I purchased a duplex about a year and a half ago.... I rent out the upstairs
and live in the lower unit. At closing the guy that I purchased it from
(who had only owned it 3 months) told me that a beautiful claw-foot tub
upstairs did not have the drain connected and that it shouldn't be used. He
said when they did some remodeling they forgot to hook up the drain and it
would just drain into the ceiling if used.

I disconnected the supply lines to it and never had a problem.

Now I have new tenants and they are complaining that when they run hot water
for prolonged periods of time, they get a sewer gas smell out of the tub.
My question is -- doesn't this mean that the drain MUST be hooked up? How
can I test this short of dumping water down it and seeing if it rains
downstairs?

Thanks,

Rob

Robert C. Bosworth wrote:
I purchased a duplex about a year and a half ago.... I rent out the upstairs
and live in the lower unit. At closing the guy that I purchased it from
(who had only owned it 3 months) told me that a beautiful claw-foot tub
upstairs did not have the drain connected and that it shouldn't be used. He
said when they did some remodeling they forgot to hook up the drain and it
would just drain into the ceiling if used.

I disconnected the supply lines to it and never had a problem.

Now I have new tenants and they are complaining that when they run hot water
for prolonged periods of time, they get a sewer gas smell out of the tub.
My question is -- doesn't this mean that the drain MUST be hooked up? How
can I test this short of dumping water down it and seeing if it rains
downstairs?

Thanks,

Rob


Probably the easiest way would be to stick your ear right
over the tub drain. Have a helper flush a toilet downstairs
(you could use the one upstairs, but the noise might mask
the tub drain).

If it is hooked up, but trap is dry, you will hear the flushing.

What the seller *may* have meant is that it *is* hooked up
but unusable because it leaks.

You could repeat the flushing test after pouring about
4 cups of water down the tub drain to fill the trap.
If the trap holds water, there should be next to no
flushing noise audible.

If the trap holds water, that's no guarantee that
the drain won't leak...

Jim