Requirements to meet Plumbing code in New Orleans, LA

Thank you to everyone that donate their time to share your plumbing knowledge with the rest of us. You have saved countless people from bad sitiuations in home renovations.

I am still rebuilding in New Orleans, LA and I am having to bring in a new plumbing contracter to replace the current one that is leaving the area. I have a GC handling the renovation now and the new plumber is his recommended selection.

On our walk through the job this week, the plumber said most of the new plumbing work put in by the old plumbing contractor would not pass code inspection. The reasons the new plumbing contractor cited I cannot find in the Uniform Plumbing Code or local codes which New Orleans, LA is under. The code enforcement office in NOLA is to overwelmed to answer my questions.

Here are the code violations that the new plumber cited that I want to make sure are right before I pay for the work twice. I know bigger is better, but I cannot find any code voilitions for the new plumbing that was put in last year. The current sizing design seems to be sufficent by all tables I looked at.

For a full bathroom across the house from the house's main 4" terra cotta sewer line (1920's NOLA house)

1) The drain line on all horizontal runs with a toilet must be 4" pipe.
(The current pipe is 3" and it downslope is 1" per foot into 4" main sewer line. The pipe run is 30 feet from the vent turn to the roof to the main sewer line. This entire new line has to be remove and replaced with 4".)

2) The vent for this line must be 3" because it has a toilet on the line.
(The current vent is 2" and it has a just a bathroom sink, toilet, and shower on this drain. Changing to 3" is going to cause some major framing work.)

3) Cannot have a closet flange upstream on the drain line from a back vent wye that is upstream from a wye for a shower trap.
(The closet flange is upstream for a wye that connect the shower trap to the 3" drain line. The toilet is 4.5 feet from the vent to the roof (within critical distance) and shower drain is 7 feet. Between the upsteam toilet and shower trap is a 2" back vent to the 2" vent stack to the roof. New line with back vent above closet flange wye into drain line.)

4) A 1/2" copper line can have no more the 2 fixtures on the line.
(Current 1/2" line is 8 feet long (coming off a 3/4" line) and has the sink, toilet and shower on the line. Must be upgraded to 3/4" for first two fixtures and can stay 1/2" for the last fixture).

5) No 1/2" copper run can be over 10 feet in length.
(The house has have a 14 feet 1/2" copper run with just a 1.5 GPM flow restricted kitchen sink at the end. At least 5 feet of the line must be upgraded to 3/4" copper.)

6) The trap for a island sink cannot be above the point that loop vent's has it horizontal run to a vent stack. The trap for the sink must be below the back vent to the vent slack.
(This is the basic vent loop design on all of the books. The trap in these books is in the normal place right below the kitchen sink. The new plumber is saying tha the trap must be below the vent and the whole loop vent upper part can be removed. Since the vent is below the floor, the new plumber is putting technically putting a back vent below the flood level of the sink by eliminating the upper loop vent. His design will have the trap below the vent)

Is this new plumbing contractor right and all of this new work has to be replaced? I just cannot find his code interpertations in the UPC or local codes.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

mdj

I'm on my phone so I'll answe in more detail later when/if I have a chance to look at LA codes.

If your codes are similar to FL the first plumber sounds dead on in
most if not all respects. Sounds like t e second either doesn't know what he's doing or he wants to take you for a ride.

I just glanced at the LA Plumbing code 2000 edition and it still appears your first plumber got it right. You can find the code here: http://www.archive.org/details/gov.la.plumbing
The part of the code I quickly read over was Chapter 7 Sanitary, page 67-68. I don't have time to look over the other codes right now but it appears that you should look for another plumber just like you would get a second opinion from a doctor. I would also advise that maybe you should look for someone who is independent from your GC.

Good luck.

Added: If I'm reading your description correctly the second plumber is right on #6.
Read chapter 9 on venting.

I don't know... Can you have the first plumber meet this new one taking over. He might have some thing's to "discuss" with him. I think, by your discriptions, the plumbing is fine. The loop vent seems fine but without pics or being there its hard to say.

plumber

t sounds like you got one of the "carpetbagger" plumbers who moved to New Orleans to clean up.

1 & 2, he is incorrect unless NO has made local revisions to the code.
3. Not sure what you are describing but it could be proper the way it is installed.
4. 3/4" is usually used but 1/2" should suffice
5. Must be his own interpretation of the code.
6. Also not sure about your description, but the second plumber sounds like he is trying to do something that is against code requirements.

Get a different plumber, I would not trust this one as far as I could throw him. Or maybe I would throw him, over the levee that is.

Plumbing in new orleans

HEY HERE IS SOMEBODY FROM YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS THAT CAN ANSWER

YOUR QUESTIONS !

HE IS BUSY RIGHT NOW BUT WILL POST WHEN HE GETS TIME FOLLOW THE LINK
http://www.hebertdraincare.com/

Thank you for all of the help

I appreciate everyone's replies. I am sorry for poor descriptions in the original post. Your valuable information has help me convincing my wife that we need to look at this further. I was first told that, "I was not a plumber and so why would I know better than the new plumber?" Your responses help me turn the tide.

I spoke with the GC about the plumber situation and lets just say we have a difference of opinions. If he is willing to lose the whole job to keep the plumber, then it is my house and my money, so its my decision of who does the work. The GC can decide to bid the job or walk away.

I am lining up other plumbers to take a look at the job. I am glad somebody posted the LA code, because I had that copy but I was not sure that I had the right copy. I am going to definitely check the Herbert link to see if I can get help finding the Orleans parish variances for the LA Code. I will not go through another job walk through without a copy of the code in hand.

I am going to post a picture today of the Loop vent that the new plumber said must come out. The current loop vent looks just like the picture on page 60 of the LA Code except we have a 2" vent dedicated vent pipe for the loop vent.

Finally on point # 3, the current 1" per ft sloped 3" drain has only a bathroom group on this single 3" drain line. The lavotory is the highest "up the slope" at 2 ft from the 2" vent to the roof, the closet flange is next at 4.5 ft from the vent, and the shower is the lowest on the slope at 7 ft from the vent.

Since the shower is outside the critical distance of the 2" vent, between the closet flange and shower combo tee on the 3" drain line, I have another combo tee that starts a 2" back vent that goes and connects to the 2" vent to the roof. This vent upstream of the shower combo tee prevents the a toilet flush from siphoning the shower trap dry as it passes.

The new plumber says that the starting the back vent cannot be downhill of the point that the closet flange ties into the drain. I will send a picture of the rough of this drain group.

Thank you again for sharing your knowledge on my questions.

mdj

I know this is an extremely old topic but I came across this and wanted to mention that New Orleans has a supplemental code that you have to pay $97 to get a copy. I don't know why it's not posted publicly. The comment that a line with a toilet requires a 4" drain and 3" vent is correct. I've been trying to get a copy of the code without paying but I'm considering just paying the money so I can have a copy for myself... and anyone else.