Hello. I have a townhouse in VA with an unfinished basement that I am trying to finish with a 3/4 bathroom. I have a rough in for a toilet and a sink, but none for a shower yet. There is also a 2" floor drain. The floor drain, toilet, and sink all use the same vent (I think).

I would like to add a shower when I finish the basement. I was wondering if it would meet code to drain the shower into the floor drain? I was thinking I could raise the shower base about 3" and use 1.5" pipe to the floor drain, and then use the P trap already in the floor drain. It's 36" from where the shower drain will be to the floor drain. The only thing using the floor drain now is the air conditioning condenser and the whole house humidifier. The floor drain connects to the main sewage line. (If I do this can I run the humidifier and A/C drain line to the sump pump, or even keep them connected to the floor drain?)

A second option is to raise the shower about 6" and connect to a 3" pipe that comes down from the first floor and goes into the concrete floor. It is about 20" to the 3" pipe from where the shower drain will be located. I know I would still have to vent this before the connection.

My last option is to have someone break the concrete and install a rough in. While I know this is probably the preferred method I would have to put off finishing the bathroom part of my basement for about a year if I did this in order to hire a plumber, and I would prefer to finish sooner rather than later.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

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Originally Posted by connellyt

Hello. I have a townhouse in VA with an unfinished basement that I am trying to finish with a 3/4 bathroom. I have a rough in for a toilet and a sink, but none for a shower yet. There is also a 2" floor drain. The floor drain, toilet, and sink all use the same vent (I think).

I would like to add a shower when I finish the basement. I was wondering if it would meet code to drain the shower into the floor drain? I was thinking I could raise the shower base about 3" and use 1.5" pipe to the floor drain, and then use the P trap already in the floor drain. It's 36" from where the shower drain will be to the floor drain. The only thing using the floor drain now is the air conditioning condenser and the whole house humidifier. The floor drain connects to the main sewage line. (If I do this can I run the humidifier and A/C drain line to the sump pump, or even keep them connected to the floor drain?)

A second option is to raise the shower about 6" and connect to a 3" pipe that comes down from the first floor and goes into the concrete floor. It is about 20" to the 3" pipe from where the shower drain will be located. I know I would still have to vent this before the connection.

My last option is to have someone break the concrete and install a rough in. While I know this is probably the preferred method I would have to put off finishing the bathroom part of my basement for about a year if I did this in order to hire a plumber, and I would prefer to finish sooner rather than later.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

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Let me give you still another option. (you can never have too many options).
When we lived up north we had the same situation in our basement. My father chose the easiest out. He used the floor drain and the sloped floor as the shower base. After he installed the shower valve and spray He then ran a half circle chrome shower rod around the shower, anchored it to the walls and enclosed it with a shower curtain. We used that basement shower until we moved to Florida. No walls took out, no floor jackhammered up and no problem in water pipeing since the pipes and valve were strapped and exposed. Just a suggestion. Regards, Tom

I appreciate the other option, but unfortunately, the floor drain is too close to the rough in for me to use it like that. It's only about 18 inches from the toilet rough in. Once I put up a wall between that and the toilet rough in, most of my space is gone.

I think I'll end up breaking the concrete. If I'm going to do it, I guess I should do it once, and right the first time.

Thanks.
Tom