Some clothes washers do require the elevated location of the top of the discharge hose. Lowering it to floor level typically drains the machine and the pump-- very useful when preparing to store the machine in an unheated area. While HUD code did/does (?) provide for 1 1/2" washer drain line, regular plumbing codes have for many years required 2" for washers. Dumping into the shower pan may not let the water flow out of the pan as fast as the washer discharges it. I too have had to live with temporary arrangements while occupying rental housing. We used the kitchen sink. for the washer drain.

Here's a picture of the plumbing in question (notice the lovely way in which the water lines for the old pedestal sink were routed out through the wall into the hall closet and back in to the sink): I want to remove the old sink drain connection. The piping on the right is the 1-1/2" drain from the upstairs bath, which connects to a 2" drain below; the piping on the left is the 1-1/2" vent. Any reason I can't just cut out the existing fittings, install a 2" to 1-1/2" adapter, straight piece of pipe and coupler for the right side piping, and remove the vent line and cap it off up near the ceiling? I couldn't find a "repair" coupler at the big box stores, so I purchased a Fernco PlumbQwik rubber coupler that I would like to use to reconnect the 1-1/2" drain pipe. Will this coupler meet code for installation in a covered wall, or should I modify a regular coupler for slip fit to reconnect the piping. Thanks again.

Hello, I'm putting a bathroom in my basement and wanted to see if I was on the right track for my waste and vent plan. The bathroom will have a toilet and shower on one wall and the lav sink on the opposite wall. There is an existing drain line that runs from the sink and dishwasher above that goes to the sewer and is vented to the main stack of the house. My plan is to tie into those. At this point, I am hoping someone can let me know if I'm on track with the general design. Here's what I sketched out...I'd appreciate any help you can offer. The part I shaded in blue are the existing lines.

I think if you take the time to analyze the facts your answer will be a no brainer. Fact- A kitchen makeover is without question one of the largest and most expensive projects you can undertake in your home. Fact-The sink is without question the singular focal point of the kitchen. Almost every time you go in the kitchen, regardless of what the reason, you will ultimately end up at the sink if only to grab a glass of water. Fact- If you have your heart set o a 10" sink and settle for an 8" sink it will forever be a source of irritation and contention, one which you will confront dozens of times a day. Fact-If you are changing all the cabinets you will already have easy access to the wall and changing the drain line is no big deal. Fact-If you install the 8" sink now, then later decide you really want the 10" sink it could prove nearly cost prohibitive to make the necessary changes to the drain lines. Now let us consider what would be required to lower the drain while you have access to the wall. In a best case scenario when the fixture arm enters the wall it is connected to a vertical line by means of a sanitary tee. In that case it would be very easy to cut the line, lower the tee to the desired level and reconnect the line. In a worst case scenario the waste arm enters the wall then turns horizontal and runs through the wall to a point were it connects to a vertical stack. The question then becomes how far does the horizontal line travel through the wall? Under the IRC a kitchen sink drain line is an 1-1/2" line and it is allowed to run a maximum of 6' from the trap weir to the vent opening. Allowing that there is generally about 12" from the wall to the trap that means that the line could run up to 5' horizontally in the wall. Under the UPC we are required to use a 2" diameter drain line but the total developed length from trap weir to vent opening of a 2" fixture arm is limited to only 5' so we could anticipate a maximum of 4" horizontally in the wall. In all probability the portion of the wall that you would need to open up will most likely be covered by the cabinets when all done, therefore when you open the sheet rock it would only require a simple patch with one coat of mud & tape to prevent bugs from entering. Not a big deal here. The question then becomes how much should you lower the line? From your preliminary calculations you determined that you need approximately 2" however, from my experience it is much easier if we allow ourselves plenty of room, therefore I would lower the arm at least 4 or perhaps 5". Keep in mind that code will allow up to 12" vertical drop from the finished sink opening to the water level in the trap.