Welcome to the AB Forum

I am a Safety Engineer and currently doing a safety inspection of a local club here in town. I was asked a pertinent question by one of my clients regarding drainage requirements in the shower/locker room of the club. They indicated that in one of their previous clubs they had poor drainage w/only one drain on the floor of their combination shower/bathroom/locker room facility (tile floor throughout). In consideration of the design of their newest club, they want to know what the ICC plumbing code and/or health department requirements are regarding this. I have been unable to find any code or requirement regarding this question. I have noticed in some of the gyms I have been to (tile floor throughout) that there are drains in both the wet (shower/sink/toilet) and dry (locker room) areas, spaced no less than about 6 to 10 feet apart. They also indicated that in the shower/locker room they were referring to there was only one drain for the whole area (in front of the showers) and it did not drain properly or continually had standing water, as did the locker room (primarily in front of the sauna and sink area). Are there plumbing code requirements and health dept. requirements regarding this and if so where would I find them?

Jerry-

The local jurisdiction may have some additional requirements but I would start with the International Plumbing Code (if that is what your jursidiction follows)
From the commentary in IPC 2006 section 412.1 - "Except as required by Section 412.4, floor drains are typically installed at the discretion of the design professional in areas where standing wter is common and may represent a hazard or cause damage to the building finish or structure."
I would discuss the desired end result with your engineers and architect/ designer and they can help you get the right number of drains that would be suitable for the location. Aside from the number of fixtures you are trying to accomodate, it would also be dependant on the layout.
Hope that helps.
-Kari
edited by kfrontera on 6/7/2011
edited by kfrontera on 6/7/2011

Appreciate the response Kari and this does help. What is the date on the newest IPC manual (I'm assuming 2009?) and I take it that drain requirements for commercial bathrooms/showers/locker rooms is still in Section 412.?? of the manual?

some jurisdictions (but not all) have adopted IPC 2009. I don't believe that section was one of the ones that changed.