I'm having a handicap accessible bathroom built from scratch by a GC for my 8 year old daughter with CP. A plumber put in a floor drain and the tile company poured "mud" and tiled the floor. But the pitch is very shallow compared to others we have seen. I have put the brakes on the job until I am assured that it is correct. If it's not enough pitch I am concerned that water will pool and flow out of the shower area. I don't want to have to pull up the tile and mud. But I don't want to wait until the walls and finishing are done either. There is a GC on this job but he never checks the work. Can anyone help with industry specs for this drain pitch.

Thank You

Hey traderglen:

This is a curbless shower... yes? Or does this shower have a curb?

Industry standard is between 1/4" up to 3/16" pitch per foot of tile floor for a curbed shower.

If no curb present (curblees shower so wheelchair can just roll into place) then I would want this pitched back toward drain from front area at 3/16" per foot...the rest of floor at about 1/4" pitch to drain after that.

I usually pitch my curbed shower floors at 1/4" to the foot as it looks better and feels better for my customers. At 3/16" to 1/2" pitch to the foot the floor kind of feels like you are falling into the drain... ;)

Let me know if curb or curbless... Click on this link below for great information on curbless showers.

http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/pubs_p/docs/Curbless.pdf

It is a large file and will take a minute to upload!

You also want to be sure to have proper backing installed for handicap grab bars just in case a caregiver should slip... ;)

Try Tom's test as stated below...let us know what happens.

Thanks... MARK

Answer Marks questions about a curbless shower. It doesn't need much slope to drain a shower base if you have a curb. (about 1/4" to the foot) However, I see your concerns. What I would do at this point is remove the strainer and jam some rags in the drain to seal it off, Now pour water in the base intil the base is covered. Pull the rags, drain the base and check for standing water and the see if the area drained OK. You don't want too much slope in a shower floor. It can make it difficult to stand in once it gets wet and slippery. Good luck, Tom

1/4" per foot sounds about right. As long as you keep your drain clean, you should have no problems. My one thought is this: There is a rubber lip for your shower floor which is specifically designed for wheel chair accessibility. It collapses almost perfectly flat when a chair rolls over it, then returns perfectly to form. When in position it gives substantial allowance for water pooling and not escaping into the rest of the bathroom. If your daughter is in a wheel chair, this might be ideal. I might also suggest this: If a center drain creates a strange surface for the wheel chair, you might consider having the whole shower floor slope (again at 1/4" per foot) to a single gutter along one wall, which then flows into your ABS drain. This will make the whole floor true - though not level.

Hi Robert and Welcome to The Plumbing Page. At AskMeHelpDesk.com. You're responding to a 4 year old dead thread s Look in then upper left hand corner of the first post form the date before you post and Thanks for your input. Very helpful. Regards, Tom