shower drain in an old school building

Grallert

Next step is putting the floor back together 🙈😕

I think I need to get to the level subfloor so that means knocking out some more of those lovely hex tiles and finding something to seal to before laying new pan and tile. Should be interesting and fun. I'll keep you posted.

Grallert

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1901584#Comment_1901584

Ours block up on the regular. This is a female identifying or girls boarding high school so, ya, hair. But usually pretty easy to clear.

Intplm.

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1901589#Comment_1901589

@Grallert It's going to be a bit of work. The other tough part will be setting the p-trap tailpiece exactly where you need it through the floor.

Grallert

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1901591#Comment_1901591

The saving grace is I can at this point put it anywhere I want. I've got some time to work that out.

DCContrarian

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1901570#Comment_1901570

The existing fitting is a hub. The hub socket bottoms out and narrows to the inside diameter of the pipe it's meant for, to prevent a change in diameter. It looks like that socket is meant for 2-1/2" schedule 40 pipe, which has an inner diameter of 2.47", so the socket exit is going to be that size.

If you connect to the outside of the hub, you're going up to 4" pipe size and then down to 2-1/2". That's a reduction in size. @mattmia2 had the right idea earlier, you need the 2" pipe to bottom out in the hub. Now 2" plastic is only 2.375" in OD, so it won't stop, it will go through the socket exit. But if you glue a slip coupling onto the end of the 2" pipe you can increase its outside diameter without changing its inner diameter.

My recommendation would be to use this hub the way it was meant to be used. Get a 2-1/2" nipple. Pack it with oakum and the cold sealant I linked to above. Then put a reducing coupling on the nipple to reduce it to 2". Or you can do the same with 2" plastic pipe with a coupling on the end.

I agree that shower drain clogs are common when you have people with long hair using the shower.

EBEBRATT-Ed

(p)
The pipe penetrations should be sufficiently sealed by means of caulking or other
approved materials to prevent the passage of smoke from space to space.
ABS Plastic Pipe and Fittings. The following requirements apply to ABS plastic pipe and
fittings:
1. ABS shall not be used for drains, waste, or vents in the commercial kitchens, laundry
rooms, public restrooms or other commercial areas located in assisted living facilities, hotels,
motels, inns and similar establishments except where provided for elsewhere in 248 CMR
10.06, i.e. 248 CMR 10.06(2)(p).
2. ABS - DWV (Acrylonitrile - Butadiene - Styrene) Schedule 40 Pipe and Fittings, may be
used only for the drains, waste and vent piping that serve the sanitary or storm drainage
systems in the following buildings:
a. residential dwellings;
b. assisted living facilities:
c. hotels;
d. motels;
e. inns;
f. condominiums; and
g. other residential buildings that are similar to 248 CMR 10.06(2)(p)2.a. through
10.06(2)(p)2.f. and that are no greater than ten stories in height.
3. Limited use of ABS for CommercialBuildings: ABS pipe and fittings may be installed for
limited purposes in commercial buildings or establishments, provided that the following
requirements are satisfied.



248 CMR: BOARD OF STATE EXAMINERS
OF PLUMBERS AND GAS FITTERS
10.06: continued
a. ABS is used for the drains, waste, or vents when the piping serves only the fixturesthat
are necessary to accommodate waste generated as a direct result of the conducts of
business that is particular to the type of commercial establishment as itemized in
10.06(2)(p)3.b.
b. ABS may be used in the following buildings:
i. beauty salons;
ii. barber shops;
iii. manicure salons;
iv. pedicure salons;
v. photo-labs; and
vi. in commercial buildings that incorp

DCContrarian

What's interesting about that is for 2" and below galvanized pipe is typically used, and my experience is that PVC outlasts galvanized, the galvanized tends to rust out after a few decades.

I guess you could use copper but it gets spendy in those big sizes.

Grallert

Most of the sink drains (2") here are galvanized and cast into cement and nearly all of them are blocked to some extent. The showers were/are lead into cast and a number of those lead necks are torn up from 100 years of aggressive snaking. Also cast into cement.

DCContrarian

@Grallert: "The showers were/are lead into cast…"

Ah, it all makes sense now.

mattmia2

lead pipe gets brittle as it ages

Grallert

What I found here was the connection between the brass floor drain/strainer and the lead neck had cracked about 1/3 of the diameter. and with so much concrete it would have taken years for the leak to declare it self, especially on the second floors. The floors above are not as thick.

Intplm.

@Grallert

Was this building designated and built as a fallout shelter? The way you are describing things, it looks like it from here.

Grallert

The building that stood here pre 1922 burned to the ground. I was a four story wood mansion. being used as a school when Mira Hall bought it in 1909. The building that stands now was finished in 1924/25 and designed and built to never burn and last forever. I was lucky enough to find the original plans.

front elevation 1924.pdf

daser

It sounds like the main issue may be that the existing 3" connection isn’t actually sized for a standard 3" bushing, especially if you’re working with older cast piping. I’d first confirm the actual inside and outside diameters and identify the pipe/fitting type before forcing an adapter. There may be a reducing coupling or shielded transition fitting that fits your measurements better. I’d also avoid relying on a rubber bushing that doesn’t seat properly, since a shower drain connection needs to be secure and leak-free. If you can post the pictures and exact measurements, someone should be able to identify the correct transition much more easily. I’ve been looking at software designed specifically for cleaning businesses, and I think tools like tofu could make daily operations more organized. Having one place for scheduling, customer information, estimates, and job management can save time and reduce manual work. For growing cleaning companies, better organization could make a noticeable difference.