Shop bathroom!

[930dreamer]

I've removed the lumber built loft, office, bathroom and storage room from my shop. Main need is a bathroom, I have a floor drain, toilet and sink drain/lines etc already but have no idea where/ how there connected. Bathroom concrete floor was poured lower than the two opposite floors.
Not sure if it would be easier to cut out all the old lines out and start over. I've tried to get my small jetting hose through any of the drains with no success. I still need to find out if there's a septic tank installed for the bathroom.

 

[nadogail]

Many visitors to my garage workshop have told me that they are envious of the toilet and sink in my garage. The toilet is connected to the city sewer system.

 

[Bucko]

How close is the shop to the home now? Is the home on septic and if so do you know where it is. If it is and you know where it's at just take the lid off, stick a hose in the shop drain and listen and look for water movement in the septic tank you may get lucky.

If you have a drain snake you could run it down the line and see if it stops before you run out of line, it will at least give you the distance and possible direction from the first swept elbow. Most plumbing is run as straight (and easy) as possible. With the possible direction start digging at that point around the perimeter of the shop and see if you find the line. Then note the direction and move out 10 or 15 feet and repeat.

Other than that you can call a plumber with a drain scope and pay the bill.

 

[930dreamer]

I think there are (4) septic tank on this four acre plot. The house should have one but haven't found a lid, i assume there's one for the shop bathroom but haven't found a lid. I've found two other tanks by digging up old pvc piping and had one pumped.
The two that I've found went to mobile homes that were on the property. I see no need for the two tanks I've located and don't want items buried that I have no use for. House and shop are at least 200 feet apart.

 

[Bucko]

If there are no breakers in the panel listed for septic pump then its likely a gravity system thats not too far away and likely downhill. How long have you been living there and is there any records of the home septic being pumped? I would want that done sooner than later. Virginia requires pumping periodically depending on location and a pump and inspect when a home is sold. Now I'm in Florida and they don't really care when a home is sold but I wouldn't buy a house without it being done.

Around here the honey wagon guys will just use a rod with a "T" handle. You will get a thud when you hit the tank or distribution box and gravel when you find the field.

 

[quickfarms]

This is how we locate buried pipes

Utility detection equipment requires a conductive line. Since drain pipes may not be conducive we run a snake or a metal fish tape down the pipe. We then connect the transmitter to the snake and ground the other lead and use the detector to locate the line

We typically use a 100’ metal fish tape

A lot of rental places will rent the utility detector and transmitter

 

[930dreamer]

If there are no breakers in the panel listed for septic pump then its likely a gravity system thats not too far away and likely downhill. How long have you been living there and is there any records of the home septic being pumped? I would want that done sooner than later. Virginia requires pumping periodically depending on location and a pump and inspect when a home is sold. Now I'm in Florida and they don't really care when a home is sold but I wouldn't buy a house without it being done.

Around here the honey wagon guys will just use a rod with a "T" handle. You will get a thud when you hit the tank or distribution box and gravel when you find the field.

The house came with the shop/property and I don't live there. There's a perimeter stem wall just outside the shop on the bathroom side so I'm guessing a septic tank could be on the outside of that. If i added on using this stem wall foundation I'd build the bathroom in the addition.

 

[930dreamer]

I'm going to try and rent an excavator for the long weekend. I'll dig out from the outside wall to locate the plumbing works.

6k mini excavator is reserved, this will give me 3.5 days of use and I can remember my fallen friends on Memorial day.

 

[dcg9381]

Around here, septic requires a permit. Part of that permitting process is providing a layout for where the plumbing lines/tanks are. Might be easier to get the permit looked up (if it exists) than it is to dig out plumbing lines...

 

[930dreamer]

I doubt a permit was required in the 1950's.

 

[fsae0607]

I use these. Dump in the plants and rinse. Chuck them when they start growing red mold inside.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GVQZ9JB/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Innovate1]

Around here, septic requires a permit. Part of that permitting process is providing a layout for where the plumbing lines/tanks are. Might be easier to get the permit looked up (if it exists) than it is to dig out plumbing lines...

Good luck with that. We had a question about our septic put in in 2004 when we added a detached garage and half bath a couple years ago. The county had switched computer or filing systems and could see we had a permit but couldn't even tell how big the tank was. YMMV.

 

[dcg9381]

Good luck with that. We had a question about our septic put in the 2004 when we added a detached garage and half bath. The county had switched computer or filing systems and could see we had a permit but couldn't even tell how big the tank was. YMMV.

I didn't realize this was 1950.
Around here, I can build almost anything without a permit.. Except for septic. They'll hang your *** out to dry for connecting an extra toilet. We are near a lake.

My shop's "bathroom" is called "outside". Need more? The house is up the hill!

 

[Metal-Marc]

My shop's "bathroom" is called "outside". Need more? The house is up the hill!

This. Except the house is 50ft from the garage.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I think getting a plumber out to run a camera down the line would be less expensive (and a lot easier) than renting an excavator and digging up everything.

 

[thammel]

I have a sink and toilet in my garage shop; the one thing I wish I did was put in a shower.

 

[kbeefy]

I have a sink and toilet and shower. And dedicated hot water heater. I have yet to have the urge to get in the shower.
The toilet and oversized farmhouse sink are handy. I turned the heater off last fall, haven't restarted it yet. I should probably replace it with an on demand unit.

 

[Steve W.]

I have a sink and toilet in my bathroom. There is a small electric on-demand water heater that does the bathroom sink and the deep sink that is on the other side of the wall from the bathroom.

I had no interest in a shower, but I have seen posted, here and elsewhere, that permit applications might be reviewed a bit more closely when a shower is involved. I think the reasoning is that with a shower, it would be easier to 'rent out a room'. I had to be careful with my attic trusses. We have a futon and TV up there 'for watching the game', but the futon has been known to enable MANY a nap.

.

 

[930dreamer]

I'd like a shower in the bathroom but not sure I'll have enough room?

 

[gunguy]

I'd like a shower in the bathroom but not sure I'll have enough room?

If nothing else, I'd suggest adding a wand or telephone type of shower fixture to use as an emergency wash station should you get splashed with chemicals or suffer a thermal burn. The sooner you can flood the affected area, the better the outcome. You already have the floor drain.

Just a thought.

Jim

 

[Renegade1LI]

I didn't realize this was 1950.
Around here, I can build almost anything without a permit.. Except for septic. They'll hang your *** out to dry for connecting an extra toilet. We are near a lake.

My shop's "bathroom" is called "outside". Need more? The house is up the hill!

Buddy of mine has a funnel with a hose that runs out to a gravel area, good for when it's raining out.

 

[TerrAO]

Buddy of mine has a funnel with a hose that runs out to a gravel area, good for when it's raining out.

I have built the same system in the house of my mother. Works great but when there is winter -- everything (by everything I mean melted water) gets frozen. I am still searching the variant of how to find a solution to this problem.

 

[nadogail]

I have built the same system in the house of my mother. Works great but when there is winter -- everything (by everything I mean melted water) gets frozen. I am still searching the variant of how to find a solution to this problem.

Consume more alcohol, it will raise the freezing point of the water alcohol mixture.

 

[TerrAO]

Consume more alcohol, it will raise the freezing point of the water alcohol mixture.

Alright, will do, thanks :3

P.S. Hope it is not a sarcasm, haha

 

[mike93lx]

I'd like a shower in the bathroom but not sure I'll have enough room?

5x8 is plenty big for a good size shower, toilet, 30" vanity. You could easily fit a toilet, small shower stall and a utility sink in a 5x6 if needed. Outswing door helps a lot

 

[930dreamer]

Space is about 6'x15'.

 

[mike93lx]

Space is about 6'x15'.

Lol.

That is 2.5x the size of the master bath in my last house

You could add a washer and dryer while you are at it

 

[tester19]

My shop came with a toilet, shower and sink. Electric water heater too. I tore it 100% out! My shop is a shop. If I need to go it's outside thru the fence!

I need and want ALL the square footage that my shop has. Not going to waste any of it with what I already have in the house. That includes a beer frig! I drink plenty of beer and don't need more of it in the shop.
.
.
.

 

[nadogail]

5x8 is plenty big for a good size shower, toilet, 30" vanity. You could easily fit a toilet, small shower stall and a utility sink in a 5x6 if needed. Outswing door helps a lot

My shop bathroom has a sliding door in the long wall. No door swing = No lost space.

 

[u2slow]

They'll hang your *** out to dry for connecting an extra toilet. We are near a lake.

That argument failed my AHJ. They already ruled my garage could not be any sort of dwelling unit or even a bedroom. Therefore, there's no more sewage being generated than before. Thus, they had no choice but to allow the toilet rough-in.