Add a sink and drain to the basement.

[clamm]

Looking for anyone who is experienced in plumbing to help add a utility sink to the basement... Main cause Im tired of carring saltwater up the stairs to dump down the toilet. Water lines and the drain line are in the same room. I just dont know what im doing enough to actually install it. Anyone interested...beer and maybe a frag or 2 provided....although im still new to frags so I probably won't have much you want.

BTW...I live in PEPPERELL. Can be an evening or weekend project. Could also offer some lights, etc...for the help...lights are nothing special...48" actinics no w/ballast.

 

[~Flighty~]

I just watched a show on this. Ed the plumber(or bob or fred? can't remember his name)
http://www.diynet.com/diy/shows_detp/episode/0,2046,DIY_19138_34685,00.html
Seemed like a pretty easy project.

 

[Daragon]

I just watched a show on this, Bob the Builder
http://www.diynet.com/diy/shows_detp/episode/0,2046,DIY_19138_34685,00.html
Seemed like a pretty easy project.

haha, sorry, couldn't resist

 

[~Flighty~]

Ya, that was it. Wendy really saved the day when Lofty and Dizzy got into trouble.

 

[NateHanson]

Casey, It's really an easy project, if you know how to sweat copper pipe. The only tricky thing here is that in order to put a sink in the basement you need to have the bottom of the sink about a foot above the main soil pipe that you'll be plumbing the drain into.

Is there a section of 1 1/2 inch PVC drain that low in your basement? It would be much easier than trying to cut into the 4" PVC stack, and install a reducing Y there. Not that the latter would be impossible, but not preferable. (a few stories of PVC can weigh quite a bit, so you have to make sure you're holding it up while you cut out a section of pipe).

I just put in a sink in my basement and I had to put it on a small stage to get it up a little higher so it would drain into the sewer stack, which exits my foundation wall about 18" above the floor, so raising the sink to accomodate the plumbing is an option too (within reason).

Nate

 

[NateHanson]

I imagine the show itself explained more than the step by step in that link you posted Cindy. At least I hope so. It seems to skip a few important things, and assumes that your house has a 1 1/2" PVC pipe magically sticking out of the wall under where you want to put the sink, and that there are dead ends for hot and cold feeds in your basement that are already installed and not being used. Those two things really are the essential details, so I wouldn't go jumping in until you figure out your drain and supply sources.

Nate

 

[clamm]

Nate the sewer stack is about 6 feet from the floor...so I dont have any pvc that low. Humm...what to do?

 

[denvig]

You will have to pump the drain up to the sewer line. It's not a big problem you can get this at HD.

 

[NateHanson]

(oops. Dennis beat me to it, and he's an expert on this stuff, so just listen to him instead. I'll leave my post below, if only for humor, rather than informational value)

I'd say there's no simple way to do it.

On a boat you'd have the drain empty into an enclosed sump, and have a pump in the sump which is activated by a float switch, to pump the waste up and out of the boat (or in your case up into the sewer) but I don't know if that sort of arrangement is legal for residential applications. You'd have to make sure the pressure of the flow in the sewer stack wouldn't back up into your sump, and I think that might be hard. At any rate, I'd be a little suprised if you could do it and remain within code. You might get a plumber to give you an estimate, and he'd be able to tell you if there was any way he could do it. That might give you some ideas.

Nate

 

[NateHanson]

(this should probably get moved out of the reef forum)

 

[clamm]

humm...ok That makes sense

 

[NateHanson]

Casey, I'll teach you how to sweat joints sometime if you want. Or someone closer to you probably could show you how.

 

[denvig]

Something like this
http://www.oasis-pumps.com/ed25.html

 

[~Flighty~]

I imagine the show itself explained more than the step by step in that link you posted Cindy. At least I hope so. It seems to skip a few important things,...

I wasn't watching too closely, there wasn't much else on at the time. For goodness sakes , it was a plumbing show. How into it can I get?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I'm in the same boat. I'll be adding a 1/2 bathroom in the basement. I'll have a sewer pump out, they actually have them with macerators just like a boat. It pumps up & out into the sewer line, totally code approved
My line is about 4' above floor level. A friend of ours just had one of these installed & it works great.
Another option (that I use for now) is to use a MAG3 to pump the water up to a drain.
Of course I also have a "mystery" drain in my basement. A sink in the middle of the basement against one wall. Where the drain goes, I have no idea, but it has never backed up. I used it when I filled my 125g, so it took close to 400g of water without a problem (waste from my RO/DI).
I now use my RO/DI waste water for the washing machine & also for watering the lawn or topping off the pool.
SW is also great for areas that you want to kill weeds (or anything else that grows)

 

[Daragon]

Sorry in advance for hijacking this thread but just a quick question. Where do you store the waste water so you can then use it for washing machine, watering lawn, etc?

 

[denvig]

Dave you can use this.
http://www.sewagepumpsales.com/zoellerquikjon.htm
http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=29326-57366-S1101

 

[clamm]

I was going to ask the same question...

 

[~Flighty~]

...SW is also great for areas that you want to kill weeds (or anything else that grows)

Sorry for the hijac, but how much salt do you need to kill stuff. I'm hoping I didn't kill a bush in our front yard(or the front yard for that matter). We always siphened the FW tank out the window and when it came time to empty the 70g habit took over and I siphened it out the window. The salt problem didn't cross my mind untill I had about 10 gallons to go. Oops

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I have (5) 55g drums that I can use. I usually just use one, the others will be setup once my garage is finished.
Or I may buy (2) 550g tanks & sink them partially into the basement floor.
I'm planning on filtering rainwater from my gutters to water my lawn

I think it would take quite a bit of salt to kill a bush, but it can depend upon the bush/plant. Ever had something near the road die after a long winter of road salting?
Once probably will not kill it, repeated applications will (unless the plant is like a mangrove & can withstand salt).

Dennis, that's what I saw at HD/Lowes, but not what my friend had installed. Much smaller unit, it pushed the waste out thru a 1" line!!