Converting Shower Stall for Laundry Service

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CleanSC

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Afternoon, fellas. House is a 1971 slab on grade build in Miami FL. DWV is CI. Supplies in copper.

I have an originally installed shower in the garage that's not needed. I'd like to stack my laundry in it instead. The shower has been demo'd down to studs and slab on grade. I have a 2" drain in the floor with a new pvc p-trap. I have 1/2" copper supplies of hot and cold.

Do I need to do anything special here to adapt this to washer/dryer use besides simply changing the supplies to laundry hookups and raising the drain standpipe up to proper level?

Any other suggestions for proper plumbing in this conversion?

Thanks all!
 
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CleanSC

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My main concern here is the standpipe and trap. The shower trap was 2 feet below the slab underground. Can I keep it here and just extend the standpipe from there or should I move the p-trap up above the slab? If I leave it down there, the standpipe will be pretty long and I think I've read that's a no-no. Moving the p-trap up above the slab would obviously shorten the standpipe length.

Thanks for any direction, fellas!
 

hj

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It is not that simple. If you leave the trap there you will have an excessive drop for a standpipe. But, if you elevate the trap, you will create an "S" trap which is even worse.
 

CleanSC

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Thanks, hj.

So what steps need to be taken to do this properly? I have attached a drawing of what we got. I have the drain opened up back to the horizontal pipe. I can build back from there however necessary.

Thanks again!
 

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Terry

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The trap needs to be above the floor level, and vented.
There is a vent for your existing shower, normally withing five feet. It may be in one of the side walls of the shower now. You will want to use that vent.

If you were to use the p-trap in the ground it's current location, it would just siphon itself dry.

804.1 All plumbing fixtures or other receptors
receiving the discharge of indirect waste pipes shall be
approved for the use proposed and shall be of such
shape and capacity as to prevent splashing or flooding
and shall be located where they are readily accessible
for inspection and cleaning. No standpipe receptor for
any clothes washer shall extend more than thirty (30)
inches (762 mm), nor less than eighteen (18) inches
(457 mm) above its trap. No trap for any clothes
washer standpipe receptor shall be installed below the
floor, but shall be roughed in not less than six (6)
inches (152 mm) and not more than eighteen (18)
inches (457 mm) above the floor.
 
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CleanSC

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Thanks, Terry.

Yes, there is a vent going up the opposite shower wall which is over by the sink and toilet in this bathroom. When you say I want to use that vent, do I need to tap into it from another place or the existing shower vent is ok?

How can I properly come up from the horizontal branch under the shower without creating an s-trap?

Thanks!


The trap needs to be above the floor level, and vented.
There is a vent for your existing shower, normally withing five feet. It may be in one of the side walls of the shower now. You will want to use that vent.

If you were to use the p-trap in the ground it's current location, it would just siphon itself dry.
 

CleanSC

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Is this an S-Trap? Would this layout work with the existing shower vent?
 

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Terry

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That would not work. Where is the vent?
The vent should be on the trap arm of the p-trap.
Instead of a 90 to the trap arm, that should be a santee and the vent goes up through the roof from there.

washer_rough_1.jpg
 
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CleanSC

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Hey Terry... For venting I was hoping the existing shower vent would work. But it won't so see if the below diagram will work, utilizing the existing bathroom vent which I can tie into.
 

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hj

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Cut a tee into the vertical vent in the wall, (below any other tees if there are any), assuming it is a 2" riser, and connect the washer trap to that. If it si a 1 1/2" riser, then your drawing will work.
 

CleanSC

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The vent riser is 2" CI. There is a sink not shown in the diagram that tees into this vent. There's a toilet in here, too altho I don't know where that vents. I will take a better look and see where the sink ties in. What tee do I use to tee into 2" CI?

Thanks, hj.
 

CleanSC

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Ok the vent riser comes out of the slab and has 10.5" clear up from the floor before the sink tees into it. As I understand it, I can forget the shower drain and all the previous drawings and tee into the vent riser just below the sink tee. It is 2" CI. I will then abandon the shower drain, cap it off, and bury it.

Questions:
1. Is capping and burying the shower drain acceptable? I'd make it a floor drain but I don't need it and I'd rather not get into keeping the trap wet.
2. How do I tee into this CI vent riser? Cut and replace with a rubber tee? It's immobile as it's embedded in the concrete slab.

Here's a pic. Sorry for the crudeness, the fancy autocad drawings are at only when I'm at the office. ;) Thanks, fellas!
 

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Terry

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Those are a lot of if's

1) If you need a floor drain, the shower p-trap would work as is. It would need a trap primer.

2) If you need a washer and a 2" sink drain is there, you can cut in below that with a cast iron tee and no-hub clamps.
I'm assuming though, that this sink is not wet venting the shower. If it is, then the shower p-trap would not be used unless you add a vent for that.
If you remove the p-trap in the floor, you can get a blind cap that installs with a no-hub coupling.
A rubber tee can not be used. Those have "never" been legal, only sold at homecenters, and never installed with a plumbing permit.

If this is IPC code, they may want 3" for the washer to dump into.
 

CleanSC

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1) No floor drain. The shower drain would be capped and buried. Is this product okay for that?
0-0-0.jpg


2) I will need to source a 2" CI santee correct? Like so? And it must be CI, nothing else easier to source?
397ad427-ead0-4d85-8558-2d1f2a620253_300.jpg


Thanks, fellas!

New drawing:
 

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CleanSC

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Still need to revent the washer stand pipe above the sink.

I do? The original 1971 washer hookups are plumbed exactly like the above drawing. One washer (left), one utility sink (right), and a shared vent/drain (center). Is this original setup no longer correct?

Here's a pic with the wall open. (The wall on the right with the light on it is the outside of the shower stall where the new washer is slated to go.)
 

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Cwhyu2

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I do? The original 1971 washer hookups are plumbed exactly like the above drawing. One washer (left), one utility sink (right), and a shared vent/drain (center). Is this original setup no longer correct?

Here's a pic with the wall open. (The wall on the right with the light on it is the outside of the shower stall where the new washer is slated to go.)
Yes the original set up is no longer correct.
 

CleanSC

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I see. So I suppose it's good I will be abandoning this setup. For my education, what makes this incorrect and why? What are the symptoms if any so I can keep an eye out for other plumbing in the house?
 

CleanSC

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How's this? All plumbing 2" pvc save for the two tees into the vent stack. Does the tee lying on it's back on the trap arm have to be anything special?
 

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