Direct Vent Basement fixtures?

[TrickyMik]

Greetings everyone. I’ve been stalking y’all for a good long time. Usually able to find what I need via searching and not having to create an account or post. You guys have helped me install/replace/repair water heaters, water lines, faucets, sinks just to name a few. Alas finally, I need to ask my own question. I apologize in advance as I tend to be long winded for the sake of clarity. Additionally I’d like to thank anyone in advance who takes the time to offer input. Lastly I apologize if this is in the wrong section.

I have a 2 story home with a walk out basement, (so 3 stories in the rear). Finished bathroom on top floor, kitchen sink on first floor and a laundry room in the basement. The laundry room in the basement at some point the previous owner broke up the concrete slab and installed a toilet. The room isn’t finished so you can see the saw marks etc where they did work to find that main stack under the slab.

I’m no plumber but, there is no vent and it’s like 2 feet from the main 4inch stack everything is draining into, so I guess this toilet is direct vented?

My problem/questions are for two reasons. Im pretty certain the previous owner didn’t pull a permit as the county records etc still list the property as single bath not 1-1/2”. So the first question is, would that be considered a direct vent and an acceptable and appropriate setup? I have half a mind to invite an inspector in to get it legitimized. I’m hoping they don’t request that I tear up that concrete so they can make sure the slope and all that is correct. But if they do they do.

The second part is that being as there is a toilet there already, it is a pretty big room. I would like to make it a legit 2nd bath and put a shower stall and sink in also. But I’m worried about the venting. I’ve read bad things about the admittance valves, and I think it would be very prohibitive to try to tie into any vents on the above floors.

I read in a the code that anything within 5 feet would be considered direct venting. So that’s my second question. If I layout the new fixtures so that they are all within five feet of that stack and I tie them into it before that toilet that’s already there, would that be acceptable and correct?

If your require any further info to provide input please let me know.

Thank you

 

[TrickyMik]

Greetings everyone. I’ve been stalking y’all for a good long time. Usually able to find what I need via searching and not having to create an account or post. You guys have helped me install/replace/repair water heaters, water lines, faucets, sinks just to name a few. Alas finally, I need to ask my own question. I apologize in advance as I tend to be long winded for the sake of clarity. Additionally I’d like to thank anyone in advance who takes the time to offer input. Lastly I apologize if this is in the wrong section.

I have a 2 story home with a walk out basement, (so 3 stories in the rear). Finished bathroom on top floor, kitchen sink on first floor and a laundry room in the basement. The laundry room in the basement at some point the previous owner broke up the concrete slab and installed a toilet. The room isn’t finished so you can see the saw marks etc where they did work to find that main stack under the slab.

I’m no plumber but, there is no vent and it’s like 2 feet from the main 4inch stack everything is draining into, so I guess this toilet is direct vented?

My problem/questions are for two reasons. Im pretty certain the previous owner didn’t pull a permit as the county records etc still list the property as single bath not 1-1/2”. So the first question is, would that be considered a direct vent and an acceptable and appropriate setup? I have half a mind to invite an inspector in to get it legitimized. I’m hoping they don’t request that I tear up that concrete so they can make sure the slope and all that is correct. But if they do they do.

The second part is that being as there is a toilet there already, it is a pretty big room. I would like to make it a legit 2nd bath and put a shower stall and sink in also. But I’m worried about the venting. I’ve read bad things about the admittance valves, and I think it would be very prohibitive to try to tie into any vents on the above floors.

I read in a the code that anything within 5 feet would be considered direct venting. So that’s my second question. If I layout the new fixtures so that they are all within five feet of that stack and I tie them into it before that toilet that’s already there, would that be acceptable and correct?

If your require any further info to provide input please let me know.

Thank you

After thinking about it some more I guess if I want to tie in other fixture’s drains, I’m gonna have to tear up that concrete and expose it anyway. My area uses IPC 2015 by the way.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

As soon as you connect upstairs fixtures to the pipe, it is no longer a "direct vent" and cannot be used as one.

 

[TrickyMik]

As soon as you connect upstairs fixtures to the pipe, it is no longer a "direct vent" and cannot be used as one.

Thanks for the reply HJ. I appreciate it. All the upstairs fixtures are attached and draining into it. I was sort of getting the impression from some other threads I was reading that this was a no go. So that means this toilet they installed is not properly vented then right?

 

[Terry]

The downstairs fixtures get their own vents. If you can't run a vent upwards then you're looking at an AAV. Make sure it's accessible and has air.

They make a nice box to put them in.

 

[TrickyMik]

The downstairs fixtures get their own vents. If you can't run a vent upwards then you're looking at an AAV. Make sure it's accessible and has air.

They make a nice box to put them in.

Thanks for the reply and the diagram Terry. I really do appreciate you guys taking the time.

 

[TrickyMik]

I figured I would revive this old thread instead of starting a new one. Does this diagram look correct provided the local inspector approves the use of AAV in my area?

 

[Terry]

The washer can't be on a wet vent with a lav or toilet. The washer comes in downstream from bathroom fixtures which means that toilets, lavs, tubs and showers are upstream from where the washer ties in.

 

[TrickyMik]

The washer can't be on a wet vent with a lav or toilet. The washer comes in downstream from bathroom fixtures which means that toilets, lavs, tubs and showers are upstream from where the washer ties in.

Thanks for taking the time to reply Terry, I appreciate it. If I’m understanding correctly your saying the washer has to tie into the drain after the bathroom group does. Does tying into the drain at the same place on the opposite side of a combo count? For example, in my diagram if I switched the shower and the washer would that be acceptable?

 

[TrickyMik]

So I wanted to see if there was a way to tie (basement) into the vent of the kitchen sink (1st floor) instead of using AAV's in the basement. My assumption was that the kitchen sink (1st floor) had a dry vent that would go up the walls and tie into the bathroom group (2nd floor) dry vent somewhere above the flood level of that bathroom group. So I tore did some drywall deconstruction in the basement so I could access that kitchen drain from underneath and see what was going on.

Long story short, my kitchen sink doesn't have a dry vent. The drain drops down from the sink, through the floor into the basement and then runs underneath the floor joists about 55" over to and ties into the main 3" drain pipe that goes up to the second floor bathroom group and down into the slab and out into the street. There are no branches off of it anywhere that would be a vent. How is that right?

It's my understanding from you guys that because there is a WC on the second floor that the 3" main drain can't be used as a wet vent for anything but it certainly appears my house has that setup. What gives? Changes in the code? My house was built in 79.

 

[James Henry]

Sounds like a " single stack vent". Probably fine.

 

[TrickyMik]

Thanks for the reply James, I'm off to research "single stack vents" to try to figure this out. I appreciate your feedback.