Running Plumbing Through Floor Instead Of Outside Wall

Running drainpipe through joists calls for meticulous work.

Running plumbing through floor instead of outside wall.

If your pipes are going in a lateral direction make notches in the studs instead of drilling holes in them. The holes must follow a straight line across the floor and must ascend or descend so the pipe will be sloped 1 4 inch per foot. If you are plumbing a vanity consider coming up through the floor rather than in the wall. When running pipes from a slab to an attic use an inside wall.

The chase is most commonly used for running new vent stacks. I live and work in the cold boston area. Instead of running from floor to ceiling a soffit runs across the top of a wall. In most cases the lines will come through the floor.

Use a carpenter s level to mark the studs for drilling holes. Inside pipes can be run vertically to accommodate new plumbing. Step 7 vent the waste lines. While homeowners may fret over running plumbing lines through the ceiling it is a common practice used to minimize damage during the re plumb and to keep labor costs lower.

We re all taught not to run plumbing in exterior walls. Placing water pipes in outside walls greatly increases the risk of frozen and burst pipes in cold climates. Pipes that are encased in concrete for in floor heating for example are ok because the concrete holds them in place. Similar to the chase is the soffit.

If joists are 16 inches on center and pipes run across them at a right angle holes should differ in height by about 3 8 inch. Often the most economical way to replace the original plumbing is running pvc cpvc or pex tubing through existing walls ceilings and crawl spaces. When remodeling bathrooms we always plan to install all plumbing lines inside interior walls and avoid running plumbing in exterior walls due to the reality of the pipes freezing. Drill holes cut pipes and connect them in a dry run using drain fittings.

When running the pipes through the studs first be sure to drill the holes in the center so that when it s time to hang the wall board the screws or nails don t reach the pipes and damage the pipes. This needs to extend through to the roof. And pipes running straight through wood studs and joists are fine too just protect the pipe in areas where it bends as it passes through. You need to make sure that you use black plastic that is 1 1 2 inch in size.

When you need plumbing in exterior walls. Run the horizontal vent lines sloped downward toward the fixtures at a rate of 1 8 to 1 4 inch per running foot. Or just a little breeze of cold air such as a crack in a crawlspace or top of a basement wall is just enough to freeze a couple of inches of pipe. This allows plumbing to run from the basement to the attic.