Potential plumbing issue

19 years ago

We are looking to redo 2 bathrooms, and ideally we want to move both of the toilets. One contractor said because the floor joists are 2x8 and not 2x10 he can't move the plumbing under the floor and would have to build a soffit in the kitchen to house the piping. He said because the pipe is 4 inches a 2x8 floor joist wouldn't give the support needed. Another contractor made it seem like no big deal to move a toilet, but he didn't even check the size of the floor joists. We are going to contact him and get his opinion, but DH is wonderring if the first guy is being overly cautious or if you really can't put a 4 inch pipe in a 2x8 floor joist!

Hopefully someone here can give a little guidance. I hate to think that this will be a deal breaker financially speaking(I think we can deal with the soffit in the kitchen with a window treatment since it would be over a window)

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Comments (3)

lazypup
19 years ago
Legally they can't put a 4" pipe through a 2x10 either.

If the toilet is 1.6gal/flush the line could be reduced to 3" but even that won't make much difference because per the code the maximum diameter hole that we may bore through a 2x8 is 2-3/8" and only in the outer 1/3 of the overall span.
jellyben
Original Author
19 years ago
Thank you! This will certainly limit our layout options since there is only 1 spot in the kitchen I see putting a soffit.
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bus_driver
19 years ago
I especially like the attention the one plumber gave to structural concerns. Not all tradesmen ruin houses with their installations. But I saw one house (built 1945) where the plumber cut completely through a joist for his soil pipe under the commode. No patching, nothing added at all to maintain/restore strength. The heat installers cut through the other end of that same joist to put a return register in the floor of the hallway. The only thing holding up that joist was the subfloor above it. The best framer I ever saw knew how to frame so that no joists would need cutting by the plumber or HVAC installers.