Conventional toilet in basement?

13 years ago

I'm thinking about installing a toilet in my basement and from reading online, it seems the first thing I'll need to do is determine whether I can install a conventional toilet or if I'll require an up-flush system. I'm trying to get a sense of what my options are and what each would require so that I can determine what I can do myself and what I'll need to hire out.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/grae313/IMAG0533.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/grae313/IMAG0530.jpg

This is the drain coming down from the only bathroom on the first floor. Is that flange on the side a place where I could connect a toilet? Clearly I would have to build something so the toilet would sit above the level of the flange but that seems relatively simple compared to hacking out cement and redoing piping.

I know venting is very important. There is a second pipe in my basement that looks sewer-related:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/grae313/IMAG0536.jpg

The pipe leads on the left to the outside of the house where there appear to just be a perforated cap at the exterior wall, so I assumed this to be a ventilation pipe. To the right of the pipe where it goes into the cement floor is this:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/grae313/IMAG0537.jpg

There is also a drain in the floor in another room in the basement, but my guess is that this is just a storm drain and doesn't go into the septic system:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/grae313/IMAG0538.jpg

So what am I looking at here and what are my options? Your help is greatly appreciated!

Comments (3)

worthy
13 years ago
Is that flange on the side a place where I could connect a toilet?

No, it's a cleanout. Did you plan to have a walkup w.c.?

Any connections will have to be done through the concrete and under the floor. As well, you need a vent stack that will have to run up inside the walls to the roof or outside along the wall.

If you want it done right, this is really not a diy job. You can post this in the plumbing forum for further answers.
thatgirl2478
13 years ago
OK- the stubby pvc piece coming out of the left hand side of your stack is a clean out - DO NOT connect anything to this. The old (appears to be cast iron) pipe connecting just below the clean out is either a sink drain line or a vent - depending on what it connects to ( can't tell from the photos).

The other pipe that come up out of your floor and goes through the wall COULD be a vent line - but I would be surprised if it was still active since there are now regulations regarding how far above ground level / roof lines your sewer line has to be vented (of course, if it's an older home, it could have been grandfathered in).

In the floor next to that pipe is another clean out - again may or may not be active.

The drain in the floor is just that a floor drain. It may or may not connect to the septic line, but regardless you wouldn't want to use it as a toilet drain - they are NOT the same thing and shouldn't be used interchangeably.

What I would suggest is to have a plumber come out and give you an idea of where the pipes are running under the concrete. You MAY be able to break up the concrete yourself, but cutting into the main sewer line and running new cast iron (which you should do under concrete) is a job for a pro.

BTW you would be cutting into & tying into the line in the first photo - but UNDER the concrete.

The only reason you would need an up flush toilet is if your sewer line left your house at a level HIGHER than the floor.

To have pros in to do the job for us was about 3k - but we had them break up significant amounts of concrete to locate the toilet where we wanted it. Good luck!
stir_fryi SE Mich
13 years ago
We also had a licensed plumber do this for us. The total cost including the walls, plumbing and fixtures was about 6000.