Hello, There is a toilet in our basement that I think hasn't been used for years (we moved in last year). I'd like to remove it. The flange and pipe are metal. What do I need to do to cap the sewer line. I don't think I will ever want to hook this toilet up again. Thanks
BTW, this is in a corner of the basement so I don't really care if it's level to the floor. I'm just going to put some shelving in that corner. Thanks
You won't, but the next owner will. Normal toilet, or one of the special up-flush models? If the latter, those are expensive and a pain to find. And is there a sink, or the pipes for one, and a shower as well? If next owner wants a playroom or man-cave in basement, bathroom or working stubs for one can be a big selling point. If your heart is set on ripping it out, cap the pipes cleanly, so they can be reused, and build the shelves around it. Bottom shelf in a basement setting should be a few inches off the floor anyway, in case it floods. If you don't know how to cap pipes, pay the few bucks for a plumber to do it. For just the sewer, plumbing aisle at the borg should have bolt-on gasketed caps that will plug it well.
-- aem sends...
Why don't you use it? It's there.
We have two bathrooms upstairs so I really don't need the 3rd toilet. I'd rather use the space for storage.
Thanks. It's just the toilet, no sink or shower. I would definitely rather just cap it than rip it out, so I'll look for the bolt-on cap that you mentioned.
Oh, and the toilet is just a normal one. So yeah, I think the best is to leave everything in place and just cap...I actually plan on finishing a portion of the basement and who knows, I might want a toilet down there someday in the distant future when my kids are teenagers or something. I'll go to home depot and see if they have a cap. Do I need to remove the flange to put the cap on?
If that is an older toilet with a large tank, I advise you to retain it. If you ever do desire a toilet in the basement, it will perform much better than new low flow units will down there.
If it's not 1.6 galon per flush, the toilet may be valuable on the used market. Capping the line for the next owner to use later makes a lot of sense.
re: "I might want a toilet down there someday in the distant future when my kids are teenagers or something."
I don't know how many teenagers you plan on having, but for a while I had 4.
When we moved in we had a full bath on the 2nd floor and a very, very rough toilet & shower in the basement. Slab floor, crooked 2 x 2 open stud walls, etc. The wife wouldn't even use it.
I gutted it and put in a new toilet, shower stall and sink.
With 6 people, 2 bathrooms were barely enough. I sure wish we had room for a powder room on the 1st floor.
You can get rubber plugs in a variety of diameters at HD or Lowes. They have a bolt thru the middle and you tighten it to expand the plug until it is tight. All you need is a fairly smooth inside surface on the location where the plug will be installed as it can expand about
1/2 inch for a 3 or 4 inch diameter when tightened down all the way. You definitely need to leave the capability to reinstall a toilet in the future as it is a big selling point.
Can the rubber plugs be left in for years? Or will they corrode after some time? Thanks everyone for the input
There is one plugging the floor drain in our basement laundry room - not sure why the previous owners installed it but no trouble with it for the 15 years we've been in the house. -- H
A decent plug should last for many, many years.
Here's a tip to check the plug:
After you install the plug, lay some toilet paper on the floor with the ends just covering the seam between the plug and the flange. Then have someone flush one of the upstairs toilets. If the toilet paper doesn't move, then odds are you have no air leakage.
Most decent mid priced low flow toilets work just fine, higher end ones are even better. In fact the good low flow toilets work better than many old toilets that use much more water. The complete kits for $99.99 are shit. You get what you pay for. I lost track of when I installed an American Standard Champion 4. Probably over 6 months ago. I do know that I have never had to plunge it, or even flush it twice to finish the job. Guaranteed to flush something like 14 golf balls, although I seldom eat golf balls and when I do I chew them.
Check this out:
Low flow toilets work better than the old ones.
No. When you get the cap, installation will be obvious, but I will describe it here anyway:
The cap simply bolts on in place of the toilet. Two bolts.
Tony - I know all of that already. This toilet is IN THE BASEMENT, where you don't have much gravity to help your toilet flush. It makes a gigantic difference.
I hope you are joking or mixing up "gravity" with some other word. I never noticed feeling lighter when down in the basement! ;-)
In case you were serious, toilets actually work by siphon action. The siphon action in the toilet itself, nothing to do with the plumbing. Once it gets to the plumbing there is no siphon action due to the vent.
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