Cloakroom fitting DIY project - a few questions

[richardadc]

I'm just about to start on a DIY project to fit a new cloakroom and had a few plumbing questions if any of you could kindly help with:

Is this pipe here likely to be solvent welded in place or will it just be a pushfit connection. My neighbour has a flexible connector here now so I imagine at some point it was replaced.

Does it look like the toilet has been cemented in place? If so is there an easy way to remove this or will it just be a case of smashing up the toilet. I'm not sure if there are any screws in place - it looks like there is cement in the screw holes too.

I'm going to be running 32mm waste pipe from the sink at about a 2.5m distance (about 0.5m distance greater than it is at the moment). Will adding an AAV (such as https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NW53XD6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A5TFJHPH9QD6Q&psc=1) solve the 1.7m distance issue? It's not going to be easy to change to 40mm as a 32mm reducer has been solvent welded to the stack.

Thanks for any help.

 

[richardadc]

I’ve attached a picture of what my neighbours one looks like. Really appreciate any help with this.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Looks like Pan is sitting on a mortar bed, if you're replacing it anyway, shouldn't matter if it breaks, but I'd start trying to remove it by gripping the top firmly, one had either side and try rocking it side to side, you may be lucky and it either come off the mortar bed cleanly, or the bed will come off the floor with the pan. If it doesn't, try a chisel right at the base, again, mortar bed may come cleanly off the floor. Bear in mind, if it does break, porcelain shards are as sharp as glass, decent gloves are advised.

Soil connection looks like push fit into a manifold, so should come straight out, but until you try you wont know, difficult to tell form the picture. Ideally use a rigid connector for the new pan if you can, flexis can entice rats up the pipe as they see the light coming through the flexi.

New pan will need to be screwed down to the floor, using Rawlplugs and brass screws, (steel screws will corrode and you risk them cracking the pan.)

Fit an anti vac trap to the basin, length of waste isn't ideal, but for a small basin in a WC, I doubt it'll be an issue. If using a pan connector with an integral boss connection helps reduce the distance, look at that option.

 

[richardadc]

Looks like Pan is sitting on a mortar bed, if you're replacing it anyway, shouldn't matter if it breaks, but I'd start trying to remove it by gripping the top firmly, one had either side and try rocking it side to side, you may be lucky and it either come off the mortar bed cleanly, or the bed will come off the floor with the pan. If it doesn't, try a chisel right at the base, again, mortar bed may come cleanly off the floor. Bear in mind, if it does break, porcelain shards are as sharp as glass, decent gloves are advised.

Ideally I wanted to test the removal of the soil connection while planning everything in, and without losing the toilet for an excessive period. I'll give the the rocking motion a go. Otherwise I may just have to accept that I'll have to lose the toilet for longer than I hoped.

Soil connection looks like push fit into a manifold, so should come straight out, but until you try you wont know, difficult to tell form the picture. Ideally use a rigid connector for the new pan if you can, flexis can entice rats up the pipe as they see the light coming through the flexi.

If the soil connection is solvent welded in, what would be my options? Just trying to plan everything in with the plasterer who has a one month waiting list. I'll be using a vanity unit for the cistern so was planning to use a flexi fitting to make it easier - I imagine that should keep it in darkness. Thanks for the additional information though!

New pan will need to be screwed down to the floor, using Rawlplugs and brass screws, (steel screws will corrode and you risk them cracking the pan.)

Thank you. I wouldn't have thought of using brass screws.

Fit an anti vac trap to the basin, length of waste isn't ideal, but for a small basin in a WC, I doubt it'll be an issue. If using a pan connector with an integral boss connection helps reduce the distance, look at that option.

I wanted to fit a matt black bottle trap (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08QJ5DXT1/) so ideally I was thinking about using a tee just after the basin and fitting an A rated AAV to it. I'll add some kind of vent to the plasterboard that will box this pipework in too. Would that do the same thing?

I can't imagine I'll be able to use a boss connector to a straight flexi pipe, but would there be a way to add some kind of extension piece to that manifold before adding the flexi pipe, or would that cause the flexi pipe to be too high?

Many thanks for your reply.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

You've already got a Boss available, in the soil manifold just above the floor, so provided the existing connection will part company with the manifold, just open the Boss up you want to use, insert a Boss Adaptor and then your waste pipe. Good luck with the kit in your link, they're usually more hassle than they're worth...

If its solvent welded, see if you can get a suitable gasket to fit the existing connection, provided the outlet height of the new pan is the same. If you cant or it's not and you cannot get the pipework apart, you're got your work cut out as you'll need to find a suitable point to cut through the existing soil and renew from there, which may have to be below the floor level.

 

[richardadc]

So i managed to remove the toilet but it has confirmed that everything is solvent welded. I've had a look at my neighbours in more detail, and from my uneducated mind, it feels like if I cut it just below the ridge (in the pic below), i should be able to insert a push fit pan connector into what's left of that pipe? Please see the pics below (WARNING: there's a pic inside the pipe ):

So just below that ridge in the pipe, if i cut there, will I be able to put a push fit pan connector in it? The circumference of that area below the ridge seems to be 350mm which i believe converts over to 110mm outside diameter.

Picture of inside the pipe. I assume if i cut where I've indicated in the picture above it should result in it being cut in roughly that location.

The next three pictures are of my neighbours with the push fit pan connector removed. I'm hoping this can be used as a reference to compare with my pictures above.

Where I've put the arrow below seems to be the equivalent of the white pipe I have that will be left over once I cut it. I can put my fingers underneath this, so I assume it's just a pipe that has been solvent welded in.

Picture measuring the ID:

Thanks for all the help provided so far!

 

[richardadc]

Just wanted to confirm this all makes sense? If I cut that pipe after the rim that has an OD of 110mm I should have no problem inserting a flexi pan connector? I’ve seen some pan connectors that cope with an outlet pipe size of 90mm - 110mm.

Just want to make sure I’m not doing anything obviously wrong.