Above floor drain vs below floor drain

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Johnny-Canuck

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I'm starting a project to redo a 2nd floor bathroom in a very old house that had an old clawfoot tub with exposed water supply and drain pipe where the drain pipe connected to a trap under the floor.

I'm replacing this with a tub that will be installed in an alcove (i.e. I'll add a partition wall roughly where the old connections went into the floor).

I'm trying to understand how the connections to a tub that has an "above floor drain" look / need to be roughed in ... compared to a tub with a "below floor drain" look and that I understand / can picture. I was starting on the assumption that I'd simply be using a "below floor drain" tub, but the one I'm looking at will need to be a special order (4 week delivery). If I get an "above floor drain" model, I can have it within a couple of days.

Can someone possibly point me to any info / pictures of how the "above floor drain" connections look?
This is the Kohler Sterling tub model with the AFD (above floor drain) that I'm looking at -> http://www.sterlingplumbing.com/bat...-Drain-71121122-detail?productNumber=71121122 , but the info in the "Spec and Install" tab doesn't really show me what I'm trying to understand.

It makes a reference to the drain running into the wall ... would that logically be the partition wall that I'd be adding? Do I need to put blocking under the tub and make it sit physically higher to allow for the height of the trap?

Any advice / comments would be appreciated.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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Your PTrap will be in the floor cavity where the joists are. Often you need room to make this final connection from above or below. If a finished floor is desired and exposed plumbing needed then the connection should be made from below. You can tile the entire project leaving out a couple of tile and dryfit the entire set up. Once perfect the tub can drop most times onto the overflow and drain location.

Each tub and install is unique so makes sure to mock up your system before you get to ahead of yourself.

JW
 

hj

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If you take a standard 16" tub, then raise it 4", you will have your "above the floor drain" tub. It has a space under it to run pipes. It is designed for high rise buildings where it is difficult, or impossible, to work in the room below to run drain lines and make connections, and/or make holes in the floor.
 
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