[Dan1973]

1960s-era plumbing (galvanized pipe in wall - I know it needs changing and plan to do it next year when I remodel this bathroom, but not ready to do it yet.)

The trap and trap arm are thick-gauge brass and the bottom of the trap finally corroded away. I am replacing the trap and trap arm all the way to the wall. When I removed the escutcheon plate, I was surprised to see what looks like a bead of solder all around the trap arm where it fits into whatever is in the wall (looks like brass.)

Am I correct? Why would that be a soldered connection? I am afraid to just twist the trap arm to break the solder and hopefully unthread or just pull it straight out, mainly because if things go wrong and the tube gets mangled then I'm busting into the wall and getting into things I am not planning to do until much later.

A last resort is I can cut the trap arm a couple inches from the wall and install a compression coupler to transition to the new trap arm, which from experience I know will work.

All ideas welcome!

 

[Nealtw]

That looks like a pour lead joint that you would see in cast iron. If that pipe is still good, I would just cut it and use a fernco coupling for the new trap.

 

[Dan1973]

Yeah, that sounds about right. Weird way to do it cuz I'll bet that's a female threaded part in the wall (that's what my other bathroom has.)


Couldn't find a fernco at HD that would fit the tubular 1.25", and they didn't have any PVC slip couplings at that size so I ended up getting a brass slip coupler that will work.

 

[Nealtw]

https://www.fernco.com/plumbing/residential-plumbing/tubular-drain-pipe-connector




Or you need the seal that fits your pipe, like this red one.

 

[Dan1973]

Ooh, that would have been perfect. Oh well, what I got worked. Of course, the old escutcheon plate stuck out too far to use my slip coupler, and I forgot to pick up a new one so I just went without. If I think of it I'll pick up one of those split ones and put it on, but no one is looking under there and like I said I'm gutting the bathroom next year.

(Don't judge me by the state of that shutoff with all that teflon tape wrapped on it in the picture below - it was like that when I bought the house!)

Thanks, Nealtw!