Utility Tub

Click on images to enlarge
      When we moved to the Chicago area from California, we had a basement and in it was a utility tub (also known as a mud sink).  Such a tub comes in handy when cleaning really dirty items such as boots or gloves.  It is also handy to clean tools with harsh chemicals that may not be good to use in a standard sink.

                     

                

      In our new Chuluota, Florida home, the builder provided the pipes for a utility tub in the garage.  We knew that we would use it from time to time so we decided to get a utility tub and install it.  But, since we had essentially no experience in plumbing, the idea of tampering with high pressure water pipes scared me a little.

        

      The first step was to shop for a tub.  The pipes (stubs) coming out through the garage wall didn't seem to be positioned in a way that would require us to consider a specific size tub.  Our task was to find a functional tub that was not any more expensive than it had to be.

               

 

Click HERE for an

Owner's Manual of this product.

  

 

                            

        What we found at Lowe's and The Home Depot was an All-In-One Utility Tub Kit from American Shower & Bath.  The complete kit seemingly included all the parts we would require and the package price was appealing as opposed to buying the parts separately.

           

      Once we took the All-In-One Utility Tub Kit home, we procrastinated for a while by completing other projects.  We had a feeling that the project would not be as easy as a few twists of the wrist (and we would be right).  But, one afternoon, we decided to get started.

               

      The first thing we did was to open the All-In-One Utility Tub Kit box and examine all the parts.  This is when we discovered that the parts we need to connect to the pipes coming out of the wall were NOT included.  We would need two shut-off valves for the hot and cold taps and a compression connector for the drain.

                 

      In the meantime we connected the legs to the tub and found that they did not seem to feel as secure as they should.  To remedy this, we drilled one hole through each leg and into the bottom framework of the tub.  A screw, washer and nut combination in  

each hole did the trick.

                                

 

      We visited the local The Home Depot again before continuing.  We needed the valves and Iwe had a sneaky suspicion that we had some gluing ahead of us.  The caps on the stubs out of the wall looked like they were glued and had to be sawed off.  Sure enough, an associate at The Home Depot helped us find the correct valves, compression connector and cement to complete the project.

                 

      The cement that he recommended was FlowGuard Gold by Oatey.

     

      Armed with the proper tools, we first shut off the water to the entire house.  The valve was easy to find and we turned it to the right until it became tight.  As we turned, we counted the rotations so that we would be able to restore the original position when we turned it back on.

              

      To test that we shut it off properly and to release the pressure in the pipes, we turned on the kitchen sink until the water flow stopped completely.  We made certain that we had the handle set to release the pressure in both the hot and cold water taps.

  
        We placed a small bucket under the stubs that we planned to cut.  Then we used a saw to cut first into the cold water line.  We figured if we did something wrong, we would want cold water spraying in our face rather than hot, scalding water.  The builder had told us that they position the hot water pipes a tad higher so we knew the cold would be the lower pipe stub.

                    

      We cut just behind the cap on the cold water stub to make sure we retained as much good pipe as possible.  When we pierced the first pipe, some water oozed out for a very short time as the pipe emptied the small amount of H2O that it had left inside of  it.  Since that was a success, we did the same with the hot water stub.  It too oozed water, but it continued to drip.  We assume that it never completely stopped because of the water retained in the hot water heater, but the trickle was small enough that we continued the work with the bucket underneath and otherwise ignored it.

          

      After the caps were cut off, we sanded the open ends smooth.  We also lightly sanded around the outside of the pipe to clean off drywall paste and paint that had spilled on it during the construction of the home.  The valves that we purchased were designed to be glued onto the stubs by slipping over them, so we did not want to sand any more than we had to to ensure a tight fit.

       

      We placed a piece of scrap wood under the area we planned to glue to avoid glue dripping on the floor of the garage.  We then followed the instructions on the can of the FlowGuard Gold glue by applying a liberal film of glue around the stub, then also in the inside of the valve that slips over the stub.  We pushed it into place with a slight twist back and forth and we used a rag to wipe up the access while trying hard not to get it on my hands.

            

      Of course nothing goes perfectly as planned and we did get some of the strong smelling glue on our fingers.  It was then that we realized that we had the water shut off and could not wash our hands.  We used some industrial hand cleaner and a rag to scrub our hands.  We were now thinking that it may have been a good idea to have a separate bucket of water handy for unexpected clean-up jobs.

             

      We repeated the process for the hot water valve making sure that we left the valve open and the bucket underneath so that the valve would not build up any pressure while the small amount of water from the water heater trickled through.  The directions on the can of glue suggested waiting two hours, so we waited three.  We did not proceed to work on the drain for fear of bumping the valves before the glued had completely set.

          

      After about three hours, we turned off the newly installed valves.  We then turned on the the water to flow back into the house by turning the valve left the same number of rotations that we applied to turn them off.  Thankfully, my very first pipe gluing experience went well and there were no leaks.

             

      The drain pipe compression connector had to be installed in a similar fashion, but we could do that with the water turned on since there was no water flowing through it.  We sawed off the cap, sanded it smooth and applied the glue.  The sanding on this pipe was more of a challenge.  A lot of drywall paste had spilled on the pipe during construction and we needed to remove as much of it as possible without also tapering the pipe.  We guessed that we did a good job because the end result seemed fine.

              

 

      Now it was time to make the final connections and we found out that the 18-inch flexible pipes provided with the All-In-One Utility Tub Kit were not long enough.  At the time, it seemed that each one was about two inches short.

         

      We picked up two 30-inch pipe replacements at The Home Depot.  We could have purchased

pipes a little shorter, but we decided the extra length might  come in handy later and we were right.

                

              We believe that the All-In-One Utility Tub Kit included a small amount of plumber's tape.  There wasn't quite enough if it did.  We needed it for the flexible pipe connections to the valves.  The male parts of the connections are wrapped a few times with the tape before screwing it together.  It's pretty easy and a necessary part of the process to ensure a leak free connection.

         

      The All-In-One Utility Tub Kit did contain all of the remaining connectors and parts we would need including the trap piping for the drain and the faucet.  We followed the instructions provided with the tub to complete the job.  Most of the drain connections were tightened by hand and without any glue using the connectors provided.

                   

      Originally, we positioned the drain pipe straight out from the wall, but the lengths of pipe pushed the tub away from the wall.  We wanted to anchor the tub to the wall, so we loosened the drain pipe and we slid the tub to one side.  This allowed the drain pipe to rotate so that the unwanted length was absorbed to one side rather  

than pushing the tub out from the wall.  Now the tub was flush against the wall and the drain pipes could be tightened.

                         

      The result is shown in the above two photographs.  It put the piping underneath the tub a bit off center, but that didn't hurt anything and actually moved the tub a small bit away from the water heater.  Having the extra length in the flexible pipe came in handy when moving the tub.

                 

      To finish the job, we located two studs with a stud finder and put two wood screws through pilot holes we drilled in the upper lip of the tub.  Then we purchased a piece of Plexiglass from The Home Depot and used mounts designed to hold mirrors against a wall to hold it in place.  This is to protect the wall from splashing when using the tub.  We later caulked the area where the Plexiglass meets the edge of the utility tub.

                        

      

        We also added a ClosetMaid shelf above the Plexiglass for items such as hand cleaner, rags and other items we wish to keep near the sink.  The product is designed to be used as shown left, but we installed it upside down so that the side

brackets would serve as bookends to hold items upright (see photo right).  The hanger rail is perfect for hanging rags.

 

             

                      

      By the way, the bucket under the sink in the photograph above is just a good place to store it for now.  It is NOT there to collect dripping water.  The installation is holding up great with NO leaks!

Click HERE to Return to DIY Projects Menu

Click HERE to Print This Page

Click HERE to Return to Main Menu
             

photos ©2003-2005 Donald A. Thomas, Jr.