Floor Drain Venting Diagram

October 25, 2022

Floor Drain Venting For Better Occupant Health

This article deals specifically with drainage systems in toilets, both public and private, and how venting floor drains can be a new solution to address these concerns. A number of recent articles found on the web suggest that viral infections may be possible due to sewage systems allowing airborne viral particles to enter bathrooms causing illnesses (such as that of this LINK for example). Proper design of the plumbing system should prevent building waste water systems from entering an occupied space, however, p-traps can dry out and vent stacks can have gaps in buildings of any age, which would allow sewage gases from the building to enter a space. It also led to a new idea we came up with that could combine exhaust ventilation with a floor drain, effectively drawing all air down to the floor and away from the occupants' faces. And for an added bonus, the typical condensation problems of ducted ceiling fans would all go away because the condensation in a vented floor drain would already be contained in the drain line. Because a fan would serve to speed the drying of the p-trap, all of the same strategies for preventing a p-trap from drying out would apply, such as p-trap primers or a good old-fashioned mineral oil. Problems with plumbing backflows drawing waste water through the exhaust system could also have a number of solutions such as special fans to deal with this potential flow, or a secondary one-way drain. Among our team members, we considered the ability of backups to spill outward instead of into interior space is generally a net positive, but would require building maintenance personnel to perform regular checks for any problem that would not otherwise be apparent in space. himself. This would also be another solution to backed up drains, as the fan and outflow could simply be placed at a height above floor elevation which would prevent backflow through them. Not only would breaking convention and providing low exhaust systems in these spaces promote better overall health, it would also serve to create a more pleasant indoor environment as odors would similarly follow the exhaust path.

248 Mass. Reg. 10.16

Buildings that include three or more service intervals in which plumbing is installed must have at least one primary vent stack, (

248 CMR 10.15(5)

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) which should be of undiminished size and as directly as possible from the drain of the building to the open air above the roof or connected to a main chimney vent six inches above the edge of the level of flooding of the highest serviced device.

Does A Basement Floor Drain Need A Vent?

However, a basement floor drain does not need a vent when it is no more than 15 feet from another vented line. For example, NYC plumbing codes for 2014 state that it is not necessary to vent basement floor drains located 15 feet or less from its connected vent line. Therefore, if you want the basement floor drain to do its job very well, you need to make sure that its trap and vent are in good condition. However, for your basement floor drain to perform optimally, it needs the right venting and the right trap. Although a trap is mandatory for all basement floor drains, you should check with your local plumbing laws to see if your floor drain level requires a vent.