Semi-permanent plumbing caps?

[MushCreek]

I had a bathroom temporarily rigged up in the basement while I was building the house, but now I want to cap everything off for future use. I'll need another permit to finish the basement bathroom, but don't have the time and money right now. In the meantime, I need to pass final inspections, so I need to cap off the drains.

The tub is easy, as the fittings are below the top of the slab in a gravel pit, so once I figure out how to cap it off, I can bury it in gravel.

The toilet is the tricky one. The rough-in was set in concrete, so I had to use the type of flange that fits inside 4" PVC. I can't remove it without cutting up a lot of concrete. So how do I cap it and be code compliant? I've heard of bolting another flange with a test knock-out on top of it, upside down, but that seems kind of hack. I could just make a plastic cap and bolt it on, but it needs to meet code. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[barks]

They sell rubber 'compression' plugs for this purpose.

 

[RECox286]

They sell rubber 'compression' plugs for this purpose.

Actually they are "test plugs". Available just about anywhere plumbing

is stocked. Probably 4" will do you just fine.

Uncle Bob

 

[Scott r c]

Its a wing-nut test plug. Cherne is one company, I think another is called test-tite.

 

[sublimate]

I roughed in plumbing for a future bath for which I don't presently have a permit - I hid it all under concrete.
Around here they won't let you just cap off un-permitted plumbing with a test plug as it's too easy to just slap fixtures in and have an illegal bath.

 

[MushCreek]

They've already seen the rough-in; I'm permitted for that. No way to rough it in later because of the slab. I might just leave the toilet in place and see if they say anything. I put the toilet in because I needed one while working on the house.

I have two test plugs- a 3" and a 4", but neither fit, because the flange fits inside 4" PVC, so the ID of the flange is somewhere in between. 3" is too small; the 4" is too big.

I've looked all over for a solution. Seems to me that people would sometimes want to remove a toilet, but have the option of easily installing one later. Most sources I found talked about stuffing it with rags or using a test plug. The other option seemed to be cutting of the flange and capping it, but that would be a lot of work in my case. Worse, I don't even know if there's enough straight pipe to do that even if I did tear up my new basement floor.

If they get upset about it, I'll just pull a permit for the additional bath. The problem is that I have to be inspected every 6 months to keep the permit active, so I'd have to go ahead and do the whole bathroom. Again- time and money I don't have.

 

[HoosierMark]

What about a piece of plexiglass or heavy plastic, cut in the circle to match the flange and bolt it down to the flange there now, just like it was a toilet. Call it a clean out. You can remove it if need be and snake out the drain. If you leave it clear, you can call it a flow monitor!!!

 

[442stu]

How about this: http://es.ipscorp.com/testtite/mechanicalplugs/closetflange

 

[stonesfan68]

Some pics of the installation may help us find a solution.

 

[MushCreek]

After watching a video on replacing a PVC flange, I think I'll just remove the flange and glue in a new one with a knock-out. I didn't realize that you could get PVC fittings apart once they're glued, but I guess they'll come apart (in pieces) with a little care.

I could call the inspector, but they won't put you through unless you give your phone number, and then he knows who he is talking to. If he tells me it has to have a pipe cap on it, he'll zero right in on it when he comes to inspect. They normally don't look at most stuff. It had a flange with an intact KO when he inspected the rough plumbing, so that's probably what he's expecting.