Hey folks, I'm dealing with a serious issue in my house. I noticed a bad sewage smell coming from one of the bathrooms. I checked the sink and toilet, and they seem fine, but when I looked at the drain pipe through the access panel behind the tub, I saw it's completely corroded. There's also water pooling on the ground under the tub. This house was built in 1957, and I'm really lost on how to fix this. Any advice?
3 Answers
You really need to address this as soon as you can. If you can access the pipe without tearing too much out of the wall, great! Just make sure to salvage anything that can be reused in the process. This is one of those things that you really want to keep on top of.
I’d suggest running a camera through the pipes. The corrosion might be a bigger problem than you think, and it’s likely that the rot extends along the entire length of that pipe. Considering its age, it’s past due for replacement which could mean finding more spots that need fixing, so be prepared for that.
Yeah, this reminds me of a friend's quick toilet fix that turned into a nightmare. They ended up replacing the entire plumbing stack due to severe rot and other damage!
Honestly, your best bet might be to remodel the bathroom completely. You’d need to gut it, replace those corroded pipes, and then you can install a new tub, shower, and tile. If a full remodel isn’t in the cards for you right now, definitely focus on just replacing the damaged pipes. Hopefully, they can be accessed without too much hassle.
Totally feel you! My shower pan is shot, and now it's raining in my dining room every time I use it. We were supposed to remodel in a few years, but it looks like that’s moved up the timeline! Guess what's first on our project list now?
Replacing the pipe makes more sense than going for an extensive remodel right now. Just tackle the issue at the source!
Absolutely! A camera inspection is the way to go. If the pipe is failing like that, you might have to worry about other parts of the plumbing too.