Shower Drain: Elbow before trap

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Philwgreen

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Currently working on a basement remodel. There is a shower on the floor above and it's trap sticks down below the floor joist - it's an old house with 2x6 floor joists. Immediately after the trap it exits above a partition wall and into a crawl space before joining the main stack. I've tried my best to draw it in the first attached image.

shower-current.jpg


Originally the plan was to box out that trap in the basement but it's directly above a bathtub/shower combo. Before I do that, I was wondering if it's possible to add a 90 and short run before the trap - essentially offset the trap. If that's possible, it would eliminate the need to box around it and the trap would end up in the crawlspace portion.

I've tried to sketch out the basic idea in the second attached image.

shower-proposed.jpg


With the exception of possible snaking issue later, can something like this be done?
 

Cacher_Chick

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We prefer to avoid this, not only because it is harder to clean, but because the buildup of organic material in the piping before the trap can create a horrible smell.
 

Philwgreen

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As always, thanks for you help.

I get what you're saying about the buildup in the horizontal section of the pipe. The (potential) good news is that my drawing is not perfectly to scale. The horizontal section would be roughly 6"-8" long - not sure if that makes much difference.

Would the 90 before the trap need to be a long sweep or could it be a regular 90? If I went with a regular 90, would the only downside be that its harder to clean/snake? The 2x6 joists don't leave me with a lot of room.
 

FullySprinklered

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Years ago, my first experience with draining "handicap" lavatories included pretty much the layout you have in picture #2. If you go that route, do use the long sweep as your 90. Also, make the exit from the trap lower than the entry. Less than ideal, but it'll work. Odors might be a problem, but many homes nowadays are so imbued with stomach churning household fragrances and sub-continent cooking odors, that drain smells just might go totally unnoticed.
 

Philwgreen

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Thanks. Just took a look at it using a long sweep 90...and it doesn't quite fit in the joist bay. With the tub drain taken into account, I'm about an 1" short. How deterimatal would it be to have a regular 90 there? Or is there some clever way to use 45s instead?

It also looks like the total offset would be about 6". After the 90 I only need to go over about 6" to get the trap in the stud bay of the partition wall. I've updated my picture to better show that.

If odors become an issue, what's the best way to clean that section of pipe? Is there even a method to do that?
shower-proposed_v3.jpg
 

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Philwgreen

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Thanks. I'll try it out.

Anyone have any ideas on how to potentially clean the horizontal section if odors should develop? Or is it small enough at 6" that it's not worth worrying about.
 

Jadnashua

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Remove the grate on the drain, and use an appropriately sized bottle brush. Kind of a pain, but it should work.
 

Reach4

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Brasscraft Medium Drain Bladder.

Dribble a disinfectant down the drain. Diluted chlorine bleach and diluted vinegar. That is used to sanitize wells and pipes. Don't use too much vinegar, because the bleach can offgas chlorine if the acid is too strong.
 
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