By ED DEL GRANDE
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Q: Ed The Plumber: I never miss your column and read what you wrote a while ago that moving a toilet location on a concrete slab floor can be a big job! I want to relocate my toilet in a second floor bathroom. Is this also a big job? All I want to do is move it over just about a foot, so it's not that far. What do you think? _ Rebecca, Virginia
A: Well, Rebecca, when it comes to moving a toilet a foot it might just as well be 10 feet. A matter a fact, depending on the drain pipe layout, moving a toilet line an inch could be a big job!
Toilets use drain lines that are three to four inches in diameter and they are usually located in very tight areas. On top of that, older toilet drains can be made of heavy cast iron material that is difficult to cut, tap into and re-pipe with newer PVC. All these factors spell trouble and, unless a toilet absolutely has to be moved, I always recommend keeping the drains in place and install suggest the homeowner install a new toilet on the existing drains. Even if you're remodeling, it's a lot easier to design the room around the present toilet location.
However, I know there are times when a toilet does need to be moved and here's what you'd be facing:
As I said before, if your toilet is on a concrete slab you would have to cut open the concrete slab and dig out around the toilet drain line. Once an area of the drain is exposed, the drain can be cut out and tapped into. Then you have to open up a new area of concrete, install the new toilet drain to the new location and then back fill and pour new concrete around the drain and new toilet flange. Whew, I get tired just thinking of all that work!
Now, if you want to move a toilet in a second floor bathroom, the news is not much better. In this case you have to open up the bathroom floor or the ceiling just below the bathroom floor to expose the piping. Then you still have to do all the same cutting, tapping and re-piping of the toilet drain line to the new location. Once you have the new drain installed, you still have to reinstall the bathroom or the downstairs ceiling. This is an awful lot of work just to move a toilet a foot or two!
It's your call. If you have the money to spend and really want to move the toilet, then do it. If you're looking to remodel on a budget then I would be a little more conservative. Either way, just remember that when you work with toilets, sometimes a small movement could lead to something way more than what you expected!
Q: Hi, Ed. I'm a big fan and love your advice! I know you'll tell me like it is. I have gotten several opinions concerning my problem and don't know what to do.
I'm working with my contractor to install a basement bathroom with a sewer ejector pump in the floor. The issue is venting. The contractor wants to run a completely new vent line from the basement to the roof for big bucks! My friend (who is handy) tells me this is overkill and I should be able to tie into my present vent system to save some money. What should I do?
I like and trust both men and I know they will listen to you because they are fans as well! _ John, California
A: Thanks for the nice letter, John! First, for those that don't know, a sewer ejector is a pit in a basement floor that has a special pump for pumping waste water up to a gravity drain. You need to use a sewer ejector whenever you have gravity drains that are higher than your floor drains.
This is a specialized piece of plumbing equipment and you need to check your local codes on installation requirements. You may also have to take out a permit for this work. Once you do this, you can check with your building inspector and vent the sewer ejector system to meet their specifications.
That said, in my experience (in the area in which I live) we would fall on the side of your contractor. The type of vent line that your contractor is talking about is called a local vent. A local vent starts at the ejector pump and pipes up through the roof of the house with nothing else connecting to it. Many areas of the country have regulations mandating this for a sewer ejector connection, so don't be surprised if you have to pay the extra money to your contractor for this job.
But as I mentioned, local codes differ and you need a local inspector who will tell you if you need to install a local vent!
(Master Plumber Ed Del Grande hosts Ed The Plumber on DIY Network and Contractor stories on HGTVpro.com. Always follow local codes. Visit Ed at eddelgrande.com and send questions to: edtheplumber(at)diynetwork.com.)
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