Using sink drain for new shower?

I am not sure if this has been asked here before, but here it goes anyway...

In my current bathroom layout, I have a tub and shower in one end, and a long counter with double sinks in it on the other side. I want to take out the double sink configuration and install a new single sink and maybe even a corner shower. Now, here comes the tricky part. I want to install the corner shower and try to utilize the current plumbing that one of the sinks used. Keep in mind that this bathroom is an UPSTAIRS bathroom and would be pretty difficult (I think) to run new pipes just for a shower.

Am I able to use the diameter of the sink drain as a shower drain? I know that once I take out the old sinks that I will have more access to the wall and floor which is not tiled currently.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

Mike Joyner

The biggest problem is that a shower drain must be 2". Most older tubs and tub/shower combos have 1-1/2". Next thing is the drain must be centered on the shower stall. Finally, there must be a vent. How much problem these things will be is hard to say. If you have fairly easy access, it might not be too difficult, but I'd advise a professional to do this. Once it's all covered up with a new floor and fixtures is not the time to find out that you screwed up.

My instinct is that it'd be easier to just cap the unused sink drain and then run the shower drain over to the tub drain. You *might* be able to reuse is the unused sink's vent if it's a) close enough to the shower b)distinct from the other sink's vent, and c) properly sized.

Sounds like a substantial amount of wall and floor work...

Yes can do.

mike

without seeing it, I can't comment a great deal.

Sounds like you MAY have a short distance to run from your proposed shower drain to the existing stack. If that is the case, please understand that it is not a big deal to have a 1.5" pipe run a short distance instead of a 2" pipe. Did you know that a tub-shower combination uses a 1.5" pipe? That is Code. Did you know that a shower with a sufficiently high curb is called a tub-shower? If you get comfortable with using a 1.5" pipe, please find out as much as possible and not rely on me as your source of information.

To get real close to the stack, a drain can be placed in a channel along the closest side wall. That is the other major option to the centered drain. In terms of esthetics and ease-of-building. A drain can go anywhere else too, but it looks off-center and it requires a lot of fiddling to get nice even slopes that make sense with your tiles and where they are going to be cut to follow a "crease" line.

david