Anyone know if I can use an adaptor and a 1.5" p-trap with 2" plumbing for a shower drain? Is the smaller ptrap going to cause any issues? There's no way I'm going to dig a big enough hole in the concrete for a 2" ptrap.

 

is a plumber---and he knows his stuff; he has helped me out with advice. Perhaps he will get a chance to read this and help you out, as well.

Tim C.

 

Here in MA, the plumbing code says that we have to use two inch pipe to serve a shower.

I all likelyhood you wouldn't have any problems using an inch and a half p-trap. I would be concerned that if there were any build up in the drain, which there will be in time (especially if someone in the house has long hair) the drain might not be able to handle the water quickly enough.

Why do you want to do it this way? Where is the concrete you'de have to dig a hole in? If it's in a basement or on a slab, we would usually put a hole in the floor (break the concrete out) to accomodate the trap.

 

Yes sir, this is in a basement. A small 32x32 shower nook. I've already dug a whole in the cement with an air chissel but I'm FAR from having room for a 2" ptrap. The 1.5" ptrap fits already. I dont know if I'm going to be able to make a big enough hole for the 2" but I dont want to install an entire shower and then have problems

 

If you do it right and never have problems, you will never know if the 1.5" trap would have worked. If you do the 1.5" and you do ever have problems you will fully regret not doing the 2" trap.

If it were me, I would put in the extra work and do it right the first time.

 

Your going to need the 2inch.
The volume of water entering the drain will cause it to back up with a 1 1/2.
A simple process of air and water. To much water and not enough air and it backs up.
Why do you think your tub drains so slow until the vortex appears drawing air with the water then the amount of water draining increases.

 

So, is the drain pipe above the floor, and you need to get the J-bend of the p-trap to sit low enough to make the connection on the shower base? If that is the case I would bust a big hole in the floor and then cement it up. Usually the pipe is under the floor. In this case we make a one foot square hole. This gives room for the p-trap and the shower drain (installed on the shower base).

Actually, I've seen many showers piped with inch and a half. It will work, but when the soap and hair builds up, it will back up. We're doing a bunch of work in a big, old house that a customer just bought. The plumbing has been hacked for years. The shower has a two inch p-trap but then the pipe is reduced to inch and a half. It's not good and there is a great potential for problems but it works. We'll have to replace it to bring it up to code though.

On our bath tubs, most of us have a tub waste and overflow. The tee fitting that the overflow and tub shoe go into also has provisions for the stopper. On most that I see there is a reduction in diameter to accept the cylinder that is the stopper. There are other types, but one of the main reasons a tub drains slower than say a shower is the reduction in diameter in the tee fitting. That's also the place where soap scum and hair accumulate.

 

When the previous owner put in the drop in shower, he didnt add a p-trap. This of course made an awful stink from time to time. Now we decided to re-do the shower and when we asked a plumber out to clean the pipes, he pointed out the p-tran problem. Now I'm trying to get one in.

Sorry for the picture quality, I dont know what corel draw is doing to my image. Upper left is the current connect point. Upper right is what was connected. Obviously you can see both p-traps I'm digging in the center square and currently have a hole probably 2.5 wide, 2 deep, 6 long. I'm going to have to find a way to go at least 3 inches further down for that trap. The only other possibility is to go down another inch and ditch the 2x4 between the hole and the rest of the plumbing. Then the water would have to go down into the ptrap, back up out of the ptrap, down into the plumbing, then up just a little at the top of the image. The base of the drop in shower sits on the 2x4s.

 

UC, would it be possible to build up the base framing for the shower to give you the clearance you need? It may be easier to go that route. If not, happy digging.

Sled...

 

Good suggestion but the ceiling is only 8 foot and I'm 6'2" so losing 8" or so is already enough.

 

Cut the frame out with a sawzall or something else and bust the hole as big as you need to put in the P-trap. Then rebuild your frame as needed.

I had a company come in and use cultured marble for my shower...We replaced a leaky tile shower....It turned out awesome...The shower base sat right on the cement floor. The whole thing is solid surfaces with the seams caulked..

Just in case while the old shower base was out we busted out the concrete big enough and replaced with a new P-trap....

 

The point of this thread is that 'busting out' the concrete is proving very difficult. I was given a quote of $600 to have someone do it so I'm trying to do it with my air hammer/chisel

 

Rent a jackhammer....Busting it would take little time

 

It says it's 24 bit but looks like It's converting it to 8 bit when you save it. I'd check in preferences, I dont know corel at all so can't do a walk through but it's bound to be in there somewhere.

My suggestion, to save money and still get the job done, I'd get a masonary blade for your skil saw, (assuming you already have a skill saw) cut a rectangle with it, then use your air chisel to wedge in the groove and bust chunks of concrete at a time out. May have to make a bigger hole so you can get the skill saw in the hole to go deep enough, but your going to have to buy an entire bag of quickrete any way. Won't take any longer to patch back up.

 

If it were me, I would take my twelve inch chisel and my three pound sledge hammer and puch a hole in the cement. Then do another spot. Continue to do this and you will eventually have room for the trap. The air chisel that you have, is similar in size and ability to the Bosch that I have on my truck. It's too small for the application. A bigger mechanicle hammer would do the job pretty quickly. We rent bigger mechanical hammers because many consider them "self destructing" tools. I have the hammer and chisel to do the job manually though.

Six hundred bucks seems like a lot. If you have a bunch of other stuff that needs to be "corrected" (like that old house I mentioned in a previous post) then maybe it's ok. If you don't have permits then you should keep trying. I think you're almost there. It might require some blood, sweat and tears, but not a bunch of money.