Hello everyone. Well I have hit my first major stumbling block in my studio project, something that I had not anticipated, and I hope the fine folks on this board can help me come up with a creative solution...
There is a large cluster of drain pipes which penetrate from the upper floors into the studio space near the back entrance. My initial plan was to just soffit around them and seal them off behind 2 layers of 5/8" drywall, then when I complete my inner leaf ceiling I was planning to build another decoupled soffit with 2 more layers of drywall (just like the detail diagrams in Rod's book).
Basement Floor Plan Pipe Problem.jpg
Boxing in Pipes.jpg
The problem with this plan is most of these drains have cleanouts, so I figured, I would just frame rough openings around the cleanouts then use MDF instead of drywall to create removable hatches for access later, then make slightly larger MDF hatches when building the inner leaf ceiling. I went ahead and built the soffits around the pipes and even started putting some drywall in place, but then I realized most of these pipes are positioned
too close to the wall. When I build my new inner wall, it will extend about 6 inches into the room, and there will no longer be enough space build a useable access panels where they are needed.
More Cleanouts2.jpg
I spoke with the town building inspector, who stated that although code requires the cleanouts be installed anywhere the drain pipes change direction, there is no code that says I cannot cover them up. He recommended that they remain accessible but that I could cover them semi permanently "at my own risk". I am going to get a second opinion on this because I actually read the code and it says they cannot be covered by any "permanent building materials" so he may have been mistaken.
I would hate to build something on his say so, then have a different plumbing inspector reject it!
There are plenty of additional cleanouts located further downstream on these pipes which will end up in the ceiling of the half bath area which is outside the isolated part of the studio. If there is anyone on the board with plumbing experience I would like an opinion on the necessity making sure there is access to
ALL cleanouts... If there were a clog in one of these pipes, could it be cleared by fishing something through a cleanout from the other side? How are cleanouts used anyway? How much access is needed to remove the cleanout cover? Is it done with a socket type tool, or would it be necessary to leave enough room to swing a large pipe wrench? (in which case the double access panel idea would not even work anyway)
CleanOut.jpg
Another Cleanout.jpg
I am wondering if I should tear out these soffits and start over with a different isolation approach for these pipes. Could several layers of mass loaded vinyl wrapped around the pipes serve as the outer leaf instead of a soffit with 2 layers of 5/8 drywall? If that would work, I could then build a decoupled inner leaf soffit with 2 layers of drywall with appropriately placed access panels, but I would need an opinion as to whether that would be sufficient isolation. In theory it should not make a difference if the mass is drywall or MLV as long as the mass per square foot is equal , and everything is airtight. Am I correct in this thought? Is this actually a situation where MLV (which is usually not recommended due to its cost) would actually be a more appropriate material to use?
Anyway - thanks again for reading about my issue - this has been causing me a lot of stress. I really want to come up with a solution that won't compromise the isolation and does not have the potential cause a smelly disaster down the road!