Digging in Basement floor to install sewage basin
#1
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Digging in Basement floor to install sewage basin
Hi,
A contractor is suggesting to dig into the basement floor to install a sewage basin. I'm concerned that digging into the floor can cause water issues. Would love to hear from people that have experience with this.
Is this something to worry about?
A contractor is suggesting to dig into the basement floor to install a sewage basin. I'm concerned that digging into the floor can cause water issues. Would love to hear from people that have experience with this.
Is this something to worry about?
#2
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If you have water issues installing a sump will not change it. If the water table gets higher than your basement floor there is a chance you will get water inside regardless of having a sump or not. Every crack and crevice is a possible entry point as is water simply seeping through block walls or water vapor passing through a concrete slab. That said, a sump does not form a perfect waterproof seal to the concrete slab. If the water comes up there is a chance it can emerge into the basement around the sump.
But, if you are adding a bathroom in the basement you don't have many other options. Poo flows downhill so your sump has to be lower than the tub, shower or toilet you are draining. There are tanks that sit on top of the slab and don't require cutting through the floor but it requires that the bathroom be elevated on a platform. The other, more traditional method, is to cut a hole in the floor and install a sump.
But, if you are adding a bathroom in the basement you don't have many other options. Poo flows downhill so your sump has to be lower than the tub, shower or toilet you are draining. There are tanks that sit on top of the slab and don't require cutting through the floor but it requires that the bathroom be elevated on a platform. The other, more traditional method, is to cut a hole in the floor and install a sump.
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I don't have a sump pump in my basement and it is dry. Is it possible that by digging a hole in the floor, I'll puncture some sort of barrier that will allow water to enter or can I assume that if the floor is dry, there isn't water pressure underneath that will start coming up?
#4
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There is no truly waterproof barrier under a basement floor. At best there might be a vapor barrier which are frequently punctured when the workers walk all over it pouring the floor.