A personalized bathroom is one of the best things about your own abode. That includes a good drainage system so your shower drain won’t gurgle or overflow when you’re using the sink.
There are many reasons you might be wondering, can a shower and sink share a drain? The answer is yes, and beneficially so in a lot of cases. Generally, changing out the sink drain pipe and connecting it to the shower drain with Y-connectors should do the trick.
There are a few catches to this that you want to look out for before you accidentally cause more trouble for yourself with your landlord. We will elaborate on such issues, but we promise it’s nothing too complicated. Let’s get into detail to help you answer all your questions about the system and what works best for you.
How Can A Shower And Sink Share A Drain?
The process is quick, requiring simple procedures. Keep reading to determine whether you can carry out this change with your circumstances.
Consider These Aspects Before You Can Connect Any Pipelines
- Whether your sink and shower fixtures are 5 feet apart, to allow installation of components
- Your floor slope
- How your pipes are initially planned
- The size of the pipes
- A good understanding of how drainage systems work
What Equipment You Need
- 2-inch pipes
- 1.5-inch pipes
- screwdrivers (and spare screws)
- a socket wrench
- PVC adhesives (primer and cement)
- connectors
How You Can Connect Them Yourself?
Step 1: Use your bathroom layout to plan the process. Partitions and doors between fixtures will not allow for this change. Contact your local professionals if you need help planning according to your space.
Step 2: Determine whether you want to connect your shower drain to your sink drain or vice versa as the process will differ a little.
Step 3: If you decide on the first method, begin by turning off your water supply and replacing your sink drain pipe with a 2-inch pipe. You will need to attach the shower drain from above.
Step 4: To do this, remove the existing pipe and attach the new pipe using your socket wrench.
Step 5: From here the process is the same for both methods. Cut two 6-inch long pieces from the 2-inch pipes.
Step 6: Glue the pipes to the ends of a Y-connector using PVC adhesives
Step 7: Connect the shower drain pipe to the plumbing vent with connectors
Step 8: Now connect the shower drain and the sink drain to the two pipes, and fit the other end of the Y-connector to the stack vent. Secure these with the socket wrench
Step 9: Turn on your water supply and check for leaks or loose connections.
The Pros And Cons Of Connecting The Drain In Your Shower And Sink
Check out why or why not the shower and sink should share the same drain.
Pros
Managing separate drainage systems for each fixture might not always be ideal. Having the same drainage for showers and sinks can save you some money in that case.
Wastewater from showers and sinks is typically cleaner than that from toilets; they’re called gray water. Combining the systems will help transfer gray water to its appropriate sewer system (in the scenario that there is a separate one for black water).
They save more space. If you’re someone who’s still planning your bathroom, using a single pipe for draining can greatly reduce the space used to install them if you have a smaller bathroom to work with.
Cons
Installing or connecting these pipes is a difficult task. If done improperly, the vents may not function well, letting odors into your bathroom. In some cases, a blockage in the pipe might just send water flowing back through your drain opening, which is not a good scenario.
Troubleshooting Later On
It’s not uncommon for new components to act up sometimes, but it’s essential to recognize them and fix them.
Leaks
Some leaks can cause minor flooding so that should be a good indication of the issue. Identify where the leak is situated and turn off the water supply. At joints, you can usually fix the problem by tightening it. If the leak is in the pipes, however, they may need to be switched out or patched up depending on the size of the leak.
If you choose to do the latter, you can find patch kits at a hardware store that will cover up that leak as a permanent solution. Other options include using putty or epoxy to fill in smaller leaks. Remember to smooth any rough surfaces and dry the pipe before using these fixes.
Gurgling
This can have several causes and you can identify it by hearing a loud, gurgling noise when you use any bathroom fixture. The gurgling usually happens due to air in the pipes that’s caused by venting issues and clogs.
A good drain cleaner or even a homemade one should be able to eliminate clogs. For large clogs, you may require a plumber’s snake. If there are clogs inside the trap, you may need to take it apart and assess the situation, a plumber can help you out with this situation.
Backflow
Backflow is essentially wastewater coming back up from the drain openings. This also often points to bad venting and clogs.
To prevent this disaster from happening, make sure the plumbing vents inside your bathroom work as they should. If you find that the backflow is caused by larger drain systems outside your house, then it is best to consult your landlord or ask mechanics about backflow prevention devices.
If there are no leaks and everything seems to be working as it should, then you’ve done a great job! Running into problems in the process is normal so we always advise you to take a mechanic with you or leave it entirely to them.