Home Improvement Today?

Had the same problem in a rowhome I owned in philly. plumber told me that drum traps corrode and fail after awhile (in this case about 75 years) and are very hard to clean out if they havent been maintained. Most people ignore it until it becomes a major problem and at the point the best option is to just replace it like you have in the second diagram. Not sure how old yours is, but even if you could get it open, I personally wouldnt trust it even if you could get it closed. I used to plunge mine every few months with 3 plungers. one for the tub drain, one to cover the overflow, and one to cover the sink drain which was literally right next to it. That would work for a few more months. Never did end up truly fixing it.

 

Does the drum trap prevent it from being properly vented? That might slow the flow of water down.

 

I'd definitely go with block. Your shop will outlast the wood and it will be costly and difficult to replace once your shop is built.

That sounds like it's going to be a pretty substantial wall if it's 10 feet tall with a foundation at the top of it. Have you looked at what it will cost?

 

Thanks for the advice. I've been using a 4 ft level and some quick clamps. I like the wood jig in the video. I was hoping to find a cheap solution that wouldn't make me account for the base plate on my saw every time I lay out a cut.

 

Anybody have any experience with lawn irrigation? The house I purchased has serious sprinkler issues. I have two drip irrigation lines that water all of the plants and will be adding a third valve to control the lawn sprinklers. Sprinklers were disconnected when I bought the place and I ended up digging the entire system up to find the heads and assess the condition. I'll be replacing most of the PVC because its cracked and damaged in areas and I've got the whole system out of the ground now so I might as well. The third valve is being put in because at some point the previous owner took out a third valve. the line for the sprinklers literally just stops in the ground a few feet from the other valves.

Anyway, I had an irrigation guy come out to talk options. He recommended I replace the whole thing to the tune of about $1800. Now that I've finished digging it all up myself, I'm going to repipe the bulk of it and I need to buy all new heads. He said if I fixed the leaks he'd add a box, valve, and wire everything up to the timer for $175 which seemed fair. I currently have a Raindial RD-600 timer, which he said is a very good timer. It's not working and needs to be replaced. He recommended replacing with another RD-600 but just buying the internal parts for about $120 so I don't have to remove the housing which is in good shape. I already bought a cheap Orbit 4 station timer for $40 but can return it to Lowes if needed. Trying to figure out if the Raindial is truly that much better and worth the extra money for an easier install. I can also buy a refurbished RD-600 core on ebay for about $45-55 but not sure I want to go that route.

Anybody have any experience with any of the above? I'm from PA where the rain waters our lawns so this whole irrigation thing is foreign to me.

 

I thought I may have said this earlier if not: I can get the drum trap open just fine and it is free and clear from the drum back to the tub. In fact the drum is my access point for snaking back to the tub drain and snaking from the drum trap towards the sewer.

I'm not sure that it is at this point. The up-spout with the question mark (?) above it might be a vent or it could be linked to some-other plumbing in the house based off of the wye???

I am really seriously considering this option of full replacement of the drum as I am at a loss for what to do... It would be an easy fix with PVC and some rubber joiners, however I am now wondering if I would be violating any plumbing code.

 

Not familiar with code, but how accessible is the space? Would it be much harder to replace the whole diagram to the stack?

 

Poured concrete wall

 

It is in our basement, pretty open but I don't really think it necessary to replace the entire section, if I replace with PVC it will have a nice easy access clean out port. However when I'm cutting the galvanized steel I might fracture some other joint and have to replace the whole horizontal section...

 

Yea, makes sense. It's really odd that you can get in the drum trap no problem but there's still a blockage. That would make me think it's not the drum trap.

 

Agreed.
I did all my normal troubleshooting before coming on here to ask. I had gone through already tried all the suggestions that everyone has suggested so far.
My original post had this image. Showing where I think the problem is. The end cap of the horizontal run that has the note "can't move" I heated the joint, added penetrating oil and even used a 30" pipe wrench with no budging. (I even hit the cap with a 20oz framing hammer a few times.)

 

Instead of replacing just the blue circled portion to get rid of the drum trap, why not cut out and replace the red circled portion? Is that a vent?

Edit: Can you just cut out and replace the 'can't move' 90?

 

Great Idea!
This way I won't be changing anything as far as installation or function or code! Added bonus, if I just replace this part I can ensure the wye and up-spout pipe are 100% clear and snake the horizontal while I have it open!

I'm glad I asked for a different perspective here.
I think I'm going to get one of these. I'll still need to verify this is acceptable per code for a horizontal but I have a good feeling this can be solved quickly.

 

You can make the wood ones to account for the blade. Just take your say 1x10 piece of wood and then use the top of it and place a 1x1 piece as the guide for th ebase of your saw so the saw blade is against the edge of the 1x10 if that makes sense.

 

Go out on Amazon and get yourself a Rachio timer. It will pay for itself in the first year of use. I love mine.

$210 Rachio WiFi Smart Lawn Sprinkler Controller, Works with Alexa, 8-Zone (2nd Generation) (8ZULW-B)

https://www.amazon.com/Rachio-Sprin...ie=UTF8&qid=1516723226&sr=8-1&keywords=rachio

 

Yeah I just dont want to repair it later which may be more expensive to repair than do it right the first time.

I was thinking this also. Prob have to get someone to do this, Since the shop is already built. I dont know why whoever built this didnt fill in below the shop to begin with. Its a lot of unused space.

 

That looks like fun but overcomplicates the problem and blows my budget. As much as I love smart tech (have wifi thermostat, garage door, security, outlets, Alexa, etc) I dont think I need it for my application. I'm in the desert. I can count the days it rains on both hands. Doesn't seem like the savings would be there for me.

 

Here is my question. Can you do the install of the valve and wiring? If so just go with the Lowes choice you already have because then you will be doing it and get to know the parts used. If you're not in the mood to do the wiring valve and programming then I would say if it is in your budget just have him do the work with his parts so that the next service he will know what he is looking at.

 

I could probably figure it out if I had to but honestly don't feel like it. I tried messing with it already and it seems like a pain in the ass. I'm already saving the bulk of the money by digging everything up and doing the plumbing. I actually talked to him again this morning and he said to go refurbished or used and I found one locally for $20 so that's the route I'm gonna go. Also where the valve is going there are both main drip lines passing through. He included rerouting those and digging to install a box and everything plus hooking it up to a working timer and then showing me how to use it. $175 seems worth it to me.

 

Finally had a break in the freezing wether and got the siding up yesterday. Just have to mount the lights and electrical outlet and Lay the flagstone and I'll be done till spring.