Bathroom in Basement Question

MudDuck · 09-13-2005, 02:17 PM

I am thinking about putting in a half bath in my basement, and am trying to figure out how to tap into the sewer. Currently I have all the plumbing in my house coming together and joining up in one place like I’m sure all houses do, then it goes into the floor travels about 3 feet under the concrete and goes out of my house where it hooks into the city sewer. Right at the wall where it goes out of my house, the sewer pipe has a splitter where a piece of threaded PVC comes back up from my poured basement floor, and is flush with the concrete with a cap. From people I have talked too, they say this is an access hole in case your sewer backs up and you have to get a snake or call someone to clear the clog. I also have a T connector in the main sewer pipe that is coming down the wall about 3 feet away which also has a cap on it. My question is could I use this floor access point as a place to tap into the sewer since I have that other access point in the pipe coming down the wall, or will this hurt something?

Any one have any ideas? Thanks in advance for your help

'Andyman · 09-13-2005, 08:45 PM

Mud Duck,

The T on the soil stack coming down from above is a clean out. The fitting coming back up to the floor may well be a roughed in point for a toilet but I'm not sure from your description. I put a bathroom in the basement and where the soil stack came down, I broke open the floor below the T cleanout and connected below the floor. Maybe the plumbing experts could chip in on this one.

MinConst · 09-13-2005, 09:16 PM

MudDuck,
Adding any drain to a basement you need to run downhill from the fixture to the point of entry into the stack. Unless you use you use a pump. The best way to deal with this is like Anyman said break up the concrete and run lines into the stack below floor level. It is pretty expensive but the proper way to do it. This is really not a job for a handy person. It would require a professional.

housedocs · 09-14-2005, 03:59 AM

Other option you can consider if your have the headroom, is to raise the floor of the bathroom, this creates a void where the plumbing can be run without having to break into the floor. When you get into remodeling, you have to get creative sometimes and think outside the box.

Just my two cents for what it's worth.

plumguy · 09-14-2005, 08:07 AM

Here it is illegal to use a cleanout to install a new drain. It is required that there be a full size cleanout at the base of every stack, which explains the one on you're wall. Also, it is required that there be a cleanout on the main drain as it leaves the building, which explains the one under you're floor. If you were to have clog at some point and both of these cleanouts were not accessible or one was eliminated you could find yourself in a big mess.

Like stated above the only proper install would be to open the floor. However, I would consult with plumbers in you're area for ideas. Depending on the layout of you're 1/2 bath and basement, cleanouts and main drains can be rerouted with proper fittings so that they stay accessible and do not hinder the cosmetics of you're finished bath,etc.

MudDuck · 09-14-2005, 09:07 AM

That's what I needed! Thanks for all the good feedback guys! Sounds like I need to break out the concrete and tap into the line.