Reopening basement bathroom in 1945 home
#1
06-05-14, 07:33 AM
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Reopening basement bathroom in 1945 home
I am interested in reopening a basement bathroom in our home but would appreciate some advice. Any idea why the toilet might have been capped? (With a now rusted wing nut secured plug) There is a concrete build up around the flange (about 2 inches thick) that is the exact shape of an old toilet base. It's almost like they wanted to elevate the toilet evenly. I will have to chip all that out before proceeding to ensure I can use the flange. The home used to be on a septic system but was converted to sewer when we purchased.
#2
06-05-14, 08:10 AM
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There is usually a reason why someone gets rid of a bathroom or toilet. I would research what that reason might be. Maybe the line was clogged. Maybe when the house was converted to city sewer the elevations did not work for the basement toilet so it was abandoned. Or, you could be in luck that the previous owners simply did not want it.
#3
06-05-14, 05:05 PM
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I know that the home wasnt switched over from septic until we purchased a few months ago, and the toilet had been long sealed up. Any other ideas of what to look for, or is the only solution trial and error?
#4
06-05-14, 07:19 PM
Can you just open up the pipe and pour some water down the pipe? It would be great if you can open up the sewer cleanout and confirm that the water is actually draining that direction.
The other option would be to get someone in to camera-snake the line and confirm that it's in good condition and connected to the sewer system.
I'd hate to do a lot of work on a bathroom and come to find out that the piping is bad in some way... In my mind, it's probably worth a few hundred $$ to run a camera down it and be sure.
The other option would be to get someone in to camera-snake the line and confirm that it's in good condition and connected to the sewer system.
I'd hate to do a lot of work on a bathroom and come to find out that the piping is bad in some way... In my mind, it's probably worth a few hundred $$ to run a camera down it and be sure.
#5
06-06-14, 09:58 AM
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The cap is rusted shut so I can just get another if need be. I might even spring for the "exploration" although I think we'd just get a vertical flush toilet if this one doesn't work. I was just hoping for some other ideas about possible causes. Thank you.
#6
06-06-14, 11:50 AM
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Usually folks don't get rid of a working toilet without a reason so I'm betting/guessing there was some issue. The line got crushed or clogged or there is no vent so it has flushing problems. Or, maybe the main drain line clogged or a septic problem caused that toilet, the lowest point in the system to overflow making such a mess that the previous owners decided to cap it and not risk it in the future.
