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quick question…….if I wanted to put a bathroom on a concrete slab floor….what’s the best way to do it?
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quick answer, hire a pro.
Gabe
*set it down real gently so you do not chip the toilet finish
*smart asses.......A) It's a theoretical question, and aren't you supposed to be a 'pro'?B) bathrooms include more than a toilet!! sheesh......
*I,m sorry, I deserved that... But the question is not really clear. Bathroom on slab, what exactly do you mean,, and no not a pro. just labor.
*Jeez courtney, what do ya expect? You been around here a while. Plan the plumbing and cut the floor.
*But I'm not a 'pro'! I want advice, dammit! :).... What's the best way to cut a hole in a concrete slab? What about raising the floor on sleepers? do you have to worry peculiarly about dampness or something? HMMM?!!
*Hi Courtney,The search button is working again. How about looking in the archives. Lots of good stuff there. Well..... somebody would get around to saying it - eventually.
*Courtney's just flirting again;)
*Best way - put the plumbing under the floor. Score the slab with a masonry saw, then go at it with a 90 lb electric hammer. This assumes, of course that you have piping already in the slab to connect to, otherwise you'll have to install a sanitary sump. Is this in a basement? If you have the headroom, raise the floor with 2x6's or 2x8's, the use Zoeller's Qwik Jon
*yeah yeah....but I'm lazy?..:)
*Nah....it's the theoretical front porch on my wittle-bitty house....you know....that work that you contemplate for years before you actually get around to doing anything about it.And, being my read-up-on-it-self, I was contemplating doing some research and thought I'd start with the collective wisdom on this site. :)What's a sanitary pump? A sewage pump? As in pumping uphill? Not an issue here. Interestingly enough, it's a concrete slab with about 2 feet of gravel underneath. Crazy drunk people built this house.
*Unless this is your carport that you want to enclose and make over.How about some hypothetical details for some accurate hypothetical advice?
*Cause I'm ignorant and don't know which details are important?Hypothetically, it's a wood wall with a concrete slab in two peices over top of a bunch of gravel over top of dirt. Hypothetically, there's an above ground waste pipe that goes through the wall and flows down the kitchen sink pipe - we use it for the washer, but it's clearly inadequate for anything else - and mostly inadequate for that, as I'm not real comfortable with putting all that detergent in the septic tank. That's pretty much it, hypothetically speaking, of course.
*Ok. let start at beginning. from the toilet flange you will need a minimum of 18 inches for the water closet then a FALL of 1/4 per foot to septic tank. This is 18 inches from bottom of slab till the 90 torward the tank. so that will be one inch per four feet. On the tub and shower drain, you must allow for the P trap which will be seven inches below slab. remember no joints or hoz runs can be in concrete. this will tie into vent stack within five feet using two inch line, 3 feet if using 1 1/2 line, sink drain will tie into wet wall. It would be easier to remove complete slab and start over. Slope must be 1/4 fall county does not play with this. sink must be 18 inches side from wall or tub. you can tie the sink and tub into the toilet drain by using a wc 3 inch sanitary Tee with L&R inlets. What about supply lines. Are they under slab too.
*Ah, Johnnie, you're a wonderful man! Just the kind of concise info I needed. No supply lines at the moment - this is hypothetical, remember? :)
*Find someone with at least 4" butt crack. He's a pro/
*LOL......
*Sewage isn't hypothetical - make sure your septic field can handle another bathroom and check to see (depending on locale) if your local health department needs to approve it. Then worry about the physical changes to the area.Jeff
*I bought a 1950's house that has a toilet in the basement that is drains out the back into a soil pipe in the wall. Never saw one of these before but thought that it might make things easier. Use one of these, elevate the shower/tub and the sink drain is a no brainer.I'm definitely no pro and these things may not be available anymore. Just something for you to think about over the next couple of years.Mike
*Courtney, if you want to really dig into the subject, I would recommend getting Peter Hemp's book Plumbing a House (more details at:http://www.taunton.com/books/fh/plumbing.htm - probably cheaper at your local Home Depot)It is "for the pros" but is written in a very understandable and readable manner, at least in the couple of chapters I have read. I haven't read the part about the slab yet, but in skimming the book when I got it, I remember drawings of blocked out sections of the slab to provide clearance for where the bathtub drain goes. (For just the plumbing info, the "noframes" version is probably easier to use at: http://www.codecheck.com/plumcode.htm#anchor271664 )You might find it interesting to peruse the Taunton Codecheck information at http://www.codecheck.com/frame.htm (page down on the frame at the left and click on one of the plumbing topics) or even spring for the hardcopy version.
*Hey thanks Casey - I love doing research, so that's a great aid.As for the septic, we're getting a new septic system.......you wouldn't believe what we started with......there goes my student loan money for the semester.....sigh
*I bought that book you mention "Plumbing the house" from Home depot for about $22. Its a very good book, very good. Because of it I past first time on plumbing. Theys a second book " Book of bathrooms" for pros/By pros. It takes off where the first book stops.
*yay! more good info!
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quick question.......if I wanted to put a bathroom on a concrete slab floor....what's the best way to do it?