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Bathroom in the basement?

Below-grade toilet options and installation tips

When installing a toilet, the most basic premise for the operation of the sewer system is that drain lines need to slope from the toilet down to the sewer or septic tank. Sounds simple enough -- until you’re faced with adding a toilet in a basement or other location that’s already below the level of the main sewer line. If such an installation is in any of your future remodeling plans, there are a couple of different strategies to consider.

Establishing grade

The first choice for the below-grade installation of a toilet is to see if it’s possible to establish the necessary slope from toilet to sewer. This may seem impossible at first glace, but many sewer lines are actually quite deep, and with proper excavating you may be able to establish the necessary quarter-inch per foot of slope that’s required for good drainage.

First, you need to locate the main sewer or septic line and determine its depth. This may require a trip to your local city or county public works department to check on sewer locations and approximate depths for your home, or, in the case of a septic system, a consultation with your local building department. If the records are not available, you may need to talk with an excavator who’s familiar with the area, and perhaps dig a test hole to locate the line.

Once you have the depth of the sewer line, you’ll next need to determine the exact level of the proposed toilet installation, then compare one to the other. This will require the use of a transit or laser level, which can be rented, or a consultation with a plumber, contractor, or excavator. If the level of the sewer line is sufficiently below the level of the toilet, you can simply install a 3-inch drain line from toilet to sewer in the normal manner.

Sewage ejector toilets

If it’s impossible to get the necessary natural grade for a standard gravity flow toilet, another possibility is a specialized fixture called a sewage ejector toilet, which is designed for below-grade installation.

The typical sewage ejector toilet consists of a pedestal made of polyethylene, which acts as a base for mounting the toilet. The pedestal, which is about five to six inches high, can sit directly on the floor or can be recessed so that the toilet itself ends up level with the floor. Inside the unit is a set of impellors and a sewage ejector pump, which processes the waste and pushes it up to discharge into the main sewer line.

Some models of sewage ejector toilets are designed with the pump and related vent and discharge lines located far enough behind the toilet that it’s possible to construct a wall between the toilet and the pump equipment. This allows for a cleaner installation, and makes the pipes and equipment much less obtrusive.

Composting toilets

Another below-grade option is the composting toilet, which eliminates the need for a discharge pump and gives a boost to the environment as well. The toilet, which is a fully self-contained unit, requires no water inlet, no connection to a sewer, and no chemicals, but does require an electrical connection and a vent to the outside.

Composting toilets work similar to a septic tank. Approximately 90 percent of the waste material entering a toilet is actually water, so the composting toilet utilizes a small electric heating grid and fan inside the unit to evaporate the liquids through the vent pipe. The remaining 10 percent of the waste material breaks down through normal bacterial action, and is converted naturally into a soil-type residue. This residue filters down through a grid into a collection tray located in the bottom of the toilet. In normal use, the tray only requires emptying about once a year.

Composting toilets are not only good for below-grade applications, but also work great in cabins, shops, warehouses, and other locations where the installation of the waste and water lines necessary for a standard toilet is impractical.

Sewage ejector and composting toilets are typically available by special order through plumbing fixture retailers, or through your plumber.

Copyright 2002 Inman News Features
Distributed by Inman News Features

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