1 1/2" okay for shower?

Here's another one for you guys...
Converting a shower tub into straight shower. Need to install a new drain in the middle of the pan. Everything easily accessible is 1 1/2" pipe.... Code says I need 2" for shower. Am I crazy to want to just work with 1 1/2", rather than have to get crazy working within walls to convert everything to 2"?

 

Now you already know the correct ansewer.

 

So, will 1 1/2" not be adequate to drain a shower?

 

When it comes to codes almost every specification or prohibition is there for a reason. Now it may not be a GOOD reason but it has been determined by the code-making panels that something is of sufficient importance that it needs to be addressed in the particular code.

ALL plumbing codes that I am aware of specify no less than two inch nominal piping for the drain in a shower. This is to prevent the water from accumulating in the shower stall. This may not be as important as it once was with the limited flow shower heads now common but IF a person wants to use a high-flow head and/or additional heads (rain or body sprays) then it is mighty important. Since shower heads are easily replaceable there is no way to prevent a low-flow head being replaced with a high-flow model at some future date. This is why the code requires a two-inch drain.

So, unless you have your shower inside a bathtub then yes, you need to have a two-inch drain.