Kitchen remodel: do I need to move sink supply lines and waste pipe?
daniel3140
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Hi – I am moving a kitchen sink a few feet from the current location as part of a kitchen remodel where we are also installing new floor cabinets. The copper supply lines and (iron?) waste pipe are directly under the sink in the current location. I am looking for advice on how to handle the plumbing: my assumptions is that it best to have plumbers open the wall and re-locate the plumbing so it comes through the wall directly into the cabinet box where this sink sits (the most expensive solution). Is it acceptable to re-route the lines outside of the wall through cut-outs in the cabinet boxes?
Thanks very much.
Replies
Will you also have a built-in dishwasher? Where will it be in relation to the new and old sink location?
My first idea is, "acceptable to who?"
Will you get a permit? your local authorities may have ideas.
Do you have a spouse? will They want extra pipes in the nice, new cabinets to deal with over the life of the kitchen?
You might get away with running pipes, but remember water flows downhill, and if the geometry is tight, it might give you challenges.
Thanks for the reply. We will have a dishwasher and it will similarly move a couple feet from current location. It seems based on the flexible connections to the plumbing that this won't be an issue.
The location the supply lines come out of the wall is not THAT far from where the sink will be (a couple feet) and there is enough space and geometry that I think the pipes would just come through the cabinet box right next to where the sink is.
I agree better to move the lines behind the wall, it's just a lot more disruptive and expensive and not sure running the pipes externally would make that much difference in their functionality. Good consideration on the permit/code requirements.
Plan ahead. Understand how much extra length you have in the vertical waste piping. Is the new sink going to be deeper than the original?
What are the sizes of waste pipes in the wall now? Where is venting?
As part of this remodel, you may want to open up the wall and make a close inspection of the drain piping.
Here is a picture with the current temporary hookup. The red circle is where the lines would need to come out of wall to be directly under the new sink. As you can see, the old sink location was placed away from the lines using external extensions going the other direction.
Where will the cabinet walls end up?
Looks like a hefty Brass trap on the plumbing. As long as it is sound and solid, I would leave it where it is.
Make sure you can access the trap drain with the new cabinets in place.
You also should make sure your dishwasher drain is properly connected and routed.
My previous comment on codes and permits is still worth thinking about.
I just don't understand people who go to the trouble of paying for new cabinets wanting to save maybe a couple of hundred dollars by not opening a wall to move the pipes in the wall and instead butchering new cabinets (expensive I assume). What am I missing? I would sooner cut off my arm than compromise the quality of a job I am doing.