Installing an Upflush Toilet in Your Refinished Basement
You’re remodeling your basement and you want to put in a toilet as part of your new bathroom design. Piece of cake, right? Not necessarily. Depending on the design of your basement, you may need a special upflush toilet.
Where are your pipes?
The critical question is where the pipes in the basement are located. If your septic or sewer system’s connection is above the floor of the basement, you will need to install an upflush toilet. Your other option is to move the septic/sewer connection to under the floor of the basement, but this involves tearing up the floor and is expensive. If the toilet can be connected under the floor to the septic/sewer system, then you can use a regular toilet.
How do upflush toilets work?
While traditional toilets get rid of waste using gravity, upflush toilets are specially designed to move waste upwards to access a connecting pipe located above the basement floor. In addition, because these pipes are usually small, upflush toilets often have a macerating function. When the toilet is flushed, a macerating blade grinds solid waste into smaller particles, allowing them to flow easily through narrower pipes. Many models use electricity to power the macerating blade and the sewage ejection pump. Models can be designed to propel waste as far as 12 feet vertically. Some upflush toilets have a refill tank while others refill directly from the plumbing pipes. Other models offer the option of draining sinks or the laundry drain into the toilet’s waste pipe.
Before installation, check your local regulations.
A number of regulations govern the installations of upflush toilets, so you need to investigate your municipality’s rules. Some codes don’t approve of the use of an upflush toilet unless the house’s main drain is at least four inches wide. Other rules govern how much pressure a toilet sewage ejection pump must be capable of generating. Upflush toilets are also required to have a two-way vent as part of the installation.