code question

I have a question about a house I have just bought...
I'm eventually going to finish our basement.. but I wanted to know if maybe our plumbing was not to code.

Please look at the picture.
The main stack does not have a vent on it.. the only vent is what looks like a wet vent that's before the toilet drop.

Is this code? or some homeowner bungle? Of course, my inspector said nothing.....

The sink,tub, and kitchen have vents of their own - and tie to the main vent in the attic...

What city and State do you live in? Codes vary from town to town.

I don't think it matters where you live, that does not meet anybody's code. The main vent section will eventually plug because it is a flat vent on the section beyond the WC. For it to qualify as a wet vent, that section would have to be washed by a fixture upstream. Though it does work the section that is the shower drain is too far from the vent also.

nhmaster said:

I don't think it matters where you live, that does not meet anybody's code. The main vent section will eventually plug because it is a flat vent on the section beyond the WC. For it to qualify as a wet vent, that section would have to be washed by a fixture upstream. Though it does work the section that is the shower drain is too far from the vent also.

Click to expand...

Only thing to add is that the sink and shower drain have separate vents that tie to the main vent in the attic.

But, you're saying the shower drain can't wash the horizontal section of the vent, as it's after the WC ... right? So, (and I'm not saying I'm doing this) if the shower drain was uphill of the main vent, it might work?

I'm likely going to have this redone before I plumb my basement...

Would I be better off to have the main vent come off a separate line from the stack? So that it's not sharing a line with all the other drain lines from the house?

SewerRatz said:

What city and State do you live in? Codes vary from town to town.

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My city uses the Uniform Plumbing Code, 2006 Edition.

Why isnt the copper in the joist space? Terrible.

That riser coming from the ground should be 4"...hard to tell if its 3 or 4. ?

seaofnames said:

Why isnt the copper in the joist space? Terrible.

That riser coming from the ground should be 4"...hard to tell if its 3 or 4. ?

Click to expand...

It's 4. There's a fernco hubless coupler connecting it to cast below the picture.

And I suppose the reason the copper is not in the joist spaces is because whoever did it never thought of refinishing the basement. But... that's not my question... mine has to do with with main vent location.

In your pic, between the word "toilet" and the words "main vent" the pipe is flat, which it cant be because waste could back up into it and clog. IF a sink or shower drained into that pipe from above, then it would be a wet vent = OK. The sink and or shower waste "washes" the flat vent pipe.

jimbo said:

In your pic, between the word "toilet" and the words "main vent" the pipe is flat, which it cant be because waste could back up into it and clog. IF a sink or shower drained into that pipe from above, then it would be a wet vent = OK. The sink and or shower waste "washes" the flat vent pipe.

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OK.
Well, it's nice to know that could be done.

I've got more problems than this though...
As another poster noticed... my main stack looks like was 3".. And that was right. My PVC stack was reduced to 3" ....
I have a 4" cast iron pipe below that, that the pvc connects to via a shielded hubless connector. (the pvc pip has a 4" to 3" reducer). The cast iron goes through my basement floor, and then to the city main.

I would rather, and I'm sure code would rather, that the main stack be 4".
I have no idea why they decided to reduce the pipe to 3" there...

I wonder if I were to completely redo this thing (or hire out) what would be the better way to handle this.

I'd like to make the dwv take up as little room in the basement as possible - boxing it out so I can get some more space.
If I were to put in a bathroom in the basement, it would likely be to the left of where that photo was taken, as it's near the main stack. But clearly, I have to sort out this other crap before I can even begin to think about how the basement bathroom could tie into that mess. I'd rather get something setup that's a bit more robust than what's there now.

If my main vent and drop to the city main are offset from one another like this, what would be a better way to handle my situation?
I don't want to move the vent if I don't have to.

Ideas include dropping the existing bath shower, sink and toilet below the horizontal run the main vent takes.

Or, shifting the main stack under the vent and make a horizontal run with the main drain to the existing cast iron that runs to the city sewer.

Just looking for some big picture ideas.

vent

We may have to differentiate between what is "required" and what will "work". That main vent will work and probably NEVER plug up in the real world even though codes would disapprove of doing it that way. As long as the shower has its own vent, then its connection to the main line is proper. Not EVERYWHERE requires a 4" line to the house. We only need it when the house has 4 or more toilets. Otherwise we run 3" all the way to the city's 4" connection at the property line.

hj said:

We may have to differentiate between what is "required" and what will "work". That main vent will work and probably NEVER plug up in the real world even though codes would disapprove of doing it that way. As long as the shower has its own vent, then its connection to the main line is proper. Not EVERYWHERE requires a 4" line to the house. We only need it when the house has 4 or more toilets. Otherwise we run 3" all the way to the city's 4" connection at the property line.

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HJ, if it were yours, what would YOU do?
If I can get it done right before I finish the basement, while it's very nicely exposed, I would rather do that, than bury it...

I would first, cut off the 2" shower drain close to the 3 x 2 wye and put a CO plug at the wye. Then I would cut out the 3" elbow on the main stack and replace it with a 3" side inlet 90 and pipe the shower to it. That would wash that fitting and that run of flat vent and make it all to code.

nhmaster said:

I would first, cut off the 2" shower drain close to the 3 x 2 wye and put a CO plug at the wye. Then I would cut out the 3" elbow on the main stack and replace it with a 3" side inlet 90 and pipe the shower to it. That would wash that fitting and that run of flat vent and make it all to code.

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I appreciate the advice....

so, something like this?

Yes, that is it. Make sure you use a left hand outlet though.