Toilet set too low for proper flow in slab floor
Hello all,
I have a situation where I have a toilet set on a slab foundation in a playroom behind the main house which is on a raised foundation. So the problem seems to be that the toilet was set too low in the original construction of the playroom to allow for proper flow to the main waste line.
The existing 1 piece toilet will not even flush down a piece of toilet paper and drains very slow.
Is there anything that I can do short of tearing apart the slab and raising the toilet and waste line to remedy this problem?
Replies
It is possible that the drain line has too shallow a slope to the exit point, or that the exit point is too high in elevation relative to the basement floor, or that the drain line is simply too small or contains obstructions. It's possible that the toilet itself is simply clogged with something.
Try this
get a probe and find where this lines depth is closest to the toilet and follow it till it goes to the main....a probing all the way.
note the drop to the main.
I used a back flush toilet in my basement. It raises the exit point a good 3-4 inches. It gave me the pitch I needed to make things work
The main thing is you've got to figure out what your problem is before you can fix it. Probably hire someone to put a camera through there.
If you want to take a long shot, though, you can first pull the toilet and check it's gooseneck to be sure there's nothing (eg, a comb) clogging it. This is something a halfway competent DIYer can do in a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. (Or better still, do it Sunday -- I understand there's going to be nothing worthwhile on TV.)
There are two options to solve this I guess. The first one is to put some elevation on the flooor before putting the toilet. However, you might also need a good plumber to do the measurements in order for you to have the proper allignment of PVC's towards the septic tank. You should also see if the toilet have been clogged. The other option is to have a replacement and in such case, I'd recommend SPAM which stands at a width of 19 inches and its trip lever has been chrome plated with superb quality of tanks. Considering its durability, cost-efficiency and of course its powerful flush, it is indeed the best flushing toilet for you. See this great review I got here: https SPAM Hope it helps!
If that toilet is too low all your other plumbing fixtures are as well. The elevation of a house floor is set off the height of the sewer discharge line at the septic tank or street outlet. So, if your septic line connection is 0' elevation and the most distant fixture drain in your house is 40' from there the floor elevation of the entire house would be 1/4" fall per foot or 10" above elevation 0' If I understand your problem your toilet is raised above the floor level which should make it flush even more aggresively. . It sounds to me like the playroom was added later and the drain line was either plumbed with no fall or is too small. You'll need to have a plumber put a camera in the line to see which issue you have.