that vibe. LOL.

The Barkeeper's friend did nothing, but I've read white vinegar with lemon juice (to tone down the odor of vinegar) and baking soda can work. I've already tried baking soda and hydrogen peroxide on my toilet seat (which is closed cell phone). I tested barkeeper's friend on the underside and it did nothing. So, I'll try the vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice. The lemon juice was right next to the baking soda at samsclub. LOL.

I know AAVs aren't ideal and used to be banned in my state (until they reverted to IPC 2016) but since the vent I spotted going into my wall does not go through the roof, I'm thinking of slapping an AAV on it in the attic. I'm tempted to run each fixture up through that wall (both toilets, the tubs, showers, & sinks) up to individual pipes with AAVs. Apparently so long as there is at least one pipe in the system that vents to the outside with a regular vent, it is ok to use AAVs. It's not great with septic tanks, but its better than s-traps.

As an aside, I have been thinking about the plumbing for the laundry room and realized the wall behind the tub is not that far away from the toilet and I could run its drain and vent to that wall instead of to the exterior wall. I could land the vent in the adjacent stud pocket or even same stud pocket to the main vent and then tee it over either in the attic or in the wall above the showerhead. The lavatory could be vented to the exterior wall or out around it.
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Another plumbing sketch (too late to edit).
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Tying the washing machine that far downstream might not be necessary if I'm understanding the code correctly- and its from UPC but I'm under IPC.
From the 2015 UPC Illustrated Training Manual

711.0 Suds Relief.
711.1 General. Drainage connections shall not be made into a drainage piping system within 8 feet (2438 mm) of a vertical to horizontal change of direction of a stack containing suds-producing fixtures. Bathtubs, laundries, washing machine standpipes, kitchen sinks, and dishwashers shall be considered suds-producing fixtures. Where parallel vent stacks are required, they shall connect to the drainage stack at a point 8 feet (2438 mm) above the lowest point of the drainage stack.
Exceptions:
(1) Single-family residences
(2) Stacks receiving the discharge from less than three stories of plumbing fixtures
-
My home fits both exceptions.
 
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