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Will Carter

Will Carter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2005
Location
Burlington
Need some plumbing advice/recommendations.

Need to build multiple shower stalls above concrete slab.

I'll return with drawings if there's any takers...
 
You are.

Plumbing is easy. Hot is on the left, poop goes downhill.
 
I used to be a plumber before I started my current job. Is the concrete already poured? If not you will want to put the plumbing in the ground under the concrete slab.
 
Here's what I want. Showers against the wall. Sink in the adjacent closet is closest existing plumbing.
afarm8.staticflickr.com_7536_15469800590_42a3204351.jpg


Definitely don't want to bust up any concrete. Can build an elevated floor. Do I need a trap on every shower or could I tie them all into one?

How would you do this?
 
You could build a step up shower so that the drains could run underneath to the closest place to tie into the main. The length of the run would determine the needed height of the shower stalls. Venting would be a different story , but you could go with a Nova vent on each stall so that you wouldnt have to go through the ceiling.
 
Have a lot of ceiling height? One downside to teh step up is that it will raise the whole thing. Otherwise that is the way to go, raise a platform and put plumbing underneath, above the slab.
 
I believe each fixture requires its own trap.

That plumbing would be pretty easy to install to meet code on that setup. The biggest challenge would be to size the pipe correctly but to make things easy, I'd use 2" on the drains and tie into a main, 4" and you should be good. too much slope on drains is bad, too little is bad.

You don't necessarily need to vent each shower if the header at the end of the line is vented.

If you know where your tie in point is, make note of it and I could sketch it up for you.
 
If it's 12'-0", only three showers will fit. Pans are 36", plus another 4.5" for divider walls.

"Might pass code" is another issue entirely. I'm guessing it's in a commercial building (unless you like prison showers in your own home, I dunno). Commercial construction means that every shower stall has to be accessible, which means grab bars and seats and wheelchair turning circles and ADA-compliant thresholds.

Avoid using an air-admittance valve if at all possible. Run the vent up to the roof (or tie into an existing one on the way).
 
Well the fall on the drain would have to be 1/4" per foot. So your looking at the platform needing to be high enough to accommodate the fall and high enough for a trap for each shower. You could run a 4" main up and put a 4x2 y running to the sink and vent the sink out the roof, then put more 2x4 y's running to each shower and finally a 4" clean out at the end of the trunk line. Since its on a side wall could you push the wall out 4' or so outside the current building so you could do your plumbing easier?

It's been 7 yrs since I plumbed so someone correct me if I'm wrong here. And I'm on my phone so there might be some typos
 
The sink probably only has a 1-1/2" or 2" line, unless there happens to be a 3" or 4" nearby.
 
Are you in the city limits?
Local codes possibly blocking but there are showers not shitters...what about drain straight through the wall into a grey water trap?

Or is that just country shitt that yall sophisticated city folks cant do?
 
Slope on 2" (or smaller) is 1/4" per foot and 1/8" on 4".

If you are using PVC, make sure you use the purple primer at each joint. Inspectors specifically look for the purple primer, make sure your cement is NOT purple :)

Keep an eye on the distance from your P trap to the header. Too close and you'll create an S trap, which will pretty much siphon itself dry during use and won't pass inspection and isn't really useful
 
shawn said:
If it's 12'-0", only three showers will fit. Pans are 36", plus another 4.5" for divider walls.
Click to expand...

LOL @ the idea of 6 showers in a 12' span. Would have to be some skinny-assed people.
 
I sorta own a CrossFit gym now. I'm not totally sure how it all happened either...

shawn said:
"Might pass code" is another issue entirely.
Click to expand...
I know. I'd just go ask the building inspector some questions but he's already been lenient in some other areas for me. (Like letting me put a gym in an old garage in the city limits ;))


Ron said:
Are you in the city limits?
Local codes possibly blocking but there are showers not shitters...what about drain straight through the wall into a grey water trap?

Or is that just country shitt that yall sophisticated city folks cant do?
Click to expand...
That's honestly the route I was leaning on. Everything is above the floor. No demo. No retrofit. If the man walks in and says it's gotta go then I'm only out a grand for the whole setup. Hopefully we keep him out long enough to do a little saving to do it 'right' in a year or two.
 
That's cool you own a crossfit gym. Good luck on whatever you do. I think the gyms here make pretty good $ at $100/mo+. I love it.
 
Ron said:
Are you in the city limits?
Local codes possibly blocking but there are showers not shitters...what about drain straight through the wall into a grey water trap?

Or is that just country shitt that yall sophisticated city folks cant do?
Click to expand...

Building Code is State Law.
 
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