trap in line

[Boilermaker27]

I had previously posted about this and now just want a little bit of clarification.

The picture shows the roughed in plumbing in my basement, I plan to put in a shower rather than a bathtub, the large 3" pvc pipe is intended for the stool, It is located 48" from the concrete wall, the small 2" pvc pipe is intended for the vent. Problem was that when I stud out the concrete wall, and build the wall for the shower, and keep the required 15" distance from the center of the stool to the nearest wall, which would have been the shower wall, this left me with a shower roughly 23 inches wide, no way that's going to happen. The pit has a two inch pvc pipe and I was told that there should be a trap in that line, but I don't think so. I cut the cap off the 3" line, cut the 2" line in the pit just behind the 45 degree elbow so all the lines are now open. I filled the bathtub upstairs with water then let the water out, went downstairs and put my ear to all three pipes and heard the water passing through the line to the sewer in all three pipes. I think the person who told me that the line in the pit probably had a trap was way wrong. I was told on this forum that no good plumber would put a trap that far away from the shower, and they are right. It's my opinion that if that line had a trap then I would not be able to hear the running water going through the main sewer line to the street, I heard water, so no trap, right? The line in the pit has two plastic lines running from my water softener as drains, so if there was a trap, it would definitely have water in it.

 

[hj]

Your "diagnosis" is confusing. That is NOT a "pit" it is a box, probably for the tub trap and drain when you got ready to install it. A trap would have "dried out" be now so it would NOT block any sounds of flowing water.

 

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[Tom Sawyer]

I dont think the pipe in the pit is 2". it looks like 1-1/2" which if it is can't be used for a shower. But at any rate, without digging up the concrete and re-doing the underslab, you wont be able to do what you want to do.

 

[Boilermaker27]

I have attached a picture of my new plan to try and get a shower rather than a bathtub in this bathroom. The line in the boxed in pit is a two inch line for sure, I cut the line to listen to sound of running water and also shone a flashlight down it just to see if I could see any resemblance of a trap. I was told by a associate at Lowes that there would be a trap under the concrete floor, but he is wrong. That two inch line is also used as a drain line for my water softener, so if there was a trap it could not be dry since my softener regenerates weekly. I did the sound test and the water running down the main sewer line from my bathtub, which I filled and opened the drain, the water all sounded with the same intensity, so we know Lowes is wrong. This house was built in 2004, I don't know why the plumber put the 3" line so close to the outside wall, a few more inches and everything would have been fine, after studding the wall the bathtub, which the pit is evidently put there for, would be close to the toilet. My new plan is shown in the attached picture. I would purchase a 32" x 48" shower floor from Swanstone and push that shower all the was down the wall to the wall opposing the toilet. I would also stud out the wall using 2x3" studs, which would require me to cut down two treated 2x4 studs to the same dimension as the 2x3's, this would save me at least one inch either direction. At the 48" where the shower ends I would put a wall and then set another wall back at 6-8" and this would then give me about 20 inches from the center of the 3" pipe to that wall. I know that the area from the front of the toilet bowl must be clear for 21". I am wondering if 6-8" protrusion into that space will kill this plan? The green bucket is sitting about where a person's butt would be, should have actually put that bucket 17" from the center of the pipe, but forgot. My other option was to move the shower opposite the toilet but then I have a problem with a door, can't open the door with a wall 30-48" to the front, just would look funky, although I could extend that wall to the end of the bathroom and place the door hinged to the right which would open and leave room for the shower, but then I may have a problem with the sink. Thanks for the help so far. My main question is again, will that protrusion kill my plan? I may be forced into putting in a bathtub, although I really want a shower.