I purchased a house a few months ago. This house has a slab on grade. I was trying to figure out where a musty smell was coming from in my master bathroom. I found that both my garden tub and my shower are exposed to about 2'X2' of ground underneath. This house is only 5 years old. Is this normal or just a shortcut that the contractor took. Should this be sealed or what? I have never seen this, but can't recall ever seeing underneath a tub or a shower on a slab.

I am not convinced that this is the source of my problem.
What would it take to get up to code.
Thanks in advance

Hi Rods:

Check out this link...

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/plumbi...ght=tub+dapout

It discusses your question in great detail.

Basically, it is not a code requirement to fill the hole. At a shower, I would have filled the hole for increased support under shower base. For tub drain I would not fill so I could access the pipes/fittings in future if needed.

Check out the link I posted... let us know what you think... Mark

Thanks for the quick response. Its good to have a place to go to for such questions.

Glad to help Rods! Anytime.

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I found that both my garden tub and my shower are exposed to about 2'X2' of ground underneath. This house is only 5 years old. Is this normal or just a shortcut that the contractor took.

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This is normally the way we leave our dap outs unless we're told to do other wise. We leave them open so the tub waste and trap can be serviced if necessary. We also have the dry wall man cut in a access panel for the same reason. I wouldn't use foam to fill the hole because it will also cover the joints and if you develop a leak you won't be able to spot it. Good luck, Tom