Build a Basement Bathroom Drain to Increase Value of Home

Aside from the level of comfort, a basement bathroom can also increase the value of your home. The question is, are you ready to take on the job of doing it on your own and save roughly about $1,000 in cost? You have to remember that this is a fairly complicated job, but, many have successfully done it. Here is what you have to do.

Main Drain Line

The first thing that you must to is to locate the main drain line. This is important because you will connect to this existing drain line to your new one. So you have to look for the main stack, which is a large vertical pipe that is about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. This normally runs into your basement floor.

It is important to note that this pipe may also run at an angle instead of straight out. A cleanout plug is normally an indicator of the exit point from your home and onto the street; that is if one is installed. In case you have your own septic system, the main drain line should be running towards the area of your drain field. Where is this located?

One way to find out is go through the floor. This means having a bigger hole on your floor or quite possible having a secondary hole. You will have to buy some bags of cement to patch this up afterwards. A better option though is to call on a licensed professional plumber to accurately find it. Normally this will cost anywhere from $75 to $200 depending on your location and if any specialized equipment is used for the work.

Building the Drain

To start the work on the drain system, you will have to cut into the main line and splice a Y-fitting into it. If you have a main line made of cast iron you can choose a no-hub type cast iron Y-fitting. What if you want to glue shorter section of the pipe in the Y-fitting? You can use a Y-fitting made of plastic to allow for the installation of rubber couplers.

Not sure what type of plastic material to use? Usually when it involves the drain, the more popular choices are ABS plastic and PVC. The most common reason is that these two materials are very easy to cut and does not take much effort to put together.

Piping Challenge

For do-it-yourself builders the most challenging part of the work would have to be building the branches. Why? Because you have to make sure that they end up at the exact point where they should go. Aside from this, you need to maintain a constant slope, which means running it for at least a fourth of an inch per foot of the pipe length.

How can you ensure that you do it right? First off, you have to make sure that you have twice as much of the fittings that you would actually use. You must also make sure that you keep some of the types that you don’t think you will use; just in case.

Ever heard of a torpedo level? If not, ask your local hardware for it to help you make sure that you accurately measure the slope of the drain pipes. To make sure that the drain pipes do not shift, pack in dirt right under and around it the moment the section of the pipe is completed. This allows you to build the other sections without having to worry about the finished ones being affected.

When measuring the rough-in of the toilet, always take into consideration the thickness of the drywall and the framing. Normally you would need about a foot of clearance from the wall to the center of the drain. The soil should be packed tightly so that it does not settle, but make sure that the pipes are not moving while you are backfilling the trenches.

This should give you an idea of what it takes to build your basement bathroom drain. If you want to save roughly $1,200 to $2,000 on plumbing costs, this is the way to go. But how good of a job can you do? For your safety and peace of mind, leaving the job to a licensed professional plumber is still the best way to go.

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