I'm making my 1/2 bath into a full bath, and added a drain and vent. When the inspector came out, he said it looks good, but "the drain line is not under test". What exactly do I need to do to make him happy?

[
QUOTE=;]"the drain line is not under test".[/QUOTE]
The inspector wants you to seal off the new work and fill the vent with water and let it set overnight. As a rule inspectors want a 10 foot head of water for this test. Not knowing your configuration I can't tell you exactly just where to seal the pipes but I can tell you that you will have to use inflatable test balls or mechanical plugs,(see image) to do the job. Good luck on the inspection. Tom

Thank you Tom! I have a really good idea what he's looking for right now. I guess now I need to figure out how many test balls I need and where to put them. The drain that was added has a U, then goes approximately 5 inches across to a Y. It splits down to the main drain which looks like it's 6-7" wide? Then the other part has a 45 degree angle up to the vertical straight pipe where it connects to the toilet vent at approximately 3' up going up to the roof.

With this setup, I guess I would need to seal the following:
1) on the left side of the main drain (of the new addition)
2) on the right side of the main drain (of the new addition)
3) the vertical connection where the toilet and new shower drain meet, but cap only the toilet side
4) the drain itself
Fill it with water, wait overnight, and ask the inspector to check it.

Thanks!

Hi guys:

You need a cleanout (test tee) installed at that U-turn...

As Tom mentioned, you need to fill the drain and vent with water. You can also do it with air pressure, but I don't recommend it... much harder!

If the shower drain pipe is accessible then I would cut in a 2" test tee (see images) at the U-turn and use a CHERNE-SEAL test plug (see images). You'll also need a 2" CHERNE TEST BALL (see my image or Toms) to plug off the shower drain. These are only found at a local plumbing supply store.

The nice thing about these chern-seal test plugs is that you can easily drain the system after the test. Then you remove the cherne-seal test plug and install the 2" threaded cap with thread sealant.

If the pipes aren't accessible, let us know.

Mark

SORRY GUYS...LOOKS LIKE I WAS POSTING IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR EXCHANGE!


.