# Attic Plumbing



## rpmhillc (Sep 7, 2016)

I am looking to add a rain head in my shower. My bathroom has attic space above it. I live in maryland. Is it safe to bury a water line in the attic with the blown insulation above and wrapped in black foam pipe insulation? It's only going about 3 feet of total length and would be touching the attic side of the drywall. Quite a bit of insulation above it as well as the heat from the inside of the house keeping the drywall warm. How safe would you say?


----------



## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

The only way I would do it in a shower only is also install a toe touch spout diverter also. that would drain the water from the shower head line.

There may be an official name for it but I don't remember.
I have used a couple in the past, my plumbers idea and so far has worked fine. Spout was 12" or so above the floor, diverter was part of the shower valve and once water was off it opened by itself.


----------



## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

Running it just beyond the drywall and with plenty of insulation above, I'd have no problem doing it.


----------



## Ernie in Dawson (Jun 16, 2017)

I would think the biggest trouble spot would be where the vertical pipe penetrates the attic into the elbow. I might climb up there and spray a bunch of insulating foam around it just to be safe and probably insulate the pipe in the wall down a foot or so as well. That part of the pipe will hold water and be more likely to freeze than the horizontal run, imo. Most of the water in the piece going across will likely drain out of the shower head when the tap gets shut off, I think. The spray foam acts as an insulator and a vapor barrier. The vapor barrier has always been more of the issue for me than the insulation. Of course, I live in a 40 below climate too.


----------



## Jerry L. Garcia (Sep 6, 2017)

All you need to do is to run it beyond the drywall and also to put plenty of insulation above it. I don't feel that I would ever have any problem doing it.


----------

