# Basement bathroom rough-in



## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

I just found this site today and am amazed by it...so many helpful people with unlimited information.
I am finishing my basement bathroom that has waste & vent lines roughed in, but I have a question regarding venting and draining the sink. In the attached drawing (albeit looks like a 5 year old made it) can I just connect 1 line from the sink to the vent or is the existing capped line for drainage and I need to add one above it for venting?
Thanks in advance.
By the way the red thing is supposed to be a sink, not the cookie monster.


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

your connection is correct, that is exactly what it suppose to be connected as and for.... I have the similar configuration which I just finished the plumbing in the basement... just make sure you have slope require somthing like x" in y feet dropping...


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

Thanks for the reply, Kuiporng.
If I remember correctly I think the slope is something like 1/4" drop per lineal foot.


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

This is not the correct way to make this sink tie-in

In this setup if someone was to clean out this lav line, thet will find themselfs crossing at that tee into the shower vent.

This is against code.


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

Thanks Ron....what do you suggest?
In my diagram whatever is black is existing....meaning this is the way the builders roughed it in.
How do I go about this?


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

Should look like this.

Tee to right picks up lav, tee to left picks up vent from shower, of course your wet venting the toilet, if thats the case. it is code here, and could be code there.


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

So can I even use the existing stubout they left for the lav?
Could I do this?


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## JeepCop (Dec 17, 2006)

I'm sure you know this, but make sure you use DWV fittings. I'm doing my basement too...


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

How high above sink flood level is the existing capped line, or is it not even above it?


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

No this sketch isn't to scale...it would be below flood level of the sink.
The capped line is 17" off basement slab (centre-line of pipe), the pedestal is 25" high and the sink bowl is about 6" high.
Keeping in mind that right now the sink is in 2 pieces sitting in the corner so I haven't assembled it yet.
Thanks again.


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

I guess that would mean that the capped line would become my drain, not my vent?


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

You can not connect vent below the flood level rim of that sink, you have to vent a min 6" above it. And the capped line cannot become the drain connection, do to reasons stated before.


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

I already did mine, it did pass the inspection though, I think Ron's approach is probably the perfect way of doing it... I think the builder setup the piple for the purpose of someone setting up a bathroom easily... it probably assumes someone to connect the drain to the cap directly without much other piping work, otherwise, they waste time/effort to setup the pipes for the home owner which require to redo the bathroom piping and why they call it "Rough in" in the first place... so I think

Ron's argument do have a point, which is, the builder or most builder not doing a perfect set up... whether this setup is against the code, I doubt, as I said my state inspector didn't point out it as a wrong doing...

So the bottom line is, if you want to make the perfect way, you probably need to forget about most of the pipe set up with the builder and alter it significantly....


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

So is it safe to say that technically all I have to do is connect 1 line from the sink to the capped line (as long as it's sloped to drain) and let it be? I realize this may not be the perfect way but If I do this will I have any major problems to deal with?
I have to agree with Kuiporng when he asks why would the builders rough it in that way if it's wrong, but like Ron I also like to do things the right way by the book.
Thanks so much for the quick responses....I appreciate everyone's input.


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

If the line plugs up and one tries to clean it out guess where the cable will go. It will cross that tee and drop down the vent line to the tub.

Do it the way you want to, I can only advise you not to do it that way.

Looking at my picture of the pipes, that tee you see on the right will be placed at center of sink in rough wall. That upper tee is a new tee to pick up the vent from the shower, this making it higher the the sink. Then you take off the top of the tee and vent a min of 6" above the sink flood level rim, If this was me doing it, I would not even use the capped line you show, as a matter of fact, I would take out that cross all together and raise the vent for the shower so it would be higher the the sink also, this will make it all code..


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

so then this drawing would work?
i still don't understand what the purpose would be in leaving that capped line if i can't even use it.
i should go to some of the neighbours' houses and see if it's similar.


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

How far away is that tee with the capped line from the sink center?

I have another thought here.


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

Can you simplier install a clear-out (or called clean-out) under the tee and use the existing piping configuration, in theory, then you don't need the snake no more... as it will go through the newly installed clear-out, I think if this is ok, it would be a nicer/cleaner solution, I remember I read that from one of the plumbing book, although I didn't do that for mine for laziness...


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

Ron - The sink has not been installed yet, it's sitting in the corner of my basement in pieces. I was planning on the centre of the sink being around 40" to the right of the tee.
What's your other idea?


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

Ok do this, see picture below, your within distance to the vent for the sink 40", you will still need to move the vent for the shower tie-in higher then the sink, and change the cross to a tee so you can come straight to the sink.


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

that's alot easier. to make it even easier couldn't i just cap the other side of the cross instead of replacing it like this?


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

*actually it is only your builder did it wrong...*

After go back to check some drawing of mine (as I covered with drywall already and forget how it was) in the earlier stage which is exactly like this, I think actually it is your builder is wrong setup, my builder setup is like the correct way.... You could even ask them to fix it if it is still under warantee... anyhow Ron is really the expect here... no doubt...


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

You can only if there will be acess to that tee if the line ever needs to be cleaned out, if no access then you need to replace it with a san-tee as shown in my picture.

Picture this, you cap the line, cover the wall, the sink clogs up, you run a snake in line, where is the cable going to end up at? Thats right, it comes to the capped line, well now what, you open the wall back up, only to cut out the cross which I told you to do it the first time around.

Now your choice cut or cap, if me, I would cut it out of there and replace. Your already going to add a new tee on the line to raise vent for shower, it will only take few more minutes to replace that cross at that same time.


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## tdferguson (Jan 12, 2007)

Ya that makes sense. I think that's what I'll do.
Thanks for all the help Ron.


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## ronaldreaves (Dec 8, 2007)

Stubbed basement/drain pipe from floor for lav/capped 'vent' pipe from ceiling. Can I simply connect lav via p-trap and 'T'? Also, I cut into the vent pipe and water ran out? Is that normal. Is it really a vent?


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## madkzin (Mar 23, 2008)

Ron, Quick question if I may.
In the 2 fixture vent connections, if both are at least 6" above the flood rim of the sink...why couldn't you just use a santee cross as the connector to the vent and tie the vent branches to the main vent both in the same spot? (I know you can only use a san-cross on drains when the flood rims are of equal heightt, but does that same apply to venting?)


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

You can as long as the connection is 6" above the flood level of the fixture.

Cross would need to be inverted.


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## madkzin (Mar 23, 2008)

Thanks Ron!
I'm aware of the requirement for inverting the cross (makes no sense that you have to do that...but a code is a code!)
I'm in the process if trying to correct a bunch of mistaks in a house we just bought......looks like every fixture in it is wet-vented. Every toilet is sitting on a santee on it's side and vented out the upstream end of the santee.
I'm going to haver to get creative on venting them. 2 of them are set on slab. It is kosher to go flange->Wye(in horizontal)-> 45 street elbow (to get vent horizontal, above bottom of bend, and back to wall where there is an existing hole bored in the concrete to get to vertical), isn't it?


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## Ron The Plumber (Jun 7, 2006)

Yes as long as you invert the wye 45 on a 45 degree then hit another 45 to head towards wall, then LT into the wall. I don't know what distance you dealing with so I'm talking blindly.


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