Stacked Townhouse - changing tub drain for shower

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Tlee2310

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I'm in the planning phases right now, I wish to remove the original metal bath tub and install a shower (build a pan, seal it, tile it).

I live in the bottom level of a 3 level stacked townhouse complex in Canada built in 1999/2000. Under me is the underground parking garage, I am unsure of how thick the concrete is, but the parking below me is the second level down, not the first, the first parking level does not go under my unit.

I have not done any cutting or removal of the existing tub/walls yet, I'm trying to anticipate if my current metal tub drain and p-trap will be encased in concrete, and if it is, how safe would it be to demo some of the concrete to get to the trap?

I've done some searches but none seem specific to stack townhouses. I don't believe cutting my ceiling to look at the plumbing above me will be a good guage, as the upper levels are built on wood framing/2" concrete, where I'm sitting ontop of the garage.
 
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Jadnashua

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You might need to talk to the building inspector. Unless you can rearrange the room, the existing drain will not be in the middle of the new shower. There are alternatives to that, one of which is to use a linear drain at one end of the shower. At least a couple of companies make tub -shower kits that might work - two in mind are from Schluter and Mapei. Each is designed to keep the drain in the same place. Canada allows a tub drain to be 1.5" (as does the USA), but in the USA, they require a 2" drain for a shower (it's my understanding that Canada allows a 1.5" drain for a shower, so in that, you're in luck but most shower drains are designed for 2").

Being a parking garage underneath, and a multi-family dwelling, you will have to deal with fire breaks and fire stops...so, it's almost certain that the area around the drain is encased in at least something (and, you'll need to replicate that when done). I most places in the states, a homeowner is not allowed to do plumbing in a multi-family dwelling, so you need to understand the rules for where you live. Planning certainly doesn't hurt, but it's likely a pro will have to do at least the plumbing.

There are lots of ways to attack any situation, and they each have their benefits and weak points. Would need more info on what you are trying to achieve to narrow the recommendations down to a way to attack this problem/opportunity.

Of the shower builds available, I prefer a surface applied bonded membrane. There are probably at least a half dozen approved in your area - you need to find out which one(s) are allowed, should you decide to go that route. As opposed to a 'conventional' shower where the actual waterproofing (or water resistance, when it comes to the walls) is buried underneath a layer of cement products, a surface membrane waterproofed shower puts all of the waterproofing directly underneath the tile so that there's much less that can get wet which can go a long ways towards limiting or stopping things like mold or mildew, a symptom of an incorrectly built shower.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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You need to remove the tub and see what kind of fire blocking they did.

Can you see P-Traps in the parking lot? Often there is a store room or mechanical room separating the garage and the suite. If you can see P-Traps you could check and see how they fire blocked.

I would bet you see a fireproof insulation from the parking view. Most likely some Hilti fireproof chaulk over top of this.

You will want to install a fireproof drain. I like the cast iron ones from Watts. Go with a premium waterproofing liner - something like NobleSeal CIS. Or one of the many cheaper Canadian versions.

We have talked about converting tubs to showers a lot here on Terry's forum. Posted a lot of pictures as well. - https://terrylove.com/forums/index....couver-multi-family-apartment-building.46655/

There is the last place I shard some info on the subject.
 
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ShowerDude

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Tlee you should find something similar to this. Hilti does make a better fire blocking brick, often times my plumber uses wool...its common round here......A simple phone call to your inspectors will guide you in the process.
IMG_1044.JPG
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Here i had my plumber re locate the riser to fit A wedi pan install.

Real good fast option for condo hi rise projects and they flood test well......
 

Tlee2310

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Thanks for the links and direction. I will read through it!
 

Tlee2310

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I went ahead and demo'd the existing tiles, backerboard and removed the tub. Under the tub, it looked pretty much like what RedShoecounterbalance posted above, but the opening was much smaller. The existing drain opening was packed with fireproofing materials and the fire stop sealant on top.

I was poking around and noticed that the original builder cut out a small trough (approx 1" deep) to accommodate the original 1.5" tub drain. Looking under this tub drain, I can see some exposed rebar (or maybe its post-tension cable.. not sure). I asked my property management if the place is built with post-tension cable and they had no idea.

Recommendations on how to proceed? I would need get under the rebar/cable to fit in 2" piping. I measured and if I put 2" piping in the existing trough, the drain would be too high up (beyond the 3 stack of 2x4 curb). And just to re-hash, I'm doing this in a multi family dweling, stacked 3 levels and I'm at the bottom.
 

Jadnashua

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Canada allows a 1.5" line for a shower (at least from what I hear), but a 2" one (or larger, depending on the water volume) is required as a minimum in the USA. If you are only planning on one shower head, you can probably live with the existing 1.5" line...you need to check with your local inspector to be sure. Most of the drains are 2", and the reducer will add some required length to the riser which could be an issue.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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You are not going to re-pipe that shower from above. No way.

Do you have access from below?

Why not use the old 1 1/2" drain line. I do it all the time here in Vancouver.
 

Tlee2310

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access from below is possible, but difficult. Property management says I need engineers to come in and evaluate if I want to move plumbing around or modify the concrete floor in any way.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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I would not touch the floor for sure. You can install a new drain where the old tub line dropped down into the slab.

If you work from below you might be lucky and find you can easily switch out to 2" lines and 2" P-Traps.

Most times when we do condo work here in Vancouver we keep the old 1 1/2" drain line and bush down our shower drains from 2" to 1 1/2".
 
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