Toilet 225 degree turn to Stack - will it clog??

[Jackofnotrades]

Hello, we wanted to move the wall in a bathroom on the second floor where the main stack / drain is located. This resulted in the new toilet flange only being a few inches from the main drain. So the plumber pointed the toilet flange the opposite direction and then did a 225 degree u- turn back to the drain. I understand this is allowed by code - but will it cause drainage problems?

Thanks in advance!

 

[WJcandee]

Don't know what state/city you are in, so I don't know what Code, if any, you are under.

What I do know is that a cleanout is normally required for any change of direction over 135 degrees, and you are well beyond that. There's a reason for this requirement. And it's exactly why you asked the question.

Also, what's the side inlet there? It doesn't seem to be angled properly, and I'm wondering if that isn't going to siphon the toilet, or that the toilet flush is going to siphon whatever is on the other end of that inlet.

I also don't understand how the toilet is to be angled, and what size rough-in is contemplated. Code requires certain clearances to the side of the toilet, and toilet design requires a certain distance rough-in (usually 12") from the finished wall to the center of the closet flange. I can't tell for sure from the photo, but I have no idea how that toilet is legally going to be placed over that flange.

Usually, when something looks like a POS hack job, it is. Maybe this is some ingenious Code-compliant workaround that our master plumbers think is amazing, but I seriously doubt it.

Here are two good pieces on plumbing to Code for homeowners.

Helpful Plumbing Hints for Residential Construction by Bert Polk Plumbing Inspector Lincoln County

Plumbing-and-Trenching-for-Homeowners---2018 (klickitatcounty.org)

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cool Blue Harley]

Nope. Nothing ingenious, code-compliant or amazing about that!

 

[Gary Swart]

Hack

 

[WJcandee]

Nope. Nothing ingenious, code-compliant or amazing about that!

Thanks for the confirmation! (And I love how you worded that succinct response!)

 

[FullySprinklered]

I'm not at all worried about the Dr Seuss musical instrument that close to the fixture. It's got head pressure and should scoot through just fine. Toys, apples, cleaning sponges, feminine products could be a problem, though.

I don't see that you've got the proper dimensions from the wall, or sides to make it work. Sometimes hard to tell from the pictures.

 

[MKS]

It does not look like three inch pipe.

 

[Jackofnotrades]

Don't know what state/city you are in, so I don't know what Code, if any, you are under.

What I do know is that a cleanout is normally required for any change of direction over 135 degrees, and you are well beyond that. There's a reason for this requirement. And it's exactly why you asked the question.

Also, what's the side inlet there? It doesn't seem to be angled properly, and I'm wondering if that isn't going to siphon the toilet, or that the toilet flush is going to siphon whatever is on the other end of that inlet.

I also don't understand how the toilet is to be angled, and what size rough-in is contemplated. Code requires certain clearances to the side of the toilet, and toilet design requires a certain distance rough-in (usually 12") from the finished wall to the center of the closet flange. I can't tell for sure from the photo, but I have no idea how that toilet is legally going to be placed over that flange.

Usually, when something looks like a POS hack job, it is. Maybe this is some ingenious Code-compliant workaround that our master plumbers think is amazing, but I seriously doubt it.

Here are two good pieces on plumbing to Code for homeowners.

Helpful Plumbing Hints for Residential Construction by Bert Polk Plumbing Inspector Lincoln County
Plumbing-and-Trenching-for-Homeowners---2018 (klickitatcounty.org)

Thanks, I am in Alberta. The side inlet is a few feet off the floor and is for stack connection to a sink that will be installed along that wall. Clearances are ok with 16"+ to center on the sides and 12" to the back wall.

The plumber says 225 degrees is code so this is fine and it will not get clogged. Can't help but worry though. However given where the main stack is, I'm not sure there is any option?

 

[WJcandee]

Okay, so get a written warranty from him that if it starts clogging, he will dig it out and replace it for free, or consent in writing to a certain dollar amount in liquidated damages (pre-agreed amount of damages) for someone else to replace it with something that works in the event that it's a clogger. See if he is willing to put his money where his mouth is.

In my view -- at least in the US -- you can't take two 1/8-bends and connect them to create something with a narrower sweep than a long-sweep 90 and have that be legal for use in a horizontal change of direction. If he used two 90s and a 45 there, the 90s would have to be long-sweep 90s to be legal, but he glues two 45s together there to create something like a vent 90 or medium 90. You can't legally aggregate shorter-sweep fittings to get around a requirement for a longer-sweep fitting. And he still needs a cleanout. Your code may be different, but this still looks like a hack job to me.

 

[hj]

Have it inspected and THEN see if it is "to code". If so, your inspectors are much more lenient than any I have ever seen. Two 45s are an acceptable 90 degree turn. but the problem is that you have FOUR of them.

 

[Cool Blue Harley]

Two 45s are an acceptable 90 degree turn. but the problem is that you have FOUR of them.[/QUOTE]

There are SIX street 45's in that installation.

 

[WJcandee]

I was going to have a look at the 2010 NRC Canadian Plumbing Code, which is what is in effect in Alberta. Unfortunately, it's a freaking state secret. The text of the code is available only if you purchase it, and the cheapest version I could find is $164, in a PDF that locks only to one computer. I'm pretty sure that that wouldn't be legal here in the US, but whatever. So I guess I will remain blissfully ignorant of the requirements facing our Northern Neighbors, at least for now. Can't even find a used version of the book on that big bookselling site, where you normally could find one for $1.20 plus shipping. Oy.