I am installing a shower stall in a basment bathroom that was here before I moved in. the floor drain is already in concrete and the walls are already there. My question is all the shower stalls I have found do not have the drain in the right place to drain straight down. Can I build up the shower stall and put an elbow drain to connect to the floor drain that is in the concrete now? And if so where can I get some information on what to use to build it up? The shower stall is a brand name stall and pretty well built that we like?

I am installing a shower stall in a basment bathroom that was here before I moved in. the floor drain is already in concrete and the walls are already there. My question is all the shower stalls I have found do not have the drain in the right place to drain straight down. Can I build up the shower stall and put an elbow drain to connect to the floor drain that is in the concrete now? And if so where can I get some information on what to use to build it up? The shower stall is a brand name stall and pretty well built that we like?

Hi Ben,
Not the best way to install a shower but if you lift the base up on a platform and elbo over to the drain with a indirect waste I guess it would work. A indirect waste is one that terminates ABOVE the floor drain w3ith no direct connection and a air gap between the floor drain and the showers elbo. Platform it with whatever you can, pressure treated wood, bricks etc. Leave about a inch or so of air gap. Good luck, Tom

Ummmmm, Tom? I'm not sure he meant "floor drain" as in "a drain located in the middle of the room for the purpose of draining anything spilled on the floor"; he may have meant "a shower drain (stub-up) that's already installed in the floor" - i.e. a shower drain rough-in.

Ben, could you please clarify?

Moishe

Ummmmm, Tom? I'm not sure he meant "floor drain" as in "a drain located in the middle of the room for the purpose of draining anything spilled on the floor"; he may have meant "a shower drain (stub-up) that's already installed in the floor" - i.e. a shower drain rough-in.

Ben, could you please clarify?

Moishe

If it's a shower stubup and he wishes to connect a offset drain direct from a platformed shower base he would be setting up a "S" trap. This would be illegal and against code. Regards, Tom
Big ben
It is a regular drain for shower or sink stub up. The drain is only off 3 inches one way and 4 inches the other way.
As far as raising the shower stall I was only thinking about 2 inches at most and maybe putting a 45 deg. Elbow and then another 45 to go down to the drain.

In that case, what you want to do should be OK (although you should wait for Tom to confirm what I'm saying, since he knows plumbing much better). Don't use sharp-turning elbows; use gradual sweep fittings instead, or else clogs could build up at the elbows.

Although I'm guessing you meant to say "90 deg. elbow", not "45 deg. elbow". ;)

Cheers,
Moishe

In that case, what you want to do should be OK (although you should wait for Tom to confirm what I'm saying, since he knows plumbing much better). Don't use sharp-turning elbows; use gradual sweep fittings instead, or else clogs could build up at the elbows.

Although I'm guessing you meant to say "90 deg. elbow", not "45 deg. elbow". ;)

Cheers,
Moishe
Ben
No I meant 2 45 degree elbows just for the fact that I might get away with the problem of drain clogging, by not have the sharp bend.

Oh, that's even better, then! Good luck!

Big ben,
"It is a regular drain for shower or sink stub up. The drain is only off 3 inches one way and 4 inches the other way.
As far as raising the shower stall I was only thinking about 2 inches at most and maybe putting a 45 deg. elbow and then another 45 to go down to the drain."

Sorry Ben, The use of the term "floor drain" instead of shower stub up up through me off. I'm a literal kind of guy. For a 7" dogleg offset if I were going to do it I would use DWV short sweeps in place of elbos or 45's. Cheers, Tom

What you are proposing with the offset, whether with elbos or 45s, is to build a "S" trap which is outlawed in all codes.

Pardon my insolence Tom, but to my little inexperienced-plumber's brain that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Why the heck would that be an S-trap? As far as I know, an S-trap is one where the pipe makes a vertical drop at any point after the trap bend, but before the vent. How is that being violated here? Look at the attached file - I've made a very crude diagram in MSPaint. The red lines represent the pipes already under the cement and in the wall, the light blue box is the proposed shower platform, and the dark blue line is the proposed offset. How is this setup any different than using curved fittings under a sink between the sink tailpiece and the trap? The wastewater drains through the blue pipes, into the red pipe and the trap under the cement, and from the trap bend on it's all kosher till the vent. So what's the problem?

Cheers,
Moishe

Whoops, forgot the attachment:

Moshie, Not insolence at all. I don't know what this page would do without you. You are 100% correct. We don't vent our showers the way you have drawn.. We wet vent them through the lavatory drain. But you're right, he wouldn't be building a "S" trap he would be building a "running trap" and while all those bends aren't good for drainage I can find nothing in the code books that would make it a violation. I applaud you for catching the old man with his pants down. I'll go back and correct my erroneous post. Good job! (Sounds of hands clapping!)

Moshie, Not insolence at all. I don't know what this page would do without you. You are 100% correct. We don't vent our showers the way you have drawn.. We wet vent them through the lavatory drain.

Yeah, I know; but since the lavatory was irrelevant in this case, I didn't bother making a mark on the vertical red pipe marked "lav drain" since it's not worth the effort (I'm using a laptop computer, and the using the touchpad is a horrible method of drawing in MSPaint, so I was trying to draw as little as possible ;)).


I'll go back and correct my erroneous post.

Hmmmmmm, looks like you forgot to do that in the end - I don't see any changes...


Good job!! (Sounds of hands clapping!)

Thank you! Thank you! (deep bow) No autographs, please! :D

Anyway, let's summarize this for Ben's benefit:

All clear, Ben. You may proceed as planned - build a platform, and use two 45s or gradual sweeps (if you play your cards right, you might be able to get away with using "street elbows", and then you won't need to buy a whole 10' length of PVC just for a few inches of it).

Cheers,
Moishe
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Whoops, forgot the attachment:

You are going to considerable trouble to raise the shower floor and pipe over to the existing drain.


I would rather break the concrete and move the drain to where you need it. Then just fill in with a bag of premixed concrete, just add water. It does\nt have to be pretty cause you are going to cover it.