Replacing tub drain plumbing, filling the hole that it's in and, finally, connecting the tub.

Submitted by Deh_Strizzz t3_yuhyeb in DIY

Total newb, if it's not obvious from the next string of sentences.

Here's an album of pictures that will be helpful for the questions below.

 

We're in the midst of redoing a bathroom and this hole in the ground is throwing me for a bit of a loop, for a few different reasons. First, the tub that was previously in the bathroom had a housing around it that covered up the hole, so it was exposed within the housing and there was no flooring or anything above it. Our current plan is to tile over everything. I'm admittedly hesitant about this since it would pretty permanently close off everything in the hole but I don't see any other way around it. With that I do not know how to go about filling this hole to make it safe/stable to tile over while perserving the drain.

 

Secondly, the previous tub needed the two-drain setup since it had an overflow. Our new tub ties the overflow into the center drain so it's no longer needed. Not to mention, both are currently sticking out above the ground, so I need to replace the p-trap and drain that's in the hole with new pipes. I do not know what to get in order to replace these. I need the new drain to end up where the current lower drain is, near the outside edge of the hole.

 

Lastly, my tub came with a flexible drain connector that I'm also hesitant to use. I'd like to replace it with PVC or something more sturdy however I do need to route it from the center of the tub over about 2 feet to where the drain is (love concrete slab). One of the pictures in the album shows the piece that came with the tub. It seems like this could still be of use if I can attach a PVC pipe to it and route it over but, again, I'm unsure of the proper way to go about this.

 

Any help here would be greatly appreciate and I'm happy to answer any clarifying questions as I'm sure I wasn't the most clear with my descriptions.

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SteeleRain01 t1_iw9vgdq wrote

What is the model of the tub you are putting in? You can rebuild that P-trap by cutting the pipe where it comes out of the wall. You would cut it as close to the first fitting as possible and build a new P-trap that meets your needs. Those flexible connectors are fine, but are just meant to give you a little play so the placement of your new P-trap can be a little more forgiving.

EDIT: Missed the part about the center drain. You need to consider getting a different tub with a left-hand drain or breaking out the concrete so you can bring the pipe over to where the drain will be on the center drain tub.

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Deh_Strizzz OP t1_iw9y7oi wrote

Oof, definitely not the news I wanted to hear. Are these really my only options? Can I not install the flat p-trap that's pictured and remove the other p-trap?

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SteeleRain01 t1_iwa5mb1 wrote

Could you? Probably. Ultimately as long as the drain opening in the tub is higher than the outlet pipe for that flat p-trap, it will "work". I would have concern about the volume water going through that flat part and future clogs. It is still going to have to connect over to that pipe coming out of the floor, so I'm not sure how that would look. What is the tub brand and model number? Is it an alcove tub or free standing?

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Deh_Strizzz OP t1_iwa65k2 wrote

It's free standing

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SteeleRain01 t1_iwahtjx wrote

Sorry to tell you, but if you use that tub you are absolutely going to have to break up that concrete floor. The entire round base sits on the floor, so there will be no way for the outlet pipe to exit out the side, it will have to drain into a pipe directly below. This is also what your (terrible!) installation instructions tell you to do. The part about using the flexihose in the instructions only might work if the existing drain is still under the opening in the bottom of your tub. From your pictures, it doesn't look like it will be. Breaking up the concrete is not that terrible. Buy or rent a heavy-duty rotary/jack hammer and you can do it yourself. Then, once your new pipe is run, you can fill and patch the concrete floor that is not directly under the tub, and tile as normal. This YouTube video does a fairly good job of showing many of the steps you need to take. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjgurg4Mcnc

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Deh_Strizzz OP t1_iwaii2n wrote

Actually, the inside bottom of the tub will end up hanging over the current hole in the ground (about halfway over) which is why I figured I could snake a pipe from the center drain over to the p-trap

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SteeleRain01 t1_iwchmqh wrote

In that case maybe it will work, but I'd still be worried about the shallow or lack of drop from the top of the drain in the tub to the horizontal drain pipe. I do hope it works out for you. Good luck.

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Deh_Strizzz OP t1_iwchwzl wrote

Thanks haha. I'm most likely going to bring in a professional at the very least just for a consultation. I truly appreciate the help you've offered on this.

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SteeleRain01 t1_iwcj8ds wrote

Of course! A consultation is always a good idea and worth any money you might pay now to avoid a costly repair down the road. I may also be too cautious because all my tubs are always on second stories or wooden floors and would cause catastrophic damage if something went wrong.

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Deh_Strizzz OP t1_ix2jqy1 wrote

I'm not sure why I was so afraid to just break into the concrete. I thought it'd be harder and much more technical than what it actually ended up being. Rented a demo hammer and I was done in about thirty minutes. Best of all, I now have the peace of mind from not using any flex pipe (which is actually what the plumber recommended I install). Thanks for the rec on this one.

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SteeleRain01 t1_ixfsn86 wrote

Oh that's great to hear. I'm glad it worked out. 👍

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redsoto t1_iwbyhcj wrote

Question. Did you buy the floor mount or tub mount faucet that usually goes with a free standing tub or are you planning to use the one sticking out from the wall? Also other commentator is right. For a center drain tub you will need to jack hammer up the floor. For less work you could purchase a tub with the drain on your needed side. Also is that tile already laid?

Edit: If you have the model of the tub and measurements it might help. You can also ask a kitchen and bath designer at Lowe’s or Home Depot and they May be able to help.

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