DIY ensuite bathroom replacement - build log

Participant said:
Very kind of you, I'm not in the UK for a couple of weeks but if you still have them when I get back, I might take them off your hands.


I didn't realise you could get those, I thought they all came as part of a ceiling extractor fan. Will look into that thanks. Think someone previously suggested something similar above and it went over my head, if they meant the same thing.
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Really don't need a combined light and extractor opening. A product created for the sake of creating something :p
Participant said:
Ha yes I think I've watched all of Roger Bisby's relating to bathrooms. They're very good.

I got an Abacus No More Leaks shower sealing kit from Rubber Duck. I preferred it to the classiseal because from what I can tell, it forms an upstand rather than going behind the tray, which I thought sounded better.

Also got a full tanking kit with tape etc. from Nassboard.
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Ahhh ok, similarish type sealing system. I like a big seal behind the the tray to the tile backer board on the wall, then you have the tile over the surface of the tray that's the siliconed as normal. Uber belt and braces with these systems.

Just found out my floor dips 24mm over the course of the 1.4m tray, so I'm going to sister on some 6x2" joists to the older ones to give me my new levels to attach the subfloor to. The rest of the floor will be left to dip down gradually as getting it level across the 3.6 length is just silly IMO.
 
Below is a picture of my waste arrangement as it leaves the bathroom into the garage below.

I've come across some knowledge on the internet that has made me think I've not done this correctly, specifically with respect to the 90 degree street elbows you can see.

On the bottom left is the 32mm basin waste...I think this will be ok as it's horizontal into vertical?

But on the right and above are two 40mm 90 degree street elbows for the shower waste. Will I get problems with the flow or future blocking susceptibility with this arrangement?

I've got ply down but nothing else yet, so could cut some away and reconfigure, but it would probably take me several hours so would rather avoid unless it's necessary. I've tested everything of course and flow is perfect (at the moment without soap and hair buildup!).

That said I'd rather do it right than worry down the line, so should I replace the street elbows with swept elbows just to be safe?

gnu63Rc.jpeg


I could access the whole thing through the garage ceiling below, so could theoretically carry on as is then fix from below if I ever had flow issues. What would you do?
 
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how far do the waste pipes run before intercepting a vented soil stack pipe, (recently realised had one in the new loft I'm planning boarding)
versus your bath say, to maximise flow/evacuation
could still do some drain deblocking even with existing right angles though.
 
Participant said:
Below is a picture of my waste arrangement as it leaves the bathroom into the garage below.

I've come across some knowledge on the internet that has made me think I've not done this correctly, specifically with respect to the 90 degree street elbows you can see.

On the bottom left is the 32mm basin waste...I think this will be ok as it's horizontal into vertical?

But on the right and above are two 40mm 90 degree street elbows for the shower waste. Will I get problems with the flow or future blocking susceptibility with this arrangement?

I've got ply down but nothing else yet, so could cut some away and reconfigure, but it would probably take me several hours so would rather avoid unless it's necessary. I've tested everything of course and flow is perfect (at the moment without soap and hair buildup!).

That said I'd rather do it right than worry down the line, so should I replace the street elbows with swept elbows just to be safe?

gnu63Rc.jpeg


I could access the whole thing through the garage ceiling below, so could theoretically carry on as is then fix from below if I ever had flow issues. What would you do?
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It will just be hard to sweep in future if you ever needed to. If it's a good mcalpine trap should be fine.

If it's easy access thru a garage below I'd just leave as is and multi tool ceiling in future if you ever unlikely had issues.
 
dlockers said:
Not sure there is a better answer other than maybe removing the 90 in favour of a gentler fall. For a shower, I imagine it'll be fine?
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That's what I should do guess. Just from observing the flow when I chucked a bucket of water down it, it seems like a waste of time and I also think it's fine for a shower with a 40mm pipe and a good fall.

Imagine it's more of an issue for soil pipes with solids slowing down at the sharp bend?

jpaul said:
how far do the waste pipes run before intercepting a vented soil stack pipe, (recently realised had one in the new loft I'm planning boarding)
versus your bath say, to maximise flow/evacuation
could still do some drain deblocking even with existing right angles though.
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The pipe runs 2.5m before connecting with the main soil stack, but the fall is spot on (and I could even improve it further only working in the garage).

I also think I could snake it ok even with the 90s. We have a good drain snake that is very flexible.

Buffman said:
It will just be hard to sweep in future if you ever needed to. If it's a good mcalpine trap should be fine.

If it's easy access thru a garage below I'd just leave as is and multi tool ceiling in future if you ever unlikely had issues.
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This is what I'm tempted to do, only issue is if I'm honest it's because of laziness and not wanting to compromise a very solid sub floor. Lesson learned for the other bathroom at least and there's no access from below with that one, so I'd rather make this mistake with this ensuite.

GarethSouthgate said:
Why is the waste exiting the trap to the right and not to the left? Shorter pipework if you go left and through the joist?
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I decided, rightly or wrongly, that I didn't want to compromise the joist further as it already has some dubious notches, and that the lesser of two evils was to take the pipe to the right then under the joist.
 
Can you not look at a bottom exit trap? McAlpine do make them, and it would remove an element of the pipework without compromising the joists. Could then go straight down, use a swept 90 degree bend and connect to the pipework.

90mm Vertical Shower Trap | McAlpine Plumbing

Achieve efficient vertical shower drainage with the 90mm Vertical Shower Trap, ensuring reliable water flow in your plumbing system.
mcalpineplumbing.com mcalpineplumbing.com
 
Orifice said:
Can you not look at a bottom exit trap? McAlpine do make them, and it would remove an element of the pipework without compromising the joists. Could then go straight down, use a swept 90 degree bend and connect to the pipework.

90mm Vertical Shower Trap | McAlpine Plumbing

Achieve efficient vertical shower drainage with the 90mm Vertical Shower Trap, ensuring reliable water flow in your plumbing system.
mcalpineplumbing.com mcalpineplumbing.com
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That's bloody good, had no idea that existed. However with the ply sub floor now down and all the info I've got above and from the internet, I'm wondering if it will make any tangible difference.

I've decided to proceed as it is and rectify from below if there are ever any significant issues.

I strongly suspect that it'll never be a problem and that the sharp elbow guide pertains mainly to poo and TP.
 
Finally did some more on this today...I have so many commitments impairing progress! Don't they realise I'm trying to bathroom?

Also the combi boiler stopped producing hot water today, yay. Suspiciously it was just after I finished flushing the pipes in this bathroom...

Today's progress was:

- Remove more ply around the shower waste hole with a multi tool, to make sure there's enough play to lift it up onto the underside of the shower tray once there's a 10mm bed of tile adhesive.

- Put some more wood between studs to screw accessories into.

- Finished reframing the new niche dimensions.

- Got some boards up.

aEYc9ryh.jpeg
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A friend of mine is having the bathroom done and the builders used moisture resistant PB around the shower and tiled directly onto that. Surely a proper shower board like elements would have been better?
 
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200sols said:
Depends if they tanked it or not. Yes a proper board is better but your typical trade zombie is still using plasterboard everywhere and tanking it.
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The British standards now dictate that PB should not be used in a wet area.

A full tanking system will do the job, but better to just go for a cement based board as it cannot disintegrate and go mouldy if moisture somehow gets through.
 
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