Plumbing Tip: Don't Mix Pipe Types

Way back before we poured the basement floor I installed the waste plumbing (see previous post1, post 2). I used PVC pipe (the white stuff) , primarily 4-inch pipe but also some 3-inch pipe. The process went great!

Little did I know I was setting myself up for some headache!

Then comes the time to install all the waste and vent pipe above the concrete floor. This is where I intended to use ABS pipe (the black stuff). At the time I knew that while the inside diameters (ID) were the same, the outside diameters (OD) were different. I naively assumed that there would be plenty of connectors that would span this change in size.

It was in fact a difficult task to find connectors to attached PVC to ABS. As this picture shows I was eventually able to use a PVC coupler to attach PVC-ABS coupling to a short piece of ABS and then to the ABS Y connector. It would have been nice to have a connector that went directly - if there is one I couldn't fine one...

Lesson Learned: Stick to one type of pipe!

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