Three Stories, Three Baths, Schematic Needed for DWV

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BobinTN

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Hello,
New here and I have had a lot of building experience in my 74 years. I do have a question though -- A new house is being planned and there will be three baths basically stacked from the basement level to the third floor. So there will be three bathrooms total. The basement has a Toilet, Tub and Lav, the main floor has a Toilet, Walk-in Shower, and Lav and an adjoining/adjacent Laundry room, the third floor has a toilet, tub and lav.

I have done a lot of my own work for decades (both new and remodels), but I am looking for some help here as to the proper way to visualize this stacked DWV system. Is there anyone here in this forum who can provide me a schematic of what this layout would look like? In the old days the main stack could be used as a wet vent for multi-story toilet installs, but I am unsure that is still a code accepted right of passage? And an FYI -- I plan on subcontracting the work to a Licensed Plumber, for the new home build -- I just want to see the layout for my own understanding!

Of course, there will be other DWV components for the Kitchen and the Furnace room (condensate and floor drain in the basement utility room), but for now I am just wanting to see a visual on the 3-story bathroom schematic. Thanks in advance for anyone talented enough to provide me one!
 

John Gayewski

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You'd run a vent stack and a drainage stack. The basement bathroom would vent through the lav and that lav vent would run up to the second floor where your other vents would join it. And on and on.

There are some multi story wet vent procedures for IPC but I'm not that familiar with them, they do have some requirements with grouping fixtures off of the main certain distances, but I'd have to research it.
 

BobinTN

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You'd run a vent stack and a drainage stack. The basement bathroom would vent through the lav and that lav vent would run up to the second floor where your other vents would join it. And on and on.

There are some multi story wet vent procedures for ipc but I'm not that familiar with them, they do have some requirements with grouping fixtures off of the main certain distances, but I'd have to research it.
Thank you -- I was hoping to see a drawing of same kind --- I have scoured the internet and do not see a more recent schematic of a stacked (3-story) bathroom layout that is what I am trying to visualize. I guess I will try and draw on up myself and post it in here to see if anyone has comments on what I've drawn up?
 

Terry

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The one below is two stories, but I used the same layout for four story condo. Typically two vents, one on each side, and waste in the center.

dwv_b2.jpg

This one had a lav draining to the right, but it also could have drained to the left and it does on the floor above anyway.
 

Jeff H Young

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I've always plumbed UPC style and never wet vented between floors.
I just looked at a site.. called Hammerpedia they call it "waste stack venting" claim its legal in IPC and that urinals and toilets aren't allowed on such systems. three lavs , tubs , or kitchens could be caught off a single stack it looks like I didn't look to see if a lav and tub could branch off on each floor and share a single stack and which size I would guess it be a 3 or 4 inch minimum size. I've never seen any mention on this site about plumbing in such a way .
 

Tuttles Revenge

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Here is a quick drawing utilizing horizontal wet venting. This is basically how all the 3 story townhomes are plumbed in our area. Not to scale. forgot to draw the shower trap.. oops. Green is vent mostly.

three story DWV stack Diagram.png
 

BobinTN

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Here is a quick drawing utilizing horizontal wet venting. This is basically how all the 3 story townhomes are plumbed in our area. Not to scale. forgot to draw the shower trap.. oops. Green is vent mostly.

View attachment 84480
Thank you both for the drawings -- The one above appears to "wet vent" for the tubs and showers? I will have to look and see what the wet vent code allowance is for the state of TN. I like Terry's drawing, as it shows a vent for both of the bathtubs and a type of "manifold" set-up for the drains? I am sure the Licensed plumber we will have doing the work under our general builder will be the one to design the layout per the code -- But I think I am able now to get a visualization for this and that is what I was looking for from you all here! Thank you all and God Bless America - The Greatest Country in the World (if we can keep it)
 

BobinTN

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OK -- Again, thank you all for your replies to my thread post! I appreciate the great help! I drew up a schematic of the three levels of the proposed new house I am planning. Here is the sketch. Generally, what I have is: three bathrooms (one in the Walk-Out Basement, a master bath on the main floor with an adjacent laundry room, a 3rd full bath in the upper story loft) and the kitchen and Utility Room Drains. [The venting is in green] I would love to hear your feedback and comments --- Thanks again!
Plumbing Stack Schematic 2.jpeg
 

Jeff H Young

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Floor drain doesn't show it trapped, I don't know if a condensate would flow enough to allow that to be a Wet vent so my opinion its a questionable wet vent and being horizontal it wouldn't fly in my code but might in IPC.
The rest looks ok but might be able to eliminate some of the vents
 

Tuttles Revenge

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With any plumbing schematic. the devil is in the details.. the structural details. We can create all manner of drawings to accomplish the same thing but until you know the exact layout and how they relate to beams and posts and lighting and HVAC, there is no way to create anything that will reflect what will actually be installed. Even after all the knowns are known, there will be a half dozen decent ways to lay out the plumbing and twice as many terrible ways that work.

The method of horizontal wet venting that I laid out gives you the least costly way in terms of labor and materials because it eliminates a huge amount of drilling and fittings. Its probably the least remodel friendly since almost no additional plumbing could be added to it.

PS. This forum is global in scale. People from all over the globe contribute to and benefit from it.
 

Reach4

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What you propose looks good for the bathrooms, but you could use fewer vents by taking advantage of wet venting.
TN, except for Knoxville and Davidson counties uses IPC. See https://www.iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/20-18927_GR_2021_Plumbing_Venting_Brochure.pdf , especially page 12.

For example, you could eliminate the basement toilet dry vent and probably the shower dry vent, leaving only the lavatory dry vent.

Main floor would need a bit of reorg to eliminate some dry bathroom venting. You must only have bathroom stuff in a horizontal wet vent. Still might be easy enough to join the laundry and kitchen waste with the bathroom waste downstream of the bathroom.
 

Jeff H Young

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Bobin TN , your drawing is good enough I'd say. Remember you're hiring a Licensed Contractor this is reference only and its of use and interest mainly to you your contractor will have his way since this in no way ties his hands to follow.
And Good point Tuttles makes Construction has differences that Tradesman use certain methods in one area than another example: type of pipe , preference of roughing in. etc
 

John Gayewski

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I'll agree and say that your drawing can't be used for much other than satisfying your curiosity.
 

BobinTN

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I'll agree and say that your drawing can't be used for much other than satisfying your curiosity.
Thanks again to all of you for all the great replies! Yes, I just wanted to get a visual for my own perspective. I realize structural members will definitely be the limiting factor on the final layout and installation. And I realize that I may have over did it on the dry venting? But as my drawing clearly states it is just for reference to aide the builder and the sub-contractor to visualize all the fixtures and aide in preparing the REAL schematic for the bidding, permit application, etc.

The builder I am going to be using has a designer who will be doing the CAD drawings, I am just providing what I can to them to help speed up the Q&A process (if you know what I mean?).

Additionally, I appreciate the views on wet venting. My desire to not have much in the way of "wet-venting" is a personal preference. I realize there needs to be a trap in the floor drain, I just did not draw it quite right? Again the goal was to try and "see it" for myself, and provide the builder my ideas along with my floor plans I have created for his use. As I stated on the drawing, "All Plumbing (will) be installed by a licensed contractor and meet ALL State and Local Codes".

FYI -- I am 74 years young, and started in construction at about 14 years of age, I have a vast amount of experience in all aspects of construction -- If I had to explain it all here it would take a lot of writing.... Suffice it to say, my over 60 years of building includes everything from homes to highways, to tunnels and dams in over 11 different states, and it surely makes for a full resume of construction skills.

If I were 15 years younger, I would not be afraid of doing the plumbing, electrical, and all the carpentry myself. But I know my limits and they are more physical and not knowledge based. I have many decades of project management behind me as well as years and years of hands-on experiences. Just a year ago I worked up in Michigan for a friend for 6 months everyday from dawn to dusk on three of his properties - his rental house (gutted and redone), his auto shop (metal liner panels, all the electrical power/lighting), and his house (complete kitchen remodel - plumbing, electrical, and finish carpentry)! But for this project, I am contracting out, and going to sit back and watch! LOL

Thanks once again, Bob in TN
 

Jeff H Young

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Good Luck Bob, I might have a little work for you so try not to get to tied up on that house.
I like that you drew that up and fully get that its sort of an overview of scope of work.
 

BobinTN

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Good Luck Bob, I might have a little work for you so try not to get to tied up on that house.
I like that you drew that up and fully get that its sort of an overview of scope of work.
I actually have nearly everything ready to hand over to the builder which I believe will make his job so much easier? I have the floor plans to where he can pretty much copy and get them into a CAD format. I have written up EVERY specification for EVERY stage of the construction (A total of 60 different sections from clearing and grubbing to handing over the keys). I have written out a construction schedule, plus a schedule of values for payments (draws based on % of completion), I've provided a Materials and Equipment Spreadsheet with nearly all the fixtures and building components listed by description, vendor, and retail pricing. Plus a room finish schedule, an "allowances" document on items that need to be decided upon or discussed, and right down to a full written 9-page "agreement" (construction contract) which is from the Owner's point of view.

I guess my career in project management overseeing multi-million dollar construction for Military and Civilian projects made me into a paper work monster? LMBO
 
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