# attic too small to crawl and put a shower vent thru roof



## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

ok guys well im at a standstill on this.. the shower in the upstairs that was just added has no room in the attic to cut a vent and put in a 2x3 so with that being said .. in cook county is it code if no way to put a vent in to do a loop vent in the wall? kind of like a island vent? or am i gonna have to cut out a 3" hole in the roof? to put in the increaser


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## 504Plumber (Jan 26, 2011)

Would it be feasible to run a new vent through the roof? Just get a few extensions through the hole to drill through the roof.


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## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

504Plumber said:


> Would it be feasible to run a new vent through the roof? Just get a few extensions through the hole to drill through the roof.


 that would sound like a good ideal.. if i knew exactly where to drill the hole from the top.. most of the time i drill from inside out to make sure im dead on. but in this case its not gonna happen.. the roof at the highest point witch is the middle of the house is only maybe 2' if that and it drops fast.. so by the time u get to the area where the shower is.. there is no roof space to crawl and cut the hole...


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## 504Plumber (Jan 26, 2011)

Affordable said:


> that would sound like a good ideal.. if i knew exactly where to drill the hole from the top.. most of the time i drill from inside out to make sure im dead on. but in this case its not gonna happen.. the roof at the highest point witch is the middle of the house is only maybe 2' if that and it drops fast.. so by the time u get to the area where the shower is.. there is no roof space to crawl and cut the hole...


What I meant was drill the hole from the bathroom.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Think outside the box or in this case outside the attic


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Drywall is cheap.

Remove the ceiling of the bathroom to gain access.


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## budders (May 19, 2013)

Possible to put an aav in with an access panel?


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

Affordable said:


> ok guys well im at a standstill on this.. the shower in the upstairs that was just added has no room in the attic to cut a vent and put in a 2x3 so with that being said .. in cook county is it code if no way to put a vent in to do a loop vent in the wall? kind of like a island vent? or am i gonna have to cut out a 3" hole in the roof? to put in the increaser


*Time to explain a tool I made -- a long time ago. I needed a long feeler bit to locate a hole in a flat roof 16 feet above the bar joists. Ceiling in the building was a suspended grid type ceiling full of duct work, boards and plywood carring wires, communciations, air lines, and whatnot the whole thing an abortion occuring over many years. Anyway back to the tool.*
*I took 2 1-1/2 copper x 1/2 copper reducers. On both I drilled and tapped the 1-1/2 edge for three allen set screws. On one I inserted a 1/2 x 3/8 flush bushing, to that I soldered a piece of 3/8" hard copper -- that I filled with molten lead so as not to crush it when put in a drill chuck. the other end got a 1/2 x 1/4 threaded flush bushing, the 1/4" thread got a 1/4 black nipple drilled and tapped for a set screw The drill bit had a flat ground on so the set screw could do its job. These ends got attached via the set screws to a piece of 1-1/2 copper. It was a simple matter to put the ends on a piece of tubing lets say 20' plumb the tubing 90 degrees apart pull the drill trigger and drill a 1/4" inch through the decking and the roof. Then go up on the roof find the 1/4" hole and do the bigger hole work from the top side down. *

*Yeh I know I made a lot of $hit in my day but this had a lot of uses. *


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## PlungerJockey (Feb 19, 2010)

I have a long flex saft drill bit made just for situations such as yours. It's made by Greenlee. You can get them at any electrical supply or usually Home Depot. 

Get the bit, drill hole thru ceiling and roof then unchuck it and leave it sticking thru the roof, so you can find the hole from up top and go drill or cut the larger hole.

The bit is about 4 feet long


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

PlungerJockey said:


> I have a long flex saft drill bit made just for situations such as yours. It's made by Greenlee. You can get them at any electrical supply or usually Home Depot.
> 
> Get the bit, drill hole thru ceiling and roof then unchuck it and leave it sticking thru the roof, so you can find the hole from up top and go drill or cut the larger hole.
> 
> The bit is about 4 feet long


I should have thought of that. I have a 4 footer and two 5 footers along with the tool to bend it up (or down) into a wall if you have limited space.

EDIT: pretty handy on re-pipes.


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## brass plumbing (Jul 30, 2008)

*vent thru roof*

we would finish in wall off 2" hand sink drain & use vent grid on drywall, closest to closet. Only if it was secondary to main stack.


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## suzie (Sep 1, 2010)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> *Time to explain a tool I made -- a long time ago. I needed a long feeler bit to locate a hole in a flat roof 16 feet above the bar joists. Ceiling in the building was a suspended grid type ceiling full of duct work, boards and plywood carring wires, communciations, air lines, and whatnot the whole thing an abortion occuring over many years. Anyway back to the tool.*
> *I took 2 1-1/2 copper x 1/2 copper reducers. On both I drilled and tapped the 1-1/2 edge for three allen set screws. On one I inserted a 1/2 x 3/8 flush bushing, to that I soldered a piece of 3/8" hard copper -- that I filled with molten lead so as not to crush it when put in a drill chuck. the other end got a 1/2 x 1/4 threaded flush bushing, the 1/4" thread got a 1/4 black nipple drilled and tapped for a set screw The drill bit had a flat ground on so the set screw could do its job. These ends got attached via the set screws to a piece of 1-1/2 copper. It was a simple matter to put the ends on a piece of tubing lets say 20' plumb the tubing 90 degrees apart pull the drill trigger and drill a 1/4" inch through the decking and the roof. Then go up on the roof find the 1/4" hole and do the bigger hole work from the top side down. *
> 
> *Yeh I know I made a lot of $hit in my day but this had a lot of uses. *


 any pics?


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## suzie (Sep 1, 2010)

Last one I did I drilled from bathroom used a five or six foot electrician pilot bit and then had roofer go on top and drill out the hole and voila! I don't get on roofs anymore too old


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

suzie said:


> Last one I did I drilled from bathroom used a five or six foot electrician pilot bit and then had roofer go on top and drill out the hole and voila! I don't get on roofs anymore too old


*One thing we all missed. The OP was not concerned about drilling the hole, his concern was a hole big enough in the bath ceiling. I don't think he wanted to blast a hole in there that would allow the increaser to pass through. The hole in the roof would have had to be made bigger so as his vent could be increased **per code. Ah a northern plumber working with hor frost I believe. Anybody ever see a vent freeze **shut -- I have!*


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> One thing we all missed. The OP was not concerned about drilling the hole, his concern was a hole big enough in the bath ceiling. I don't think he wanted to blast a hole in there that would allow the increaser to pass through. The hole in the roof would have had to be made bigger so as his vent could be increased per code. Ah a northern plumber working with hor frost I believe. Anybody ever see a vent freeze shut -- I have!


Intresting, I never seen a vent frozen shut.. not with all the heat from sh!t going thru it..


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## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

i just drilled a hole with a long bit and a few extensions and sent in the helper to go up there and put the increaser on and put the boot on... . thanks everyone for the feed back... i know i aint getting my big ass in that hot heat..!!! and i never seen a vent freeze..


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> * Anybody ever see a vent freeze **shut -- I have!*


I watched a 2" vent I had just cleared the frost out of re-plug itself right in front of my surprised eyes. Took all of 10 or 20 seconds. It was an unusually cold day for that area in the B.C. interior. That moist vent air came up the vent, hit the cold air and just filled the vent termination with frost until it plugged.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

futz said:


> I watched a 2" vent I had just cleared the frost out of re-plug itself right in front of my surprised eyes. Took all of 10 or 20 seconds. It was an unusually cold day for that area in the B.C. interior. That moist vent air came up the vent, hit the cold air and just filled the vent termination with frost until it plugged.


That's why there a increaser on vent..


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

plbgbiz said:


> I should have thought of that. I have a 4 footer and two 5 footers along with the tool to bend it up (or down) into a wall if you have limited space.
> 
> EDIT: pretty handy on re-pipes.


I use the same bit to drill up into.existing walls from the basement when installing thermostat wires. Love those flex bits.


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

rjbphd said:


> Intresting, I never seen a vent frozen shut.. not with all the heat from sh!t going thru it..


Ditto.


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

rjbphd said:


> That's why there a increaser on vent..


Yup. Long ago when I worked in Alberta for a while, the rules were to increase to 4" before termination. Southern B.C. rarely gets cold enough to worry about it, and the Wet Coast, where I work now, never does. But further north and in mountainous areas it's definitely a thing.


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## johnh (Jul 6, 2013)

The code changed in my area and now a vent can legally go out a side wall. All restrictions still apply such as 10 feet from a intake or 3 feet above a intake.


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