# drain pipe depth under concrete



## amakarevic (Apr 12, 2007)

i am lowering my basement floor and was wondering what the minimum depth of drain pipes should be under a concrete slab ?

input appreciated.

thanks,

- a


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## Mike Swearingen (Mar 15, 2005)

Check with your local Building Inspection Department for their answer. You have to get a permit and inspections from them anyway. Good Luck!
Mike


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## bigdav160 (Jul 18, 2007)

Mike Swearingen said:


> Check with your local Building Inspection Department for their answer. You have to get a permit and inspections from them anyway. Good Luck!
> Mike


Sorry, that's really a cra**y answer. Hopefully, as a moderator, you know not all areas of the country have permitting or inspections.

To the OP, the depth would depend on the distance to the main sewer line and its depth. On my property, the main line at the back of the property is 4 ft deep. Our home is slab on grade and the sewer line is 2 ft under the slab.


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

bigd? -

You comment - "Sorry, that's really a cra**y answer. " is not a constructive answer. - A moderator is not supposed to be an expert. A moderator volunteers his time to make sure the questions are proper and answers are to the point and to eliminate the "trash talk" or other off-the-point comments.

You have no basement and your connection elevations are really not that important to anybody but you. Exterior sewer main connections are beyond the homeowners control and are what they are.

By "drain pipes" that term is more closely applied to water drainage than sewerage. "Sewer pipes" usually refer to sewerage and gray water disposal.

To try to answer the poster's problem constructively -

amakarevic -

If the question refers to any drain tile installed to dewater the area, if possible, the bottom of the drain tile should be level and slightly below the bottom of the footings. This applies to perimeter drains and to general dewatering drain lines. If not possible, the should be as deep as possible. The deeper, the better they work to reduce the water and pressure under the slab. Drain tile does not have to be sloped. In some areas, water from drain tile is not permitted to flow into the sewer, while in other areas it is permitted. The slope of the connection would be as necessary to connect.

If the question refers to sanitary sewer connections, I assume the poster knows/found the location of the sewer pipe to the ouside main. If possible, the slopes should be as uniform as possible and any changes in slope between the interior sewer pipes should be minimized by matching the interior slopes with the exiting slope. Even if there is no permit required, the municipality can provide information on the approximate slope of the exit line. If you plan to lower the elevation of the lines to the main, elevations can be obtained. Changes in slope can be as bad as a blockage or a slope that is too steep, which causes separation of the matter.

************


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## bigMikeB (May 31, 2007)

amakarevic said:


> i am lowering my basement floor and was wondering what the minimum depth of drain pipes should be under a concrete slab ?
> 
> input appreciated.
> 
> ...


I believe I saw in one of your posts that your in DC. I have seen many basements lowered there to increase living space. The depth of the drain would depend on the sewer line coming in from the street unless you are going to add a sewer lift in the basement. Most of the houses I have seen are @74" from the existing slab to the bottom of the ceiling joists, with the sewer lines @ 12"-16" below the floor. One word of advice, make sure you don't undermine your existing footings as you dig, I have also seen that in your area too many times, with bad results. Too answer your question, you don't need much space between the top of your drainage piping and the slab.


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