Reece Johnson
New Member
Hey everyone! I've been lurking on this site for a while, and am finally tackling my own plumbing project and have some questions I could use some assistance with!
I own a house in NC, built in 2017. It's two stories with a garage on the first level. I'm looking to add a utility sink in the garage. I found a stack in the garage wall that serves the upstairs (at minimum master bath, I suspect laundry room as well). It's a 3 inch stack that goes to 4 inches at the cleanout. My thought was to tie the drain for my utility sink into this stack. From the research I've done, I can't wet vent this so I would use an AAV to handle venting. I was planning on a 2 inch drain, and would need to run about 4 feet horizontally thorough the wall. It's an interior non-load bearing wall, and I thought the entire wall was 2x6 as it is at the stack. I found that it's only 2x6 at the stack and 2x4 for most of the 4 foot run I would need.
My issue is that even with a non-load bearing wall, I can't cut a hole big enough to fit a 2 inch drain while maintaining building codes. I have been doing some research and have some questions/options:
1) To confirm, even using a AAV, the minimum drain size requirement is 2 inches for a utility sink (I suspect it would be classified as a laundry tray by the inspector)?
2) I believe stud shoes are allowed in NC building codes. I found stud shoes that would fit a 2 3/8 inch pipe, which I believe would literally just barely allow a 2 inch PVC pipe. Is this an acceptable option or am I missing something?
3) I could move the sink so the drain is in the same wall cavity as the stack, but it would be in the middle of one of the garage bays and take up useful space.
4) I could build out a false wall a couple inches out and 2-ish feet up to conceal the pipe. Not ideal but possible. I could notch the existing studs about 3/4 of an inch by code and then build out a wall an additional 2-2.5 inches total to conceal it.
What would you guys recommend for this situation? Thank you in advance!
I own a house in NC, built in 2017. It's two stories with a garage on the first level. I'm looking to add a utility sink in the garage. I found a stack in the garage wall that serves the upstairs (at minimum master bath, I suspect laundry room as well). It's a 3 inch stack that goes to 4 inches at the cleanout. My thought was to tie the drain for my utility sink into this stack. From the research I've done, I can't wet vent this so I would use an AAV to handle venting. I was planning on a 2 inch drain, and would need to run about 4 feet horizontally thorough the wall. It's an interior non-load bearing wall, and I thought the entire wall was 2x6 as it is at the stack. I found that it's only 2x6 at the stack and 2x4 for most of the 4 foot run I would need.
My issue is that even with a non-load bearing wall, I can't cut a hole big enough to fit a 2 inch drain while maintaining building codes. I have been doing some research and have some questions/options:
1) To confirm, even using a AAV, the minimum drain size requirement is 2 inches for a utility sink (I suspect it would be classified as a laundry tray by the inspector)?
2) I believe stud shoes are allowed in NC building codes. I found stud shoes that would fit a 2 3/8 inch pipe, which I believe would literally just barely allow a 2 inch PVC pipe. Is this an acceptable option or am I missing something?
3) I could move the sink so the drain is in the same wall cavity as the stack, but it would be in the middle of one of the garage bays and take up useful space.
4) I could build out a false wall a couple inches out and 2-ish feet up to conceal the pipe. Not ideal but possible. I could notch the existing studs about 3/4 of an inch by code and then build out a wall an additional 2-2.5 inches total to conceal it.
What would you guys recommend for this situation? Thank you in advance!
