ABS Plastic

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

I had a plumber tell me that he cannot get ABS plastic repairs for an upstair bathroom without ripping out the ceiling below. Can anyone verify that this is true?

[GuestParticipant]

Mssr.: Your word is good is it not?
I have no reason to disbelieve your
statement. I certainly cannot substantiate your assertion, because I was not there at the time.
Truth is as the sand of the desert, it moves with the wind and changes it’s appearence at times but always it is the truth and the sand is always sand.
Akmed U A
*********************
I had a plumber tell me that he cannot get ABS plastic repairs for an upstair bathroom without ripping out the ceiling below. Can anyone verify that this is true?

[fourth yearParticipant]

You can seldom “repair” an ABS system. Repairing it usually requires replacing the bad item and as such, he will have have access to the pipe. Either through the downstairs ceiling or cutting open the upstairs floor.

[bungieParticipant]

ABS ??

Assuming he needs a small amount of room to work, he grabs his tape measure, finds the position he wants, goes downstairs and using his tape measure finds that piont on the cieling and then cuts a hole the correct size for a snap in vent to fit back in after working. As i said at the begining ABS ?? but it is possible to get a working space ina cieling the way i discribed above without removing the whole ceiling

[Jerry PeckParticipant]

“a snap in vent to fit back in after working”?

What happened to repairing the ceiling so that it cosmetically matches the original ceiling?

You cut a hole and put in a “snap in vent” (a/c return air grille?) and leave the ceiling open to drafts and air movements throughout the second floor system. This affects the fire blocking and draft stopping of the structure. If you are not careful the entire ceiling could become a return air plenum and then then duct work, plumbing pipes, electrical wiring, the structure, everything, would have to be plenum rated.

Scary thought on this end.

[bungieParticipant]

.”What happened to repairing the ceiling so that it cosmetically matches the original ceiling?” The owner is fixing a broken pipe, The thought of paying out a $1000 for the repair of the ceiling correctly might not have appealed to him. (You cannot patch a small section of the ceiling without leaving tell tail distortions, it has to be removed completely cornice and all, then new sheets fitted and a full paint job)

AS 3500, my plumbing code, says that I must have access to any trap or inspection opening in the ceiling space

For there to be drafts you need air to be able to flow in and out, for this to create a draft you already have at least one way out, so your fire rating is already screwed.

No IP address or email address was supplied so the we have no idea of where the person was from, I live in the sub tropics as do you, We build houses on stumps here to let the air move under us to cool it. We also build standard slab buildings with plenty of air flow and keeping the northerly aspect as window free as possible. Also the eaves are quite often vented to allow airflow.

Of course the other alternative, so as not to replace the whole ceiling at a large expense, is to install a fitted panel to keep it fire rated

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