Replacement P-Trap Fit for Shower Draian

[SaltCityDIY'R]

Hi all. About 18 months following second floor bathroom update by "pros" we discovered a leak in the shower drain. (Loud crash in the middle of the night where the ceiling gave way near our front entry way). The update included a new shower base and drain. Cleared the debris away the next morning and took a look through hole in ceiling. Our house was built in 1966. The shower drain tailpiece was connected to the copper p-trap with a 4" flexible rubber coupling using worm screw clamps. I believe the coupling is inappropriate in this instance due to pipe diameter differential between the PVC and copper, and perhaps also in the coupling's use as a vertical pipe connector. In any event, it was clear that the coupling was the source of the leak.

Initially I was only going to replace the flex coupling. However, given the age of the plumbing I thought the better course of action while the ceiling was open would be to replace the p-trap too. I purchased 2" PVC p-trap fittings, together with a shielded 2" to 2" flex connector to tie the new PVC trap into the copper drain pipe. What I had not appreciated at the time of purchase was the dimensional difference between the two traps. The old copper trap is about 5 and 1/8 inches edge -to-edge of the "U" portion, whereas the PVC is about 7 and 1/2 inches. The PVC trap does not align sufficiently with the existing setup. An online search has so far yielded no results for a 2" PVC p-trap with the copper dimension.

Got help?

 

[GReynolds929]

You should be able to swing the trap to a point where it lines up. If not you'll need another hole in the joist and then offset back over to the trap arm. What size is the copper?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[SaltCityDIY'R]

You should be able to swing the trap to a point where it lines up. If not you'll need another hole in the joist and then offset back over to the trap arm. What size is the copper?

Yes, I can see that I might be able to swing the trap around, but wasn't sure that would be compliant with plumbing code. The copper is 2"

 

[Jeff H Young]

Yes you can lengthen trap arm and swing p trap back toward the drain center. I think you may have issue with the p trap hanging below sheet rock

 

[SaltCityDIY'R]

Yes, I think you're right. I considered that option before, but I'm going to take another look at it.