Building a branch drain
If you want a new bathroom in the basement but your chosen location is some distance from the existing main drain, you may have to install a branch line.
According to the plumbing of Fort Worth experts, this means breaking up the concrete and installing new lines and fittings. Before you tear into the floor, make sure you know exactly where the existing lines run.
Mark the existing drain line’s position and the branch line’s proposed to run on the floor with a chalk line. Set the new shower and toilet in place to help you mark the exact location of the lines.
Score the lines with a masonry blade in your circular saw, then break up the concrete between the lines with a sledgehammer or rented electric jackhammer. After you get the first chunk out, dig out the soil as far as you can under the remaining sections concrete is easier to break if there is nothing beneath it.
If you aren’t sure of the nominal size of the existing line, measure it so you will know what size fittings to buy. Mark the position of the new fitting carefully on the old line. Cut the line with a chain cutter, reciprocating saw, or hacksaw.
Install the new fitting with no-hub connectors on both sides of the cutline. Adjust the fitting with a torpedo level to ensure the correct fall, then tighten the no-hub clamps.
Install the new drain line, then recheck the line’s fall over its length; adjust it at either end if necessary. Pour concrete into the excavated trench and finish the surface.
Not every plumbing need, needs a plumber!
