How to tie in a vent line and shower drain in tight spaces
Trying to connect a 1.5-inch vent line and a shower drain in extremely tight joist spaces often results in improper setups like S-curves. Plumbers and DIYers struggle to figure out how to configure the wye, sanitary tee, and fittings correctly without drilling through joists or compromising proper drainage.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1using makeshift fittings
- 2turning wyes on their side
- 3Consulting online plumbing forums for layout advice
- 4Hiring a professional plumber
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am working on fixing this drain for a shower, looking for the best way to do it while keeping things as high as possible on the joists without drilling through.”source ↗
“Currently from what I can tell it has an S curve which I know is a problem, but trying to figure out how to tie it together correctly.”source ↗
“If I swap the vent to go in the top of the sanitary t and the drain to go in the end does that solve the problems here? If not I would love an explanation, trying to learn and do this right.”source ↗
“Would this work to catch a shower trap and other side to vent? No room for anything. The wye is a old pice I found and made a makeshift idea to take a pic”source ↗
“lol any idea to somehow tie in that 1.5” vent line that close to main and shower drain?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Connecting a linear shower drain right next to a wall stud
- 14Where do I run the vent for a washer installation?
- 2Converting a bathtub to a shower with a 1 1/4 inch drain
- 4Why does the drain snake keep coming out the other drain?
- 2How to route a plumbing vent offset around obstacles
- 5Can you use silicone to seal gaps around a shower drain?