basement remodel questions

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

tornadoalleycruiser

tornadoalleycruiser

Erik TLCA #5303
SILVER Star
10 Year 15 Year 20 Year
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Threads
73
Messages
5,777
Location
KC Mo
Website
www.tornadoalleycruisers.com
ok. Xmas is over in the retail segment. I have some breathing room meaning an actual weekend day off here and there from the part time job..
What I need some help with is tracking the drain pipes under the foundation. I want to put in a half bath in the basement. Problem is I don't want to put it where the stubs currently are. Want to relocate it approx 20+ feet from where they currently are. I know there are some sort of xray tools that do this sort of work. I'll cut the concrete when time allows after someone tells me where to cut. I just need help determining pitch and location of pipes, how to tie in a drain and how far from wall to put said drains before roughing in basement. Who's a builder/expert in this area? Kelly helped out a ton helping me move a water line when I got the place.

Willing to pay for your time or trade parts for time/labor etc. I don't have a lot of $ thus the call for help. I"d rather trade parts or help on a cruiser project instead.
I know we're all weekend warriors and jack of all trades i just need someone with this particular trade... I have one buddy that can run HVAC, I can run water, not needing wiring help yet (CHRIS!) just want to get the "stubs" in before I do anything.

I don't know drain and vent codes. There is a vent stubbed in where the pipes are stubbed not sure how far horizontal I can run. (pretty sure its a dry vent if that's the proper term) Also want to know what's needed when I put a sink in the shop regarding tieing into drain from kitchen on another wall. Do I need to tie into the same vent? or are sinks "vented" automatically.

Ok. My cry for help is out. No hurry on this, nothing urgent, basement isnt' going anywhere and i have plenty to do round the house.

If nobody knows any of this stuff.. no worries just thougth i'd ask.

Cruiser related? It will be cause I'll be able to finish the man cave and want this stuff done before i start on the 45. I have a ton of cabinets waiting, sink waiting and even have a spare toilet waiting. I feel like a hoarder right now just want some of this stuff installed so i can actually free up the space and use it.

Thanks all.. and it can easily be looked at the weekend of the meeting if that would work. Long enough post to get this thread started?
 
plastic. house built in 88 or 89? that much I know.. When Kelly came over we found one drain under where we dug.
 
What I use at work is to put a electric fish tape down the waste line, connect up my electrical toner and then sweep the area till I locate where the line is.

So not sure if can do the same with a wire toner and the listening device or not. concrete maybe to thick.
 
kind of a crazy question...do you have the plans to the house?.....if not find clean outs and other points that you can see the line and play connect the dots....layout your bathroom addition and work from that point back to where the lines are...does that make sense?...i am available whenever you need help

osagecruiser
 
Rambrush has the right idea on locating pipes. Plans are worth nothing. As we discussed cleanouts are usually the best indicator of direction, but rarely installed right.

I have not tried it before, but that is what I would do on locating pipes underground. I saw that some rental stores rent pipe locating devices, that will basically do the same thing. The only other thought I had was that that you can rent a pipe locator for underground sprinklers, that must work off of water or something.

Erik- our schedules are backwards. I am going into my busy time of year - not much time in next months. If you run into a pinch, I can do all except HVAC. It would be best for you to use me for electical and plumbing as they are most technical

Regarding vents, if you have a dry vent already there, I would try to use it. HOWEVER, Code now allows for a vent that basically just allows air in, not gases out. In other words, you no longer have to vent all the way to the outside. I use the studor maxi vent. Google it. THEY WORK AWESOME. The only catch is that you have to have access to them somehow. I typically put them behind a wall that you access from the storage side or under a sink cabinet. A maxi should do an entire bathroom.

Any more questions I did not answer?

Pitch of pipe by code is 1/8 per foot, but I use 1/4 per foot,
 
Hey, I have a question for your HVAC buddy. I am looking for a honeywell humidifier truesteam hm512. I can install, I am just having a hard time finding a reasonable price.
 
is that the pn for the honeywell? If so i'll have him find out.
and like i said.. no hurry! :) I can easily wait.
 
pn hm512dg115

Best would be to come by before or after the meeting next month and discuss the floor cut and rough in for plumbing.

Looks like bledsoe rental on wornall has this... it is 100 bucks for overnight. Seems like it might save you some time. You will need to put a fish line in the pipe to get the signal. Make sure to mark all lines. Remember for the toilet you will need a 3" pipe.

http://www.bledsoesrental.com/rental/22.htm

General Pipe Cleaners – Gen-Ear Water Leak Locator – Locate Water Leaks


Thanks.
 
I have beverages and can feed. any and all guidance is accepted. I follow directions very well also. it's the fear of the unknown that has me here. it probably isn't a big deal I just want someone to say.. Yes this is how you do it "un huh, uh huh" ..
 
Check your rental store and see if they have the locator. You know what a fish line is, right?

You should just pull the clean out plug on your pvc that is near the floor, then push the fish line in far enough to cover the area you want to mark. (note have nitrile goves on as it will be in poop. Use a rag to clean it when you pull it out, and do not put it back into the reel until you clean it well. That stink does not go away.

The locator will have a base unit that sits by the cleanout and a alligator clip that you clip on the fish line. This provides something for the sweep unit to find. There are some adjustments you can make to get a cleared signal... ask the rental house to understand this better. Also ask them about the distance trick. It should be able to tell you how many inches below the floor the pipe is. This will help us know if you have enough pitch.

Anyway get some upside down paint, and mark your floor. Mark where the pipe is and the depth at a few locations.

If you can get this done before I come out, it will be great.
 
ok. Will rent or borrow tracer, mark and report back.
 
Erik-

Any luck about the Honeywell humidifier price??
 
Buddy can't get his "wholesale" price anymore doesn't do the volume. He does HVAC in summer and is a teacher during normal time. He said Johnstone Supply Company is where he gets the best price in town.
Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.
 
Borrowing a xray thingy this weekend from one of the maint guys here at the hospital. he is going to give me a lesson friday afternoon here at work. Apparently it finds all types of pipes under concrete and dirt, gives distance down and doesn't require the fish inside the pipe.
WIll report back afterwards.
 
Hi Eric,
Look down the existing 3" toilet stub and see which way the pipe turns. There should be a cleanout in the stack that services upstairs toilets. Remove the cleanout plug use a flashlight and a mirror and see which way they turn. Project lines from these(use a blue chaulkline, it's removeable) and you will get a good idea of where your pipes are. You can douse the pipes also (water witch). You said you located a drain pipe when you and Kelly dug. Measure it on the outside then lay it out on the inside. It probably comes in perpendicular to the foundation wall. When you layout new plumbing lines make sure you don't use 90 degree turns. Rough in dimensions are minimum 12" off of the new finished wall behind the toilet and minimum 18" off each side. Relocation may or may not be possible because of the elevation of the pipe your tying into. If the pipe is too high you won't get the right slope and poop don't go uphill. I would definetely tie into the vent at the the bath sink just because it also vents the toilet You can sometimes get by with a dirty arm sink(no vent) depending on distance. If it is possible I would run the vent to everything (pipe is cheap). Once you have determined where you will tie into the existing underslab drain you should pothole the slab and find the pipe to find out what the elevation is so as to determine if you can get enough slope. I wouldn't trust a depth dimension from a locater when it comes to determing if you should tear out 20' of floor. To cut the floor you'll neeed to rent a quickie saw with a diamond blade, a big fan helps for fumes, and a garden type pump sprayer so you can wet saw to keep the dust down. Then you'll need about a 30lb electric jackhammer and a wheel barrow and a hole out back to dump the concrete.When that's done you get to dig the trench down about a foot to a foot and a half (use the jackhammer to loosen). Save the gravel and get rid of the dirt. Cut the existing pipe and put a fernco rubber "y" fitting in the existing pipe. Grade the bottom of the ditch with the old gravel.Rough in the new locations,fill with gravel, then get a portable concrete mixer and use store bought concrete mix to fill the floor adding extra portland if you want. My best advice is set your spare toilet on existing stub. Use a 5 gal. bucket to fill the tank and hang a shower curtain around it. Then go build a 45. It's a lot of work either way.
CraigC
 
the 5 gallon bucket thing is what we used for Years at deer camp. I just wanted to finish up my mancave. Thanks Craig.. again a wealth of knowledge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom