Drain Pipes In Concrete Slab

Building and plumbing a house takes skill perseverance precision and aptitude.

Drain pipes in concrete slab. Otherwise the ensuing leak could cause damage. Before the concrete trucks come the contractor fills in the area over the network of plumbing pipes and drain lines with compacted sand. How to cut a concrete floor for new plumbing. At this point you will no longer see the horizontal drainpipes and the main sewer line but you will see the stubs that extend vertically out of the sand.

See our pages checking over the concrete slab drain pipes and plumbing in the walls for other items to review and check. During the plumbing slab construction the pipes are buried in gravel or sand beneath the slab and are obviously difficult to access. Under slab plumbing diagrams. This page covers checking the sewer and water pipes in a slab.

During new construction the builder installs drain lines and stubs that will connect to future plumbing fixtures before he pours the slab on grade. As distressing as this news might initially be however it s no longer the end of the world thanks to advances in composite resin technology which occurred as we waved goodbye to the 20th century. You can stub out pipes in a concrete slab easily because the stub out is put in place before the final grade for the concrete slab is prepared but you must be very skilled in making the necessary connections for the pipes. Plumbing systems in concrete slabs go in before the concrete is poured as they are installed beneath the slab.

When a drain pipe breaks under a slab the pipe must be located and repaired. Have your plumber ready to come right away after the fill is spread and compacted under the slab. But before you can even pour the slab the building inspector must first approve and sign off on the drain waste vent or dwv system. Concrete slab foundations that encase the home s plumbing lines also called under slab plumbing could have pipes made of copper cast iron or galvanized steel and these materials are prone to decay over time.

Don t ignore this because water leakage under a concrete foundation can cause additional problems. It s also much less money to do the trenchless pipe repairs than by digging for pipe replacement. Below are a some under slab plumbing diagrams that are relatively common. These plumbing sewer pipes should be checked anytime there had been significant foundation movement or foundation repair.

The good news for you is that there are modern alternatives to repairing the cast iron drain pipes under your slab without having to excavate through the floor or digging from outside of your property.