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my basement is plumbed for a sink and toilet already. does anyone know if you can install a step-up type of shower into the basement without a rough plumbing job (putting pipes under concrete floor) for the shower? it seems like there would be a way to do this and pump the water up to the sink drain pipe.

fyi my sewer is underneath my basement and it is a gravity feed. see picture of unfinished basement and layout plan of my hopeful bathroom. the shower is in the bottom left. fyi the small hole/square is the space where my main water shut off valve/piping is located.

shower in bot left corner photo of bathroom plumbing

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  • If you're close enough to the stack it's possible to do this with just a raised floor shower and no sump pump. It just depends what is there to work with.
    – Tyson
    Aug 10, 2016 at 0:55
  • Thanks for comment, tyson. Ben, after reading your answer i realized i left important info out about my sewer being under my basement and the stack being right next to the shower...but the entry point to the pipe is higher than where the drain is.
    – user827304
    Aug 10, 2016 at 2:37
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    You can cut into that pipe to get the drain in under a raised shower floor. A better approach tho might be to raise the floor of the entire bathroom.
    – Tyson
    Aug 10, 2016 at 2:54

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It sounds like you want to install a sump pump drain system so that the drain can be pumped overhead. I find that sump pumps generally last a few years... replacing the pump every few years is onus, and these sytems add a stink to the living area. If the septic or drain system is above the shower drain level (above the basement) then this is your only option, anyway.

But if the septic/drain system is down hill (gravity fed), then my advice would be to run the shower drain in an inconspicuous area and attach it to an available stack. If that is not practical or possible then my advice would be to cut the concrete with a water saw and install a drain; then you will need to lay new concrete over the drain... cutting concrete is kind of a major task... depending on the length of the drain, but believe it or not, I would still recommend going with gravity- over a sump pump for problem free plumbing that doesn't stink.

If you need to contract this job, then price-wise, your best bet may be to run the drain where it is not a tripping hazard (to a stack pipe). The next cheapest option would be the sump installation. Cutting the floor will cost labor... the most expensive part of a contract. But if you do try a sump pump, you can still change your mind later.

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