Toilet in basement

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BuickGN

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I am in the process of remodeling the basement of my 1970 built raised ranch. The raised ranch next to mine was built by the same builder and has a half bath in the basement and I want to add one to mine. There was a pipe sticking up thru the slab that appears to be for a toilet as it is right where one would logically go and is in the same place as the neighbors toilet.

My question is on the venting of the toilet and what to use for a toilet flange. The main stack coming up from the slab is right behind where the toilet would go, how would it be vented? Presently I have a utility sink plumbed into the pipe in the floor that would be used for the toilet. I put this in temporarily when I moved in about 2 years ago with the plans for eventually rearranging things in the basement. The sink has always drained fine so how is this pipe vented? I even filled the sink up to the top and then pulled the plug and it drained without any problems. It will be moved to another location now that I am finally getting around to doing the basement.

I chiseled away the concrete around the ABS pipe coming up from the floor and it is a 3" 90 elbow and it heads towards the main. Would I get a toilet flange to go around the outside of the hub of this pipe or one that would fit inside it?

Here are some pics of what I have. Note that the two pipes that go into the main take a 90 degree turn below the first floor joists. My two bathrooms on the 2nd floor all drain into the larger pipe and the smaller pipe goes to the drain for my kitchen sink.

Soooo, bottom line is, can I just install a toilet to this pipe as is?
 
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JDkimes

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That toilet is already vented by means of the main stack. There are limits on how many things can be vented on certain size stacks, but unless you've got some huge number of things going into that it should be fine. Ask the building inspectors or even better the building code. I've used a reference called Code Check sold at lots of bookstores or even Home Depot that would tell you if you have enough venting for what you've got. I'm not a pro but didn't want to leave you hanging since nobody else answered your question.
Looks like the flange would go inside that hub but it looks a little high off the floor. Hard to tell from the photos.
 
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Deb

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Deb

No, and there are a couple of reasons. The toilet will need to be vented. You cannot use a drainage stack from an upper floor as a vent for a lower floor fixture (wet venting between floors). And the line is not deep enough. The flange would sit several inches off the floor. PVC and ABS are different materials and bond in different ways and should never be glued together--even with "transition" glue. When you move the laundry sink, you should properly vent it. Venting has nothing to do with draining--it has to do with protecting the trap seal. The venting thing is one of the rules.
Deb
The Pipewench
 

BuickGN

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Thanks for the replies. Got it on the ABS/PVC not being compatible. My neighbors house has the same plumbing except for the fact that they do NOT have a cleanout where mine is and the wye above the cleanout in my house is located in the position my cleanout is on their house. (hope you can follow that!)

They don't have any provisions for venting on their toilet OR sink. How did they get away with this? Maybe because it was done 35 years ago??

So you are saying, besides venting issues, I have to put the drain line for the toilet lower!!?? The hub of the 90 degree elbow sticks above the slab about 1".
 

JDkimes

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Obviously Deb is correct. I didn't look at your photos close enough. I thought those vent pipes went straight up through the roof, didn't observe the horizontal runs.
Your neighbors probably didn't get a permit for the sink and toilet installations, thus nobody cited the improper work. In looking at your photos it looks like you've got some off-code electrical running through/under the floor joists, those out of spec conditions crop up in the older houses.

To answer your question about the flange- you either need to lower the pipe or raise the floor...not sure which one would be harder to do.. probably lowering the pipe. So in addition to the venting issues you've got the pipe/flange height issue. Just remember in the long run it's easier to do it right and you'll feel better about it.
 

BuickGN

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I am in the process of cleaning up all the wiring mess in the basement. :) Neighbors house was built with the bathroom like that so don't know how they got by with it. They say it has worked fine for the past 30 odd years.
 
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