Joining ABS DWV to PVC Reliably
davidmeiland
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
You can use a no-hub coupling–the rubber sleeve with 2 hose clamps. These come in slight variations depending on the materials they are intended to join, so make sure to get the right one. No-hubs are an accepted leakproof way of joining pipe–cast iron pipe is routinely assembled with them. Lots of people use cast iron drain fittings in showers and convert to ABS directly below using no-hubs. If you’re having an inspection you’ll have to do a stack test where you plug the drains and fill the vent with water. Heck, you should do that even if you’re not having an inspection, just so you know everything is tight.
Replies
There was a discussion of this back awhile back. Try using the advanced search for ABS PVC.
There is a universal cement that is suppose to work on both. WHW said that it was not reliable and not to code.
But many other people said that they had done it or seen it used without any problems.
I hope that I remembered that correctly.
HD and Lowes should have it.
Also go to a local plumping supply store and tell them your problem and ask what they have to solve it.
Use the threaded coupling and lube it up with abs /pvc transition solvent- cement. Seen it done lots and it passes code here. If they dont have the transition cement go some wheres else its pretty common here.(BC Can)
...........Rik..........
I've used that stuff and it works. It's Orange I think, Oatley makes it. Got a can somewhere slowly turning to whatever.
Joe H
Connecting ABS to PVC is very common, especially when you wind up following DIYer's who don't always install the correct schedule of pipe. I run into it pretty frequently. Oatey (among others) makes a "Transition Solvent" specifically for this application. They also make a prep/cleaner to work with it, if you're anal about it (with expensive tile above, and no other access, I'd be anal, too, LOL!).
I personally have never had trouble with this stuff; I couldn't say why WHW warns against it. Too bad he's off line at the moment; it'd be interesting to have some more details from him. But my own experience has been OK--no callbacks, which I translate as meaning 'no leaks'....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Ditto the transition cement.
My plumbing/hardware store sells the Oatley brand and swears it works just fine. Me personally, I've always opted in the past for the fernco (rubber-no hub) connections...thay are 100% very reliable.
Ditto the water test too...put in a proper plug size, fill entire system with water, and wait one day and see if water level changes...if so you have a leak...if not...you did good! Test it for peace of mind.
Davo
Just had to replace my can of ABS/PVC glue last week and I couldn't find the old can rolling around the back of the van ....
The "multi-purpose" stuff is crap ...
the orange toxic stuff from Oatey works great. No code issues here that I know of ...
Could be wrong .... not a plumber .... but have seen real plumbers use it as much as this confirmed remodeler .....
Stuff's orange ... thick ... and forms a bit of a skin even in an airtight can .....
When I needed some last week ... hit every HD ... Lowes .. and plumbing stores on the rich side of the suburbs I work in ....
Had to work my way toward the city ... finally remembered an old hardware store with a basement .... that kinda stuff is always sitting downstairs on a dusty shelf in a "real" old hardware store .....
HD and Lowes will probably just looks confused ....
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Never seen the transition cement... in fact here they are now selling mostly 'multi purpose' that they label for use with PVC and ABS. If you use transition cement, are you gluing PVC pipe into an ABS fitting or the opposite?
A listing of some of Oatey's cleaners and cements (not an Oatey website):
http://doitbest.com/shop/dept.asp?paging_code=19&dept_id=1593
Here's the safety/spec sheet on Oatey's transition cement - they put some wicked stuff in it...
http://www.oatey.com/apps/catalog/instance_assets/assets/Transition_Green.pdf
http://www.oatey.com/apps/catalog/instance_assets/assets/LOVOC_Trans_Green.pdf
Not directly related, but I ran across this article on using PCVC in California, so will stick a reference here:
http://www.reevesjournal.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/coverstory/BNPCoverStoryItem/0,3813,61861,00.html
"When using transition cement, are you glueing a PVC pipe into an ABS fitting or the opposite..."
Doesn't matter which...transition cement is for bonding ABS t o PVC...period. Don't use transition to bond PVC to PVC and don't use it to bond ABS to ABS. Use it only when bonding ABS to PVC; regardless as to which end is the pipe and which is the hub.
As for multipurpose adhesive...this is to be used for bonding similar plumbing (ABS to ABS or PVC to PVC). It's supposed to be more convienient than carry seperate glues and cleaners for each type....BUT, everything I've heard about the multipurpose glue is that it doesn't hold up ...it's crap...according to my plumbing supplier. He told me that the transition glue works fine for glueing dissimilar materials, but for all else, use the recommended glue for the type specific and stay away from multipurpose.
Davo
I agree that the multipurpose cement is crap--used a can of it a few weeks ago on some ABS and got pinhole leaks in 3 places--3" pipe, a section running horizontally, leaks occurred at places along the top of the line, leads me to believe that the cement settled out of the joints before hardening enough. This was in easy joints to make, pipe cut square, burrs removed, fully seated in the fittings, should be easy enough for a kid to make it leakproof. Man, that is a PAIN IN THE AZZ to fix and annoying to test and retest. Next time I'm skipping the local yard and going to a legit plumbing place to buy some of the heavy, black, thick, nasty, hallucinating-plumber cement.
The 2" drain pipe riser is ABS. My shower drain assembly, which will be installed in a custom tile floor is PVC. I am not confident in any type of universal cement, after reading some of the reservations that respondents have, in spite of the fact that several folks had successfully used the cement. I do not want to do this job twice and do not want to pay for the materials twice. The fittings I found that might do the job are a 2" male PVC coupling and a 2" female PVC coupling. I could put teflon tape on the threads and probably get a pretty reliable connection; however, these two items, along with the other PVC coupling, make for a stack of fittings nearly ten inches tall, not including the ABS trap. At this point, I think the rubber coupling with clamps is the only alternative.
You should be able to find a cast iron drain that has pipe O.D. on the bottom so that you can connect directly to pipe with a no-hub. I don't see the PVC drain fitting into your equation. It seems like that item would be perfect if you were using PVC for the drains, but you're not.
This sounds like the best idea yet, especially to someone who is as picky about finding a surefire solution as I am. Now to find a no-hub coupling that has a 2 3/8" ID on one end and a 2 11/16" ID on the other...
Is the tile job all done? If not the simplest cure would be to get a good cast iron shower drain. Then all your worry about mismatch would be over.
Thanks for the advice. I finally settled on connecting the 2" ABS drain to a short 2" PVC section with a no-hub coupling. After researching some previous articles, I don't trust "universal" glue over the long term. I have connected the short PVC pipe to the drain assembly with regular PVC cement. Now comes the difficult part of building the custom pan. I am wrestling with the idea of placing galvanized expanded mesh in the first layer of thinset.
Thanks for the response. I have settled on a no-hub solution and feel pretty good about it.