Summary: The installation of a tub or shower can be made quite easy with the guidance of a professional. There are quite a few codes and norms to be followed in this process.

Question: I want to install a bath tub in my bathroom which contains a shower area. The floor is a concrete slab. There is a four feet drain in a corner which seems the best place for the installation to me. Is it safe to just allow the tub drain to flow over to the floor drain? Will it be anything against the law? Should I have to connect to the pipes below the slab and add vent piping?

Answer: The plumbing codes were laid for the purpose of common welfare and public health & hygiene. These codes apply and ensure discipline in the plumbing infrastructure of the city. It is frightening to imagine a city without such rules; a complete mess all around.

If you have decided to set the tub just above the floor drain and let the drain join the main drainage system, think again. Let me tell you about the consequences of your idea. The water from the tub is always dirty, when this flows and gets mixed with the water of the plumbing water, it would highly pollute the water of the main drain. This leads to the multiplication of dangerous bacteria giving rise to various water-borne epidemics. That is why such an act is considered illegal.

The drainage of the tub requires a connection to the plumbing vent system that runs through the main drainage. There is not much difference between this connection and the one used for other fixtures, say a sink for instance. For the sake of better understanding, let us call the tub a sink at floor level. The tub drain water needs to be piped directly from the tub outlet into the plumbing drain system.

Before we start off with the connection to the plumbing drainage line, let us have a clear understanding of what is the setting under a bathroom vanity sink. If you look deeply, there will be a firm standing pipe connecting to a p-shaped pipe protruding out of the wall. This redirects the waste water sideways towards the wall. It is called the P-Trap.

At the rear side of the sink is another vertical pipe that is joined to the sink’s drain pipe sealed by the drywall of the sink. This pipe has a ball fitting. This forms the route for the waste water to travel from the sink to the sewer or the septic tank. Again, there is an extension of the pipe, running upwards to the ceiling. It is a vent pipe extending the tee fitting. Do you have any idea about how the balance and suction is maintained in these pipelines? These pipes which run upwards supply air to the whole drainage system. Whenever the fixtures are turned on and flushed, the air filled in the pipe is displaced by the flowing water. Vent pipes prevent vacuums that otherwise would resupply this air by sucking the water out of adjacent P-traps in nearby fixtures. The water that sits in a P-trap acts as a seal and prevents foul sewer gas and vermin from making their way into your home.

By now, you must have understood the complex connections beneath your sparkling bathroom sink. The connection under the bath tub would be a replica of this one. You will need the help of a professional in order to carry things in a safe and problem-free manner. Remember this is quite a complex and tough job to proceed and should not be done on your own. If you do it yourself, you will definitely end up in a mess and can cost you plenty if you ignore the guidance of a plumber. The sizing of the vent pipe, the required connections, the sealing of the pipes; you can expect just about anything to go wrong. It is also against the codes of plumbing in residential.

The smartest way to carry out the project smoothly would be to consult a plumber. Hire a plumber in order to handle all required complex connection including the cleaning of the slabs and other tiring jobs. The other necessary wear and tear of the fixtures and complete arrangement for high quality fixtures should be done by a plumber. The addition or subtraction of any kind of fixtures can also be aided in order to make complete arrangements for the bath tub installations. What’s more? It’s the best way to learn some cool tricks and tips to keep cool during emergency and solve minor problems.

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