2nd Floor Tub Trap Is Built Into 1st Floor Soffit

[Amtrak23]

The drain and trap reach into the 1st floor soffit to run under the joist and connect to the main lines.

The bathrooms are tiny and the soffits really cramp them up. The 2nd floor soffit was all empty space so that was not an issue, but the pipes from upstairs need about 4" of the 1st floors space to get to the main lines out.

It seems like the only option is to reduce the downstairs soffit to just a few inches, which may look odd.

Is there any other option?

 

[Smooky]

I would think the trap would freeze in the soffit. Maybe a few pictures would help us understand what you are talking about.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

Without a lot more information on pipe location, depth and positions of the joists, it's impossible to say. A picture might help. There are numerous rules about boring holes in joists, and you should never do that along the top or bottom, or too close to the end of one, so the path of least resistance is probably through the soffit that was taken originally.

 

[Amtrak23]

Here is what I'm looking at:
http://imgur.com/dQtVU5A

 

[Jadnashua]

You need to double-check the rules, but I think the requirement is no holes in the joist within 2' of the end, so going through the joist probably wouldn't work.

 

[hj]

I cannot understand why you say that the drain would require making the soffit "smaller". I also do not know where they got that fitting, but there is no way I would ever connect to it for a tub drain, (and hope to snake if if it ever gets plugged up).

 

[Amtrak23]

I cannot understand why you say that the drain would require making the soffit "smaller". I also do not know where they got that fitting, but there is no way I would ever connect to it for a tub drain, (and hope to snake if if it ever gets plugged up).

The downstairs bathroom is tiny and the 2nd floor tub trap hangs down about 6" below the downstairs ceiling. The soffit that was built around the trap is about 15" deep. It would be nice to remove the soffit and open the space up a bit, like we did in the 2nd floor, but the trap is in there.

What do you not like about the fitting?

 

[hj]

1. It creates a "long seal" trap
2. It appears to be a "two inlet" trap, and from your photo's angle I cannot tell the elevation of the side inlet.

 

[Jadnashua]

The depth of your soffit only needs to accommodate the actual plumbing, and from what it looks like (hard to tell without being there), it could be lots shorter than 15" from the bottom of the joists.

 

[Smooky]

The picture doesn't show enough of what is there and how it could be fixed. It looks like there is no vent along with the issues HJ mentions.