Installing a Basement Bathroom

A Basement Bathroom is a Wonderful Convenience

Overview: Adding a basement bathroom can be a big and expensive project. It may be more desirable than to run upstairs each time you need to use the bathroom. The reason installing a basement bathroom is expensive is that most basements are not plumbed for installing toilets, showers or sinks. If the floor of the basement is below the outflow sewer line the waste from the bathroom can’t gravity flow into the sewer system.

But all is not lost, a DIY handyman can install the necessary basement bathroom plumbing for a basement bathroom even though the sewer outflow line is above the basement floor.   

There are two options available for installing the bathroom fixtures (toilet, sink and shower) even though the floor of the basement is below the sewage outflow line. Either install a sump pump container or a flush up toilet.

Option one:

The first option is the more expensive of the two options. It involves installing a sealed sump tank beneath the basement floor. The sump tank has an ejection pump to pump up to the outflow line. Connecting the sump discharge line to the plumbing is not a difficult task. Installing the sump tank can be a challenge because it has to be installed below the basement floor so the toilet, shower, and sink will gravity feed into it. This entails cutting a hole in the concrete approximately four feet square and digging a hole about three feet deep to set the sump tank in. After that it is just a matter of running the outlet and vent lines to the existing sewer system and installing an electrical circuit for the sump tank pump motor.

The sump tank pump grinds up the sewage and ejects it into the outflow sewage line. They work great and have been in existence for decades. However there is a second option that is much cheaper.

 Option two:

Second option is much cheaper. Simply install a flush up toilet. A flush up toilet installation does not require a pit to be dug in the basement floor. It is a totally self contained toilet that incorporates a tank at the base that contains its own ejection pump to pump the waste into the existing sewage outflow line. It also has provisions to hook up other bathroom fixtures such as sinks and showers. Most of them can pump the waste upward as high as twelve feet to the outflow line.

The plumbing hook up for the flush up toilet is similar to the sump pump in option one. The outflow line and vent line must be connected to the existing sewage system and an electrical circuit is required for the ejection pump. The flush up toilet does set a little higher than regular toilets but they work great and are dependable.

Installing a basement bathroom really isn’t as daunting as one would think. The pump up toilet is certainly the least expensive and a DIY homeowner can do it with very little difficulty. I suggest that you consult with your local code office or a professional plumber regarding any special plumbing requirements in your area.

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Easy Bathroom Repairs

Fixing Leaky Toilet

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