Shower Vent Distance

[ksujeff99]

First, thank you for those that take your time to answer questions on this site. This forum is very helpful.

I am paying a contractor to finish my basement which includes a bathroom with a shower. The plumbing under the slab was put in when we built our house. See the image below of the rough plumbing before the concrete was poured. I have a question about the venting. Currently the only vent line that the contractor is using is the one behind the sink, which is the one in the top of the photo. The vent line close to the shower (shower drain is located under the black box with rocks on it) is still capped. Is my shower drain too far away from the vent? I asked him about the vent this morning and he said it was ok. I am not sure I believe him.

Thank you for your help,
Jeff

 

[Terry]

The shower vent is normally five feet or closer. That looks within that range.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

You CANNOT connect the tub drain to the main drain, without its own vent, if the toilet waste flows past the connection. which yours does, unless you connect the tub/shower vent to the rest of the system.

 

[ksujeff99]

Is there a specific section of the plumbing code that I can point out to my contractor? It's a firm that does everything from A to Z so I'm not dealing with a full time plumber.

 

[hj]

It is in the section that says you CANNOT have a "major" fixture over a "minor" one unless the minor one has its own vent.

 

[Plumber01]

The way I read the OP, the shower drain is under the black box, the vent is run to the concrete footing.

The vent for the shower was done incorrectly on the ground work. Looks like it comes out of the back of that wye.

To the OP: Why doesn't the contractor want to tie the two vents together? Structural issues?

 

[ksujeff99]

• The shower drain is under the black box. Correct.
• There are two vents roughed in, but only one is connected. The one close to the shower is still capped off.
• You are correct that the proposed vent of the shower comes out of the back of the wye.

I really don't know why the contractor doesn't want to tie the vents together. Maybe because there's a HVAC supply in the joist bay above that makes it more difficult? But even then, there's a 2x6 wall to run through. No structural issues. It's a plain vanilla, walk-out basement.

I attached a few more pictures of the current stage of the build. The shower walls were just set today. The capped "shower vent" is right behind where the shower valve is roughed in. Sorry for the quality--no lights in the basement right now.

My wife is meeting with the contractor tomorrow morning. I can't be there as I have a work meeting. Should we stand our ground on this and ask them to connect the shower vent?

Thanks again for your help here.

The first picture shows the vanity plumbing on the right, the toilet in the middle, and of course the shower base and walls on the left.

The second picture shows how the vanity vent runs vertically through the wall and then across to the main vent stack.

 

[QueBall]

So that thing in the lower left is supposed to be a vent but they left it capped inside the wall is what you are saying?

That seems wrong. It should be a vent. If it's left capped then it's only purpose was to deceive the inspector during rough in. What good is it otherwise besides a place for debris to collect?

Yes they should extend that vent to the outside. It should extend up the wall and likely connect to the other vent somewhere in the wall or roof or make it's own way to the outside.

It would have been ok if the shower and toilet were in reverse order so the main waste is the downstream connection but then you wouldn't have that fake vent rough in going to nowhere either.

 

[hj]

I KNOW the vent is there, I was addressing the fact that he apparently did NOT want to use it, or connect it.

 

[Terry]

I KNOW the vent is there, I was addressing the fact that he apparently did NOT want to use it, or connect it.

hj is right. The vent should have revented to the lav vent in the bathroom.

 

[ksujeff99]

After a long discussion with my contractor this morning, we finally agreed on a studor vent behind the shower (in a open cavity) with an access panel in the adjoining closet. He didn't want to do it right--to drill the through studs to connect the vents properly. And I wasn't going to let the wall be closed up without a some sort of vent for the shower.

It's not the best option, I know. But there are only so many battles that are worth fighting.

 

[Terry]

The AAV with a ventilated access will work.

 

[hj]

Now you know why ALL remodeling should have a permit and inspection, and why some "fly by night" contractors do not want them.