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View Full Version : OT: Installing a bathroom in an unfinished basement



Lincoln Myers
07-18-2006, 4:53 PM
I would like to install a small bathroom (shower stall, sink, toilet) in my unfinished basement. I do not have any plumbing 'roughed in' to do this. I have found that it can be very expensive to get the plumbing 'roughed in' and am looking for alternatives.

Does anyone here have any experience, first or second hand, with this product line?

http://www.saniflo.com/index.asp

Seems like it would do the job, but I am a little hesitant.

Thanks for any input or comments.

-Linc

Lee DeRaud
07-18-2006, 5:06 PM
Before you get too deep into the research, you might want to check with your local building department and get their take on it. New technology (meaning anything less than 50 years old) sometimes has rough sledding, depending on the locale.

Bob Childress
07-18-2006, 5:07 PM
Lincoln,

I have no first hand experience with that product but I know I saw Rich Trethwey on TOH install a basement bath where the wastewater was pumped up to the level of the main sewer drain. So it can be done. I assume the "macerator" is to break down any solid waste so it will flow easily through the pipes.

Go for it!:)

Chris Padilla
07-18-2006, 5:19 PM
+1 to Mr. Childress...I saw the very same episode. I believe it was an episode of "Ask This Old House."

Matt Meiser
07-18-2006, 5:38 PM
A guy at work has one of the systems that you install the toilet on top of. Lowes sells them around here. He said they've had it about 8 years with no problems and recommended it.

Ian Barley
07-18-2006, 5:41 PM
I installed one in a shower room as a way of avoiding the need for full size soil pipe. The product works exactly as described and does a good job. Just make sure that all the females in the house are given and sign off on a copy of the "operating instructions". Don't ask.

Lincoln Myers
07-18-2006, 6:44 PM
Ian, how long has yours been in use? Did you have it professionally installed, or did you do it yourself?

Thanks again,
Linc

Joe Pelonio
07-18-2006, 7:16 PM
We were doing that about '90 in our previous house before we moved, so never completed the job. We had a sewage pump system. Basically a tank that you sink into the ground, and a sewage pump (like a submersible sump that can handle solids) to pump it up to the sewage line, with a check valve in it to prevent backflow. In that area it was legal with permit as many homes were below street level. We looked into electrical too, at the time, and it was not connected to the sewer, just needed a vent as it burned everything. These that you found look like a much better system that what we were going to use, certainly easier to install. It looks like they have local dealers and installers who should be familiar with the codes. Wow, 13 dealers within 20 miles of here, must be legal.

Art Mulder
07-18-2006, 10:32 PM
I would like to install a small bathroom (shower stall, sink, toilet) in my unfinished basement. I do not have any plumbing 'roughed in' to do this. I have found that it can be very expensive to get the plumbing 'roughed in' and am looking for alternatives.

Linc,

I'm not clear from your post. Do you need to use this, since your plumbing comes out of the wall above floor level? Or are you considering this, just so that you don't need to break open the floor?

I have no personal experience with adding a bath to a basement. However, about 10 years ago one of my friends did so. And he reported that breaking up the slab was really not that hard to do -- obviously that is going to depend on how thick your slab is. He helped out the plumber, which helped with cost and speed. I think they just rented a small jackhammer and used a big sledge to break up the slab.

Also, about 6 months ago my wife's cousin added a shower to a basement in a split level. This just involved renting a conret saw, so he could cut a 24" long trench in the slab for the shower drain. Again, a mess, a bit of a pain, but not that difficult.

Now, if you need to put plumbing all the way across the basement... then yeah, you're in for some hurting. :(

hope this is some help.

Lincoln Myers
07-19-2006, 12:04 AM
I'm not clear from your post. Do you need to use this, since your plumbing comes out of the wall above floor level? Or are you considering this, just so that you don't need to break open the floor?


I do need this b/c my plumbing does come out above my floor level. It's about 3 feet up on the street side wall, away from where the bathroom would be.

I do have a sump pit that has a grey water pump in it that pumps water up into the floor joists above, and over to the sewer line; this pump handles laundry, AC condensate and water softener recharge water. I have thought of replacing this with a sewage version sump (i.e. sealed pit) and breaking up the slab and routing pipes over to it. That is what I was finding out could be expensive to pay a plumber to do.

I thought I might be able to break up the slab to run the pipes, but that is a bit scary and am pretty sure I can not afford to pay a plumber to do this work for me.

Thanks again for any comments and thoughts on the subject.

-Linc

Lincoln Myers
07-21-2006, 12:18 PM
Has anyone here broken up their basement slab and laid drain pipes for a bathroom or anything else?

Want to know if I'm crazy for considering doing this myself?

Thanks again.

-Linc

Ian Barley
07-21-2006, 1:55 PM
Ian, how long has yours been in use? Did you have it professionally installed, or did you do it yourself?

Thanks again,
Linc

Lincoln

Sorry - I kinda lost sight of this thread for a day or two.

I installed it myself. It was very straightforward. If you can make a plastic waste connection then you can do this. I have moved from the house where I installed it but I ran it for about 4 years with no problems (apart from the aforementioned - which were a bit unpleasant but not difficult to deal with).

I would stress that my application was simply an extended horizontal run rather than any vertical lift but if you size the unit properly I would have faith in their claims. If I had a need for this technology again I would do it in a heartbeat.

Scott Loven
07-21-2006, 3:04 PM
You can rent an electric jack hammer. I saw an episode of ask TOH where they had the lady of the house do the work to put in a sump pump.
Scott

Chris Padilla
07-21-2006, 3:14 PM
Linc,

With careful forethought, this shouldn't be difficult...labor intenstive, yes, but not difficult.

You'll want a saw with a diamond blade to score the concrete so break-up is easier and to define the area where concrete removal is needed--it'll also make patch-up cleaner. Various chisels, sledges, and a good rental shop for a jack hammer (if needed) as Scott suggested could be helpful.