We have a ranch home on a slab foundation. We are remodeling the bathroom so when I pulled the old tub up I discovered the drain pipe from the tub and the pipe coming out of the foundation were not connected. The two pipes lined up and water flowed from one to another but the excess water that ran over just seemed to drain into the soil. Is this normal? Is it safe? It's a pretty deep hole filled half way with gravel and mulch it looks like. The water doesn't stand for any amount of time.

Hi Sjessup...

Are you sure you didn't disconnect pipes when you removed the tub..

If you did or didn't doesn't really matter... what does matter is that a tub drain needs to connect directly to the sewer system.. without exception! The tub drain should also be associated with a vent of some kind.

Sounds like your drain may have run outside to a drywell or something like that... hard to say without a picture... ;)

Tub drains have a tub waste and overflow assembly that connects to tub and then connects to the plumbing system... see 1st picture below. This connects to the ptrap (2nd picture) and then to the plumbing system (3rd picture). Sometimes there is also an individual vent that connects just after the ptrap.. depends on code requirements in your area...

Anyway... sounds like this needs to be connected to plumbing system... let me know what you think...

MARK

The pipes couldn't have been connected. I was expecting to have to get under the tub some how and disconnect them but when I pulled the old tub up it came right out. I lined the tub drain and the trap coming out of the foundation and they didn't even fit together. My guess is that the tub drain was just sitting on top of the trap. The tub drain is connected as the first picture indicates it should be. The overflow tube goes down into the trap, I guess the trap is the white curved pipe as shown in the picture to the right. I haven't gutted the whole bathroom so I haven't seen the pipe system for the whole bathroom just around the tub. There is a ptrap attatched to a pipe coming out of the foundation. The tube from the tub drain fits in the ptrap. Water flows in but there is some overflow that comes out at drain into the soil. Water doesn't just come out of the tub directly to the ground. I was more concerned with the overflow draining into the soil. Sorry if this is confusing. It's hard for me to explain I'm kind of a novice.

Thanks for the reply by the way.

Well... seems to me either way that when installing new tub you need to connect it properly to the sewer system.

Let us know if need more info...

MARK

Fwiw - in the picture (plumbing-basics-ga-1.jpg) it shows all drains in bathroom connecting to section of drain between toilet flange and vertical sewer pipe. This IS an illegal connection. You can not use this particular horizontal pipe (again only between toilet flange & where it wye's into vertical sewer line) for a connection - period. Just ask your inspector.

Hi Zorgtoon...

Nothing illegal about that drawing in terms of a WET VENTED BATHROOM group. Although not legal in all states, most states are now allowing some form of wet venting... ;)

For future readers, please note that the drawing above shows incorrect fittings in that sanitary tee fittings cannot be used in this application... only WYE fittings!

Mark