Sewer and floor drains where there arent any?

[Paperman]

Looking at buying a large commercial building. The back shop is 80x120 but has no floor drains or running water. The front of the building has 4 retail rental shops with full services. Whats the best plan of attack for sewer and drainage? Can I assume I can install a sump with a grinder pump and push all the water/debris forward to the main building sewer? Anyone with experience with doing this? Break out the concrete saw and lay some pipe I suppose.

 

[Rock knocker]

I was a commercial superintendent for many years, and work like this was common. The issue becomes to never assume.

You may be able to just cut some floor and slope a drain right in. Or it may require an oil trap and then a pump. Or more....or less.

Call a commercial plumber and ask him, you may have to poney up some money for a visit.

 

[steveo1o9]

You may also want to contact the municipality who owns the sewer, they may have specific requirements for connecting additional flows. They may very well say do as you please we don't care, or you have to do X, Y, & Z.

 

[jaysberman]

the other issues is if the local codes will allow floor drains.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Good advice so far. Don't waste your money hiring anyone until you find a set of "as built" plans for the buildings with mechanical/plumbing drawings showing the existing drains and main sewer lines. Otherwise, anyone looking to give you advice or prices....is shooting in the dark. JMO

 

[Paperman]

As built drawing are no go, to old, nothing on file anywhere. Local DPW doesn't care as long as all the flow out is from water flow in (cant empty rain water or tanker trucks), sewer billed based on purchased water flow. New shop area was a steel supplier warehouse 30 years ago. Has a nice overhead crane and all but no utilities outside of lights. The front office of the business was added onto and converted into the now 4 retail store fronts. They have all the water and sewer, the back shop was always dry. It has a truck dock in the center that slopes down so a truck could back into the building and be at floor level to unload with forks. I don't know where that lower well drains to, still have more digging to do into that one.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Well, from where I sit it appears that you will have to physically find the main sewer pipe exiting the building. Maybe the city will help or you may have to use other methods like digging, camera or "witching" even. Then, sawing, breaking out concrete trenches in the floor and piping in what drains you want in to the main sewer piping, along with each drain /fixture set getting the necessary venting.

Potable water will just be run through wall, on the walls or even under the floors and all needing installed with freezing temps and possible physical damage to the water lines in mind.

I agree with the others, depending on the building's room use, floor drains may or may not be kosher whenever "not so environmentally friendly" products may go in to the drain, by either intent or accident. Good Luck and JMO

 

[abachman]

Easiest plan for your new water/sewer will be in the end of the building nearest the current water/sewer. Plan accordingly so you don't need to tear-up/cut-out as much of the concrete flooring.

 

[tthornto]

Can you just open up one of the walls and use/repurpose some of the existing plumbing? it would really help to know your intended usage/need that requires the plumbing, and to see the floorplan.

 

[Paperman]

From the looks of it I don't have the slope to extend the main far enough into my side of the building. Didn't know floor drains were such an issue, I'll make contact with the DPW to clarify that point. I have a clean-out that is the end of the main but it is only a few inches below the floor and still need to go 30' to get where I plan to use it. Thanks guys!!

 

[matt_i]

Typical industrial construction is to saw a slot in the floor wide enough to perform pipefitter work, dowel the edges of the concrete and repour on top of the new pipework. When I say saw, I mean the professional guys with 30" walk behind saws which slice clean thru the slab no matter how thick.

 

[flat350]

Properly done you can drop in a pit and pump it overhead to the existing line.If your looking at adding floor drains where vehicles are parked they will probably require them to go to a triple basin(oil separator)and then the waste from it can go to your other pit,call a pro that's in the area to eliminate mistakes.

 

[redmondjp]

Typical industrial construction is to saw a slot in the floor wide enough to perform pipefitter work, dowel the edges of the concrete and repour on top of the new pipework. When I say saw, I mean the professional guys with 30" walk behind saws which slice clean thru the slab no matter how thick.

And make sure that they use WET saws when they do this. At a shop that I worked at, some of the young guys including the new shop manager decided to weekend-warrior relocating the bathroom on a slab. To this day, there is still concrete dust on every single part and tool in that shop (they didn't even put up any plastic). You can imagine the reaction of the other mechanics when they showed up for work on Monday morning