Seeking help to reduce noise from shower drain

[eagle]

Hello All,

My brother-in-law recently gutted my bathroom and installed a custom tiled stand-up shower built on a mortar bed. The water drains very quickly to the p-trap (I have limited plumbing knowledge, so thanks for bearing with me). The drain is a 2-inch diameter PVC pipe and the run from the drain opening to the water in the P-trap is about a foot.

When the water is draining I can hear (over the shower water) loud splashing noise emanating from the drain. The drain is not clogged. I find these noises to be annoying and am searching for a solution. The shower strainer is about 4 inches in diameter, and after I covered about 30% of the shower strainer with a couple pieces of tape (yes, I have no plumbing experience) I notice that the noise coming from the drain goes away and the water also doesn't pool much at all. With this method, the drain does not make the annoying noise and the water is all drained about 5-7 seconds after I turn the shower water off.

I am looking for a permanent fix (the tape idea is kludgy but it works). One idea is to install a funnel just below the shower strainer so that the water can enter the funnel unimpeded but then not have the opportunity to splash around a 2-inch pipe. The funnel would but 2.5 inches at the opening and have a discharge/exit opening of say, 1 inch. I found a funnel like this on the web (it is not intended for this purpose) but I think this may work. Another idea is to find a shower strainer with fewer holes (to emulate the tape on the shower strainer with many holes).

I have not found anything on the web about loud draining in showers. I am ultra-sensitive to noise, so I know there is a small audience for these types of issues. However, the fact that the "tape" solution markedly reduces noise and does not generate standing water tells me that there must be a solution out there.

I would appreciate any help you can provide.

Regards,

Eagle

 

[Redwood]

How far does water fall before the trap? Is there a trap installed?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Basement_Lurker]

Hmm I've never heard of such a problem before. But 4" for a shower drain grate does sound excessive...maybe he used some kind of commercial floor drain? You're kinda screwed for options because it's a tiled shower base that your're dealing with.

Without seeing any pictures, the only thing I can suggest is if you have access below to the shower drain piping, to 45 directly below the shower drain and then 45 again lower so that it goes into the p-trap essentially creating a long 90 bend to take away the splashing sound of the water falling directly down into the pool of water sitting in the p-trap. And/or reducing to 1.5" directly below the shower drain grate if your code allows it..but I am not sure if that would really make much difference.

Maybe someone else can suggest something better?

 

[Basement_Lurker]

Hmm I've never heard of such a problem before. But 4" for a shower drain grate does sound excessive...maybe he used some kind of commercial floor drain? You're kinda screwed for options because it's a tiled shower base that your're dealing with.

Without seeing any pictures, the only thing I can suggest is if you have access below to the shower drain piping, to 45 directly below the shower drain and then 45 again lower so that it goes into the p-trap essentially creating a long 90 bend to take away the splashing sound of the water falling directly down into the pool of water sitting in the p-trap. And/or reducing to 1.5" directly below the shower drain grate if your code allows it..but I am not sure if that would really make much difference.

Maybe someone else can suggest something better?

err what the hell am I saying...I meant to say use to 45s pointing in opposite directions with a piece of pipe between them to make an offset in the 1Ft drop to the p-trap so the water draining from the shower drain is not falling straight down into the p-trap reservoir. The extreme way to do this would be to use 2 90s.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

get used to it....

just find a strainer that slows the water down

that is the easy simple way...


or find some duct tape that comes in chrome...

 

[Mikey]

or find some duct tape that comes in chrome...

No sweat:

 

[Jadnashua]

A 4" drain cover isn't unusual at all. It is an unusual 2nd story floor where you could have a 12" drop to the trap of a shower; in a cement slab, maybe.

 

[gatesmarch]

Installing a funnel will only make the noise louder. You'd be creating a more narrow stream of water falling directly into the "pool" of water in the trap below. My first thought would be to cut a piece of screen or large holed mesh to place over the pipe opening, yet under the drain grate. This will slow and disperse the water evenly below.

 

[eagle]

replies

Thanks for the replies ... I will probably just alter the 4" strainer to reduce the flow of water. The shower is on a cement slab on the second floor.

Eagle

 

[Mikey]

Hang a small funnel upside down from the grate. This will disperse most of the falling water toward the sides of the drainpipe and allow it to run down the sides, rather than falling directly into the pool in the trap.

 

[Cass]

Mikey, if you do that and some how it falls into the drain you would have a heck of a time getting it out especially if it follows the trap and gets hung up on a 45 or 90 somewhere down stream.

 

[Mikey]

Mikey, if you do that and some how it falls into the drain you would have a heck of a time getting it out especially if it follows the trap and gets hung up on a 45 or 90 somewhere down stream.

Agreed. Personally, I'd live with the noise.

 

[LeeEssner]

I have the same issue with noise

I have been doing a lot of searching to find a way to fix this. I had previoulsy thought about the funnel idea, but how about this? Can i have the funnel feed into the top of a 1.5 inch or 2 inch pvc pipe that is about a foot long and basically discharges the water below the top of the water that is pooling in the P-trap. The PVC pipe will be held in place by the bend and will also serve to keep the funnel from falling down. What do you think?

While this does not sound like a big issue, it has been insanely annoying, especially at night when we hear every drip echo . . .

 

[Mikey]

You can get stainless steel screen in a fine mesh. The trick would be supporting it beneath the drain cover (mine is 4" as well, BTW) so that it looks OK and won't fall into the drain. Maybe you could spot-weld it to the drain cover. Or just replace the drain cover, maybe making one yourself.

 

[hj]

drain

You give some conflicting statements, such as the water drains quieter and ALSO does not pool as much with the tape over the strainer. The tape should restrict the flow and CAUSE pooling, or in any case there should not be any pooling without the tape. You either have very quiet shower water or a very noisy drain.

 

[BrianS]

You need the "Drain Muffler"

I experienced this exact same problem.

My primary home's master bath has a shower head, rain head and four body sprays. Apparently based on the anticipated water volume the plumber installed a 3" drain pipe with a 30" (approx) drop to the trap.

You could hear the shower drain on the other end of the house! It bothered the heck out of me for nearly three years.

Like others, a little experimentation determined that it was distance the water fell before making contact with the standing water in the trap. that 3"x30" pipe was a perfect echo tube.

Based on the same principle of a Zen Fountain, I figured if I could get the water down in "steps," rather than in one long drop, the problem would be resolved. It was.

My initial though was to find a massive drill bit. The water would wind down the spiral and make no noise. If a drill bit could be found it would be extremely expensive.

My ultimate solution was to build what I now call the "drain muffler."

A picture's worth a thousand words, so I've uploaded one.

Since your drain is 2" rather than my 3" drain, you'd have to use a different diameter "Support pipe" than I did in my prototype.

You'll notice large "notches" cut into the bottom of the muffler. These are to allow water passage to and through the trap.

I'm just an inventor -- not a plumber. Please forgive me if I have used incorrect terminology in describing my solution.

I'm confident that building a "drain muffler" will solve your problem.

Kind regards,
Brian Styles
Delray Beach, Florida

Note: If I ever make a version v1.1, the 1/2" PVC Steps will be every 45-degrees creating a helix rather than a criss-cross pattern. The helix will ensure that every drop of water is diffused by a step before hitting the trap.

 

[Terry]

Makes sense. 30" is not even a legal drop for a trap. 24 is the max and that would be loud too.
By creating a step down you have reduced the drop. Pretty cool.

 

[Mikey]

If I ever make a version v1.1, the 1/2" PVC Steps will be every 45-degrees creating a helix rather than a cris-cross pattern. The helix will ensure that every drop of water is diffused by a step before hitting the trap.

Actually, you need to space the cross-pipes at 31.3°, if you're using 1/2" Sch 40 PVC pipe (0.84" o.d.) crossarms in a 3" (3.068" i.d.) drain. An easier-to-build but more expensive muffler design would be to string 1/2" crosses in line with each cross displaced by 31.3° from its neighbor. You need a total of 6 crosses to ensure no free-fall line exists, so you could use an easier-to-measure 30° spacing. The crosses are only 2 9/16" across, though, so you'd have to put a short (1.137") length of pipe into each cross arm to make the assembly fit snugly into the 3" drain, or whack off 0.47" from each cross arm to fit inside a 2" drain (2.067" i.d.). You'd need 3 crosses for the 2" drain, spaced at 60°. If you wanted to get really fancy, you could chuck up each cross stage in a lathe and turn (or sand) the drain i.d. profile onto the end of the crossarms to ensure a precise fit and eliminate the small gap where the cut-off end of the cross meets the curved surface if the drain i.d. (0.22" for the 2" pipe, 0.06" for the 3").

For a really elegant, and probably expensive solution, Google "small plastic auger" or "plastic conveyor screw" to find manufacturers of honest-to-god helices.

Oh well, I'm sure you can find them. Unfortunately, these companies don't typically publish prices, but you could call them, I suppose. I'll bet 2" and 3" diameter are standard sizes, and would be close enough for practical purposes.

 

[BrianS]

Mikey,

Similar vision for a solution, similar local (I'm in SE Florida), and apparently a similar background (software was my last company, but that originated from a computer networking company).

I did entertain a number of other methods to accomplish the goal, but this napkin sketch was the easiest to draw on a napkin at dinner for my buddy that has the machine shop. Ultimately the method I used was extrelemy solid/stable and was easily removable for cleaing to device and/or drain.
-Brian

 

[Src]

Hello All,

My brother-in-law recently gutted my bathroom and installed a custom tiled stand-up shower built on a mortar bed. The water drains very quickly to the p-trap (I have limited plumbing knowledge, so thanks for bearing with me). The drain is a 2-inch diameter PVC pipe and the run from the drain opening to the water in the P-trap is about a foot.

When the water is draining I can hear (over the shower water) loud splashing noise emanating from the drain. The drain is not clogged. I find these noises to be annoying and am searching for a solution. The shower strainer is about 4 inches in diameter, and after I covered about 30% of the shower strainer with a couple pieces of tape (yes, I have no plumbing experience) I notice that the noise coming from the drain goes away and the water also doesn't pool much at all. With this method, the drain does not make the annoying noise and the water is all drained about 5-7 seconds after I turn the shower water off.

I am looking for a permanent fix (the tape idea is kludgy but it works). One idea is to install a funnel just below the shower strainer so that the water can enter the funnel unimpeded but then not have the opportunity to splash around a 2-inch pipe. The funnel would but 2.5 inches at the opening and have a discharge/exit opening of say, 1 inch. I found a funnel like this on the web (it is not intended for this purpose) but I think this may work. Another idea is to find a shower strainer with fewer holes (to emulate the tape on the shower strainer with many holes).

I have not found anything on the web about loud draining in showers. I am ultra-sensitive to noise, so I know there is a small audience for these types of issues. However, the fact that the "tape" solution markedly reduces noise and does not generate standing water tells me that there must be a solution out there.

I would appreciate any help you can provide.

Regards,

Eagle