First Timer here - begging your expertise

[William Powell]

Ladies and Gents,

Let me start off by saying I am not a plumber, but I have a very high level of professional respect for plumbers as I am also in technical work. I am a mechanical engineer, and ex auto mechanic. I know enough to get myself into trouble, but only realized how complicated plumbing can be after doing lots of research for my home DIY project and landing on this site repeatedly.

So on to my first question! Is it okay to have a wye in vertical orientation as shown in this photo?? The 2" leg goes to a tee. One leg of the tee goes vertical up thru the floor into the wall next to the stack, and rejoins the stack above 2 feet about the sink flood level. The other leg continues horizontally to a washing stand pipe (with no trap) and laundry basin (with trap).

Please excuse the fact that the main stack pipe is duct-taped together. This was not my doing, and I am trying to re-work the entire stack during my bathroom remodel. I previously was encouraged by the fact that someone had already broken the concrete and replaced the bottom section with PVC, but upon further investigation, it seems I may need to redo that portion as well...

Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!

William

 

[William Powell]

Here is a wider shot to see the tee with vent going up and the washer standpipe and basin trap are just to the left (out of view).

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

So on to my first question! Is it okay to have a wye in vertical orientation as shown in this photo?? The 2" leg goes to a tee.

Wyes are pretty much good for whatever drainage you put through them, as long as the pipes are big enough. The things this serves will have been vented previously.

What is that big black pipe above the big PVC?

 

[William Powell]

That's the main stack (cast iron) going through the roof. More pics coming for better reference

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

Wyes are pretty much good for whatever drainage you put through them, as long as the pipes are big enough. The things this serves will have been vented previously.

What is that big black pipe above the big pvc?

Yikes.. that's cast iron in a PVC coupling! And potentially a duct tape coupling under that!

 

[Reach4]

That's the main stack (cast iron) going through the roof. More pics coming for better reference

I hope that is well-supported by riser clamps etc. You don't want pvc carrying weight of cast iron.

That connection is not normal-looking either.

 

[William Powell]

No that connection is absolutely horrible, they just filled the brim with plumber's putty that has hardened and just falls out when picked at. Its a mess!!! I think its a joint with the tape, but have not verified yet.... I was hoping to make some changes and keep the wye in the floor...

Please do not worry, the cast iron is well support at attic junction (bearing the weight).

Here are a couple pics of the nastiness...

 

[William Powell]

here you can see the craziness they did to make this vent rejoin the stack upstairs... second pic shows my revised plan for this basement section. I want to move the basin sink to the opposite side and eliminate the washing machine stand pipe entirely. bringing the vent up on the opposite side of the stack should be easier than the crazy 45s to get back to where it is now. third pic shows the vent where it reconnects in the wall, and the new plan. Does this all seem reasonable?

 

[William Powell]

here is a very rough sketch on how it fits into the rest of the system... (picture shows planned system - not existing)

 

[William Powell]

Here is a cleaned up version. Sorry its so rough...

here are the fittings:
1. 4x4x2 wye in cement - as seen in photos above
2. 2" street 45 - as seen in photos above
3. 2" tee - sanitee or different??
4. 2" street 45
5. 2" street 45
6. 2" street 45
7. 2" street 45
(6&7 possibly replaced by 2" combo and cleanout)
8. laundry basin sink trap, 1.5" okay here?
9. 2" 90 deg vent fitting
10. 4x4x2 sanitee
11. 4x4x3 sanitee
12. 4x4x2 santiee upside down - is that correct for venting?
13. 4x4x1.5 sanitee updside down - same question
(12 could be above 13)
14. 4x3 closet bend
15. 2x2x1.5 tee?- what is correct for this use?
16. 1.5" sanitee
17. 1.5" 90 deg vent fitting
18. bath lav trap - 1.5" correct?
19. 2" combo fitting (name?) with cleanout plug and cap
20. sanitee on its side to get shower vent to existing location - is a tee on its side okay? with slight slope?
21. 2" street 45
22. 2" street 45
23. trap for tub - 1.5" okay here?

Can you guys help get me into reasonable shape again? I really dont want to have taped together pipes anymore!! I seriously appreciate your insights!

 

[William Powell]

I hope that is well-supported by riser clamps etc. You don't want pvc carrying weight of cast iron.

That connection is not normal-looking either.

I know!! It is so bad!! I have to correct this!

Do you think my plan above is anywhere close to being correct? I know that's a big ask, no pressure.

 

[William Powell]

Yikes.. that's cast iron in a PVC coupling! And potentially a duct tape coupling under that!

Thanks for your input, obviously this is a shameful mess! Would appreciate your insights on correcting it if you would be willing to share your thoughts.

 

[William Powell]

This is probably the wrong place to get into such an involved question at the end of a thread. I got the original answer from one person, saying the wye is not a problem. I hope someone speaks up if that is incorrect!

I have posted this question to the proper section of this forum, here:
https://terrylove.com/forums/index....list-correct-does-this-plan-make-sense.93567/

Moderators please feel free to fix this if I am breaking all your rules (sorry!).

 

[Mr tee]

The wye is fine. It would be incorrect it was connecting a trap arm to the vertical, but that is not what you are doing.

 

[PlumbNuts]

Here is a cleaned up version. Sorry its so rough...

here are the fittings:
1. 4x4x2 wye in cement - as seen in photos above
2. 2" street 45 - as seen in photos above
3. 2" tee - sanitee or different??
4. 2" street 45
5. 2" street 45
6. 2" street 45
7. 2" street 45
(6&7 possibly replaced by 2" combo and cleanout)
8. laundry basin sink trap, 1.5" okay here?
9. 2" 90 deg vent fitting
10. 4x4x2 sanitee
11. 4x4x3 sanitee
12. 4x4x2 santiee upside down - is that correct for venting?
13. 4x4x1.5 sanitee updside down - same question
(12 could be above 13)
14. 4x3 closet bend
15. 2x2x1.5 tee?- what is correct for this use?
16. 1.5" sanitee
17. 1.5" 90 deg vent fitting
18. bath lav trap - 1.5" correct?
19. 2" combo fitting (name?) with cleanout plug and cap
20. sanitee on its side to get shower vent to existing location - is a tee on its side okay? with slight slope?
21. 2" street 45
22. 2" street 45
23. trap for tub - 1.5" okay here?

Can you guys help get me into reasonable shape again? I really dont want to have taped together pipes anymore!! I seriously appreciate your insights!

On the fittings that you have numbered 4 & 5 why are you using two street 45's instead of a LT90?
The drawing makes it hard to determine but it seems that you are rolling the two 45"s up to raise the basin trap; if this is correct then you would have to add an AAV at the trap.
Do you intend to delete the existing "laundry riser" and "laundry basin" drain?

 

[Reach4]

#8:"basin trap" is laundry sink. You don't plan to have a standpipe for a washing machine, and will drain the WM into the sink, right?

A standpipe needs 2 inch, but 1.5 is ok for a laundry. WI has its own code, but I expect it is like others in that regard.

I think connection 8...12 should be at least 6 inches higher than the rim of the toilet.

 

[William Powell]

On the fittings that you have numbered 4 & 5 why are you using two street 45's instead of a LT90?
The drawing makes it hard to determine but it seems that you are rolling the two 45"s up to raise the basin trap; if this is correct then you would have to add an AAV at the trap.
Do you intend to delete the existing "laundry riser" and "laundry basin" drain?

First, I was planning pairs of 45s because I was unfamiliar with the long turn 90s. That certainly seems to be smarter... What about the cleanout for the "second" pair? Would that be smart or just a waste of time? Could help clear out clogged laundry basin sink drain.

The 45s arent to get height, it is mainly to get the proper angles. LT 90s probably would be better? If I am not adding height do I still need the air admittance valve?

Finally, the laundry riser (stand pipe whatever?) is getting eliminated from this side of the house. It will be added on the opposite side of house, branching from the kitchen sink drain. It is a better spot for the washer, and it should be simple to add this branch and a vent in that location.

Thank you SOOOO much for reviewing my plan!! I really appreciate your insights here. I was unaware of the AAV thing, and now plan to study when/why they are used versus a traditional vent. And thanks for the heads up on the LT90!!

 

[William Powell]

#8:"basin trap" is laundry sink. You don't plan to have a standpipe for a washing machine, and will drain the WM into the sink, right?

A standpipe needs 2 inch, but 1.5 is ok for a laundry. WI has its own code, but I expect it is like others in that regard.

I think connection 8...12 should be at least 6 inches higher than the rim of the toilet.

That is correct, I am probably using all the wrong terms... thanks for your patience!

The standpipe is getting relocated to a different drain branch on the opposite side of the house, so it is getting eliminated from this area. The sink will stay, and the condensate drain from the tankless water heater will drain into it (with 2" air gap). Our jurisdiction doesn't require neutralizer, but I plan to install one anyway.

For connection 12, I will ensure I reach that height at minimum. I believe the clearanced studs in the bathroom wall are closer to 12" above the sink flood level. My drawing distorts the scale slightly, but I will ensure this is checked and double checked. Here is a pic of the current vents (revents?). The one labeled vent from below is changing location. The new spot is much easier to route the vent to from below. Anyways, I plan to use the notches in these studs for my horizontal vents that tie into the stack. Does this cover your concern on this issue or is there more to it?

Thanks very much for your insights here. I cant thank you guys enough! I have a lot left to learn!

 

[PlumbNuts]

Ok, item #8 (basin trap); is this going to be a laundry sink and you intend to discharge your washing machine into the sink? I do not see a W/M standpipe on your drawing.

No, the AAV will not be needed if the 45's are not creating an increased drain height.

What is the overall distance from fittng #8 to fitting #3 ?

BTW, I love the way you have numbered your fittings it makes it so much easier to explain exactly what we are talking about.

 

[William Powell]

Ok, item #8 (basin trap); is this going to be a laundry sink and you intend to discharge your washing machine into the sink? I do not see a W/M standpipe on your drawing.

No, the AAV will not be needed if the 45's are not creating an increased drain height.

What is the overall distance from fittng #8 to fitting #3 ?

BTW, I love the way you have numbered your fittings it makes it so much easier to explain exactly what we are talking about.

#8 is intended for the laundry sink (sorry for my poor terminology). I won't be draining the washing maching into that sink, I am adding a stand pipe to the other drain branch on opposite side of house. Better loaction for washer, and also easy routing for new stand pipe and vent.

Okay! cool. I think I can get away without it, but may need to pair some 45s to get the height required to remove the trap for servicing (*apparently a code concern in some places?)

the overall distance from fitting #8 to fitting #3 is about 3 feet if you draw a line. The total length of piping would probably end up close to 6-8 feet if I had to guess. This is just to keep pipes against wall and out of harms way. Is there a maximum distance? 5 feet maybe? Is that physical location or as the pipe flows?


Thanks a ton for taking the time to review this for me. I really appreciate it! Thanks for the comment about the numbers. This is way too complex to discuss without some type of system, I am glad this works!

Thanks again,
William