I would like to rough in plumbing in my basement for a full bath (toilet, sink, and shower). I live just outside of Chicago so I suspect the plumbing codes are the same as Chicago. Currently in my basement I have two sump pumps and pits, one pump takes care of the drainage around the foundation so I would not touch that one. The second pump pit has a 3" floor drain in the middle of the basement connected to it. My air conditioning condenser is piped to drip into this center drain. This sump pit has a vent pipe that is tied into the existing vent stack that goes out to the roof so I believe I can use this to vent the drains for the new bathroom. Can I install the new pipes and keep a center drain in my basement? If so, what is the best way to tie all of this together? I'm not sure if you can post pics on this forum yet but if a knowledgeable plumber can help me I can show you what I'm looking at doing. I realize I will have to break up the floor in the basment in order to lay the new pipe and I know it's going to be a tough job and a mess but I'm definitely able to do this but I want to make sure I am doing it properly. I also have questions about the pit that my sump pump is in, how can I tell if the pit is an ejector pit and how can I tell if the pump is an ejector pump?

Thanks in advance for the help.

You have a few problems right from jump street. First off a sump pump is not a grinder/ejecter pump and second a sewage holding tank mandates a dedicated vent out the roof since it produces both pressure and vacuum. While you may use existing vents to vent your bathroom group you may not use them to vent the holding tank. If you are willing to install a separate system for the bathroom group I can direct you on the installation. Perhaps you can use the same space that that the floor drain dumps into to replace the sump with a ejector pump and tank and still keep the floor drain and AC indirect drain. And your thoughts? Regards, Tom

Thanks Tom. I realize an ejector pump is different from a sump pump. What I'm not sure of is whether the pump in the pit is in fact a sump pump or ejector pump. I'm assuming it's a sump pump because I did not ask the builder to rough-in plumbing for a bathroom. So I cannot vent the pump and the bathroom drains using the same vent? This may be a problem for me as I don't know if I can install another vent without having to do too much destruction in other parts of the house. My home is a two story and is only two years old so I'm not sure I want to go ripping out walls on the other floors to setup a new vent. Let me know your thoughts and thanks for not just answering yes or no to my questions.

If venting out the roof presents a problem then consudder venting out the side of the building from the basement and turning up from there.
You ask. "what is the best way to tie all of this together? I'm not sure if you can post pics on this forum"
One step at a time and yes, you can put up pictures and attachments on 6this page. I can instruct you on the rough in but first we have to set up a holding tank, grinder pump and dedicated vent. Check around and see if you can pick up a sewage system in your area. If not I can help you on the web. Just let me know. Regards, tom

Tom. I'm not in a rush to do this so I'd like to get a plan completely together before I do anything else. I understand the need for a vent and I understand I will most likely have to replace my sump pump for an ejector pump. I would like to know how everything ties in before I even consider doing this as it is going to be a considerable amount of work and it's probably not going to be cheap. I'll take some pics this week and post them for you to see what I'm looking at and you can tell me what you think. Thanks. Dennis.

Tom. I put the basement bathroom rough-in on hold for a while but I'm revisiting the idea again. Since the last time I posted I checked the pump in the pit and it is indeed a sump pump but the pit is a sealed one and can accommodate an ejector pump. I am going to vent the plumbing fixtures by connecting a vent pipe to the vent in the bathroom above on the first floor (above the existing fixtures). I realize I have to open a wall in the bathroom upstairs but I'm willing to do that as I feel the basement bathroom is worth the trouble. If you don't mind I will post some pics in the next few days and I'd like your input as to where the best place to set the bathroom is in the basement. Once I get a clear idea of how everything ties together I can price everything out and see what my costs are going to be. Thanks in advance. Dennis