'Fully' plumbed for a bathroom

17 years ago

Greetings all! I have a 1964 house with a 6'x6' closet off a basement guest room that I was told was "fully plumbed for a bathroom". At the time it had built-in nursery stuff which I have since removed. I pulled the flooring and found 4 black plastic pipes with wax(?) plugs. I don't see any supply lines, so "fully" seems to be an exaggeration. The toilet, sink, and shower drains are in obvious locations, and there is a 4th pipe which was buried in sand for about a foot while the others are encased in concrete. We think this was originally a crawl space dug out to add the guest room. Also, the previous owner did all of this himself with no permits. His electrical work was not grounded (now fixed) so we aren't confident he knew what he was doing.

My questions are: 1) what is that 4th drain for? It is close to the center of the room. and 2) how can I tell if the drains are connected to vent stacks? There are none obvious. Could they be connected to a nearby bathroom? It is probably about 10 feet away, separated by the utility room.

I'd like to complete this bathroom, but not if there are serious problems. We are on a septic system, if that matters.

Thanks,

Kris

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Comments (6)

heimert
17 years ago
Perhaps they have a fourth pipe for a central floor drain, in case you opt for a shower without a full enclosure.
fixizin
17 years ago
I too vote for 4th mystery outlet being a central floor drain, which is a great idea (and probably code-required) in any basement room which is plumbed for incoming water.

As for tracing these lines back to stacks, I'm thinking plumbing snake with tiny flashlight or blinking LED attached, then look down the roof stacks for the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel", lol. If these drain lines have no traps or bends in them yet, you could just shine a big flashlight in, no snake required.

Or maybe just some incense or a cigar, or other smoke generating source... or, if you have a small bilge pump, just be brave and pour/hose some water down them, and see if it backs up, or goes away!

Hmmm... wonder if the pros use my goofy methods?... hmmm...
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david_cary
17 years ago
Not code around here for a central drain in a basement bathroom.
fixizin
17 years ago
Jill, how ya coming with those mystery pipes?

Can you post pics of the "wax seals"? That's a new one to my VERY limited experience... I'd expect std. plumbing end caps.

PS: If properly plumbed, no one ever regrets having one more bathroom in the house, especially one serving the guest quarters.

PPS: Just noticed you're in Colorado, so I assume this "dug out" basement space has been tested for RADON GAS? =:O

Best of luck.
pjb999
17 years ago
I am guessing the water supply pipes are buried in the walls. I agree, it's a good idea to make sure those pipes actually connect to something.
pjb999
17 years ago
I neglected to mention, in Australia, a central floor drain is mandatory and a wonderful thing, sinks and baths don't always have their own overflow (which I think are great) but you do have the central floor drain.

If the room is below grade I believe you can get a check valve for a floor waste so it won't back up on you, if you have the room to add it to the floor waste, it might be a good idea.