I'm replacing the acrylic shower in my (concrete slab) basement bathroom with a new one. When I removed the old shower base, I found that the water was draining straight down into a 90 degree elbow and then into a straight horizontal run of pipe (PVC) which leads to the sewage ejector pit, which is about 10 feet away from the drain. My limited plumbing knowledge tells me that there should be a p trap somewhere between the drain and the pit.
I'm looking for advice on what to do. Option A is to install a p trap directly underneath the shower drain. This would require me to break up some concrete in order for the p trap to be installed in the proper location (12" from the wall) to accommodate the new shower. The horizontal run of PVC, from what I can see, is at least partially encased in the concrete slab. If I were to break up the concrete and not damage the pipe, would the surface of the pipe still be too "rough" to be able to be properly cemented to the p trap?
The other Option B that I am considering is to add a p trap at the "end of the line" in the ejector pit. I haven't removed the lid from the ejector pit yet to see if this is even feasible, but is this wise?
I should mention that we have been living here for 4 years, yet never smelled any bad odors from the shower drain. I realize that the lack of smell does not necessarily mean that there are not odorless gases rising through the drain. Just wanted to mention this.
Also, I tried running electrical fish tape through the pipe to see if I could "feel" if there was a trap somewhere along the line, but it just went in a couple of feet and seemed to hit a clump of hair and stopped. I guess it's just too flimsy. Tonight I bought an auger and I'll try it tomorrow to clear up the obstruction and "feel" for a trap.
I tried to attach a sketch, but I can't seem to get the file size small enough to post.
Please give me any comments on my options or alternate suggestions. Thanks,
I'm looking for advice on what to do. Option A is to install a p trap directly underneath the shower drain. This would require me to break up some concrete in order for the p trap to be installed in the proper location (12" from the wall) to accommodate the new shower. The horizontal run of PVC, from what I can see, is at least partially encased in the concrete slab. If I were to break up the concrete and not damage the pipe, would the surface of the pipe still be too "rough" to be able to be properly cemented to the p trap?
The other Option B that I am considering is to add a p trap at the "end of the line" in the ejector pit. I haven't removed the lid from the ejector pit yet to see if this is even feasible, but is this wise?
I should mention that we have been living here for 4 years, yet never smelled any bad odors from the shower drain. I realize that the lack of smell does not necessarily mean that there are not odorless gases rising through the drain. Just wanted to mention this.
Also, I tried running electrical fish tape through the pipe to see if I could "feel" if there was a trap somewhere along the line, but it just went in a couple of feet and seemed to hit a clump of hair and stopped. I guess it's just too flimsy. Tonight I bought an auger and I'll try it tomorrow to clear up the obstruction and "feel" for a trap.
I tried to attach a sketch, but I can't seem to get the file size small enough to post.
Please give me any comments on my options or alternate suggestions. Thanks,