Improper plumbing & trying to remodel bathroom/laundry

[zannej]

glacier bay is crap, jmo buy a moen or a delta

we had a storm, lights been of for 2 days

The Moen is what I was looking at, but it was apparently made of plastic and had plastic cartridges and people said it broke easily and had other issues. Is Pfister any good? My old faucet in my bathroom is Aquasource and I'm replacing it with Pfister (because it better matches the decor). My Delta kitchen faucet is garbage, but maybe because it was a low-end cheap one. Maybe I should just spend more $ and get a slightly more expensive Moen faucet. I like the high arc and swivel spout. I like this faucet but want it in chrome. The chrome version has porcelain handles. Weird thing is, the one I got with porcelain handles also came in a chrome handle version but is no longer listed on the site.

I'm going to keep looking-- maybe Lowes will have something. Thanks for the advice, btw! I really appreciate it.

Save​

 

[slownsteady]

Moen uses plastic cartridges in all (I think) faucets. I just developed a drip in my bathroom faucet that I installed in 2001. I called Moen, answered a few questions and they sent me two new cartridges for free under warranty. They aren't very hard to replace. Right now, I am a fan of Moen.

 

[zannej]

Moen uses plastic cartridges in all (I think) faucets. I just developed a drip in my bathroom faucet that I installed in 2001. I called Moen, answered a few questions and they sent me two new cartridges for free under warranty. They aren't very hard to replace. Right now, I am a fan of Moen.

Ok. I actually had to replace ceramic disc cartridges in the Aquasource one-- probably because of the sediment in the water. So, if Moen can keep supplying the cartridges, it shouldn't be bad. One of the complaints people had though, as that the decorative base/flange thing was made of plastic and tended to break/crack. But, worst case scenario, I might be able to just use something metal and make it fit. Might end up going with that Moen Brantford or Banbury or whatever. I have the link somewhere. LOL.

 

[zannej]

One of these days I will get around to this project. Right now I'm on my own and need to clean up the area and do some demo, but the weather is not really conducive to that. I did go back and look at some of my videos of under the house and I believe that the wall behind the former lavatory is not resting on a joist. So, I should be able to move the existing plumbing in to the wall for the washing machine.

Additionally, I discovered that there are no inner walls for the linen closet between my bathroom and my mother's bathroom. The plumbing for my shower is in that closet-- looks like it's all PVC/CPVC. I wonder if the stuff in the wall for the original bathroom is copper or plastic.

Quick question I've probably asked before but can't remember the answer: How does one get a dryer connected to a rigid dryer duct when the dryer is being pushed against the wall the duct is on? I'll have maybe 11" of space to the right of the dryer (while facing it). Is there some sort of semi-rigid ducting I can use that has some flex but can't be easily destroyed/disconnected by cats or possoms? (the crappy weak stuff we had hooked up to our electric dryer is no longer intact due to a possom).

 

[nealtw]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdRPbPfuS0s[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPwiNSOZBDY[/ame]

 

[zannej]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdRPbPfuS0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPwiNSOZBDY

Thank you! That looks like it would be much easier than trying to mess with clamps and other crap. I wonder if I can re-use the old dryer vent ducting-- might be able to pull it out of the hole and fill in the hole with something. Can I stuff round wood cutouts in the holes, glue them in and use flashing tape on the outside and then replace the siding over the hole? (or use a blind cover of some sort?)

Gonna be fun putting a new hole in the wall, but it will be better in the long run than trying to run ducting to the existing one through a side wall and possibly interfering with the tub.

 

[nealtw]

Thank you! That looks like it would be much easier than trying to mess with clamps and other crap. I wonder if I can re-use the old dryer vent ducting-- might be able to pull it out of the hole and fill in the hole with something. Can I stuff round wood cutouts in the holes, glue them in and use flashing tape on the outside and then replace the siding over the hole? (or use a blind cover of some sort?)

Gonna be fun putting a new hole in the wall, but it will be better in the long run than trying to run ducting to the existing one through a side wall and possibly interfering with the tub.

The quick and easy patch for lap siding is a piece of sheet metal tucked under the one above and tacked in place and paint.

 

[slownsteady]

As slick as mag vent looks, I think a couple of hose clamps is just as easy...maybe even easier.

 

[nealtw]

As slick as mag vent looks, I think a couple of hose clamps is just as easy...maybe even easier.

It is really nice when you have stacks in a closet

 

[zannej]

I'm not sure how to use the hose clamps for it. LOL. The magnet thing looks very easy once it is set up properly though. I will have to remember to mark the spot for the vent very carefully before cutting the hole and so forth. Will need to add some sort of reinforcement around the hole inside the wall so it can hold it steady bc the interior wall will just be plywood or re-used 1/8" thick wood paneling across the studs (with insulation inside).

 

[zannej]

I was playing around with the layout for the plumbing for the laundry room in sketches and I started to question the decision to keep part of the wall to the bathroom on the north side. I'm starting to wonder if I could just fur out the wall behind the washing machine a tad & put the plumbing through there (with insulation behind it so it won't freeze), or have it inside a false wall or something along the back behind the washing machine. That way I don't have to worry about running in to something too solid above and below the exterior wall.

I was thinking about it because having that wall there might be awkward to get around when I need to access stuff behind the washer. I was thinking of keeping it so the plumbing could be closer to where it is now and so I wouldn't have to move the light switches and stuff-- but I could just move the light switch to the exterior wall or mount it on the side of a cabinet or something.

What do you think?

 

[nealtw]

If you put the washer on the right you could put the plumbing in the wall back to back with the tub.
If you take that small wall out, the new switches would go to the outside wall near where the wall was. But not convenient to all the entrances to that room.

 

[tuffy]

I like neals idea.:agree:

 

[zannej]

If you put the washer on the right you could put the plumbing in the wall back to back with the tub.
If you take that small wall out, the new switches would go to the outside wall near where the wall was. But not convenient to all the entrances to that room.

If I switched sides, I would have to figure out how to get the doors to the washer and dryer to swing the opposite way. I think it can be done, but it would be a pita. I would also probably lose that little corner space and the washer would be farther away from people bringing out laundry (although not by much). I liked the idea of having the washer so close to the door since I have a faucet right outside and can hose stuff down and then bring it in quickly to shove it in the washer.

I had previously mentioned the idea of switching washer and dryer sides and my mother didn't like the idea bc of the door swing thing.

The current light switch is already awkward and I think it might be redundant. It is right near the exterior door so it would just be facing a different way a bit and I would replace the toggle with a rocker. I believe there is more than one switch in the hallway that controls the same light (in fact, I think one switch might be in the adjacent room as you enter). The other is near the back door so you can hit it when you come in and there is another switch for the broken outdoor light.

I need to get my hands on some 2" PVC pieces and do a mockup of the setup to see how much space it would take up if I had the trap arm about 4.25" or 4.5" long.

Maybe if I furred the wall out, I could have the light switch on the side of the bump so it is still in roughly the same spot.

Edit: I suggested the washer dryer side switch with my mother and she was highly opposed to the idea.

 

[tuffy]

O well it was worth a try . your mom sounds a lot like my wife.:rofl:

 

[zannej]

O well it was worth a try . your mom sounds a lot like my wife.:rofl:

LOL. Does she change her mind a lot and forget that she okayed something and start getting mad about it later and claim she wasn't ok with it and was against it?

Mine will say one thing one day and change her mind the next day but never admit that she'd had the opposite opinion. Like, she really liked a couch we got and had picked it out. Ended up changing her mind and not liking it when we got it home and would tell anyone and everyone that she had been opposed to getting it and told my father not to get it but he didn't listen. But I was there in the store when they got it. SHE picked it, not him.

I'm thinking that if I just bump the wall out far enough to have the light switches be perpendicular to the exterior door, it could still work. Just bumped forward a couple of inches. And that way the dryer's electrical outlet wouldn't need to be moved too far to plug in the dryer. Right now it is in a spot where I could just flip it to be on the other side of the wall and the cord could wrap around to reach (note to self: measure length of dryer cord).

Now that I think of it, I might not really even have to bump the wall out so much as create something where the washing machine plumbing box can attach in front of the wall and be hidden behind the washing machine. Directly on top of the box, I can hide it with cabinets. I can probably make some cabinets. I can do the meatball carpentry thing of making shelves first and then slapping up some face trim & vertical supports and then add doors.

 

[slownsteady]

Flipping the doors on most appliances is easy.

 

[tuffy]

Sounds about like her when shes off her meds . also sounds like you have a good plan now for your w/d set up now just stick with it.

 

[zannej]

Sounds about like her when shes off her meds . also sounds like you have a good plan now for your w/d set up now just stick with it.

Thanks! I think I will. I think what I'll do is have a small shelf that juts out just as far as the remaining wall piece that will be maybe 4 inches or so to have the wall switches. Shelf will catch things so they don't fall behind the washer from the top. Box will start below the top of the washing machine a little (but jut up enough that I can turn the levers for the water). I can notch the shelf or build it so shelving goes around the box to make it fit in. That way, instead of having just a bumped out wall, I'll have some functional storage space. The box will be recessed so the back is against the exterior wall so there will be space in front of it for the hoses. I'm thinking I can have a shelf behind the dryer too-- less chance of stuff falling behind that way. Then, the plumbing for the washing machine can still be somewhat near where it is now, but I will just move it over next to the exterior wall. I'll still have a cabinet above the box. I'll do cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling (like my kitchen cabinets). I'll have to draw up a sketch for it.

 

[nealtw]

If I switched sides, I would have to figure out how to get the doors to the washer and dryer to swing the opposite way. I think it can be done, but it would be a pita. I would also probably lose that little corner space and the washer would be farther away from people bringing out laundry (although not by much). I liked the idea of having the washer so close to the door since I have a faucet right outside and can hose stuff down and then bring it in quickly to shove it in the washer.

I had previously mentioned the idea of switching washer and dryer sides and my mother didn't like the idea bc of the door swing thing.

The current light switch is already awkward and I think it might be redundant. It is right near the exterior door so it would just be facing a different way a bit and I would replace the toggle with a rocker. I believe there is more than one switch in the hallway that controls the same light (in fact, I think one switch might be in the adjacent room as you enter). The other is near the back door so you can hit it when you come in and there is another switch for the broken outdoor light.

I need to get my hands on some 2" PVC pieces and do a mockup of the setup to see how much space it would take up if I had the trap arm about 4.25" or 4.5" long.

Maybe if I furred the wall out, I could have the light switch on the side of the bump so it is still in roughly the same spot.

Edit: I suggested the washer dryer side switch with my mother and she was highly opposed to the idea.

Put in stackables and you have room for sink and cupboards.
Our washer and dryer doors open the wrong way, can't say you get over the upset, but after while you just quit complaining
In new construction it just goes in the best for the plumbing, like ours.

You can still put the plumbing next to the shower, the hoses will reach.