Can I remove a shower vent?

[K. Tillyer]

I have a shower at the last point (highest on the slope) of my drain line in my master bath. I am increasing the size of the shower and removing the wall that contains the pipes and and the drain vent. I need to know if the vent is necessary based on the configuration, or could be eliminated. It will be exceedingly difficult to reroute due to duct work and other constraints. The bathroom presently contains the shower, two lavs, a bathtub and toilet (lowest on the drain route)all with their own dry vents connected to the main stack. Please help.

 

[wwhitney]

If the horizontal pipe coming off the shower trap arm in the first picture was intended to be a dry vent for the shower, that was incorrect. Dry vents have to come off the top half of the pipe and rise vertically (at most 45 degrees from plumb) until 6" above the shower flood rim.

The shower trap arm can be wet vented by that first (lefthand) sink drain connection shown in the second picture. The restriction you have to satisfy is that the shower trap arm, the pipe between the trap elbow outlet and the wye where that sink drain joins, may fall at most 2" (one pipe diameter) while falling at a rate of at least 1/4" per foot.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Sponsor]

 

[K. Tillyer]

Thank you Wayne! You just made my entire existence a little easier!

 

[Jeff H Young]

what evever the pipe was intended for marked vent dosent pass as a vent nor a drain im assuming it was an illegal vent stuff like that happens a lot mostly functions ok but less than ideal