The Best Toilets For Basements

The basement can be a haven for kids, parents, and even guests. Adding a bathroom to the area makes it a more self-sufficient and enjoyable space. When choosing a toilet to install in a basement, there are a few crucial points to consider, mainly with the plumbing. The plumbing drain located in the basement needs to be deep enough to create enough of a fall for a standard gravity toilet to drain. If the plumbing is not deep enough, then you can install an upflush, also called macerating, toilet.

The gravity toilet can be installed in the basement if the proper plumbing is in place. However, it can be more expensive. The toilets in the upper area of the home rely on gravity to remove sewage and wastewater from the bowl. The fall or slope of the plumbing moves waste through and down the pipes to the septic tank or main line in the street.

A basement bathroom will need to have enough of a slope to drain the toilet waste to the main sewage line. However, the basement is typically below the main sewage line and, therefore, will more than likely require added plumbing.

The pipe size needs to be large enough to accommodate the added bathroom as well. The pipe size in a basement is typically too small to take large chunks of toilet paper and waste. If your home connects to a city sewer line, you may need to install a backwater valve. The backwater or back-flow valve allows water to flow in one direction — away from the home.

An upflush toilet differs from the standard gravity toilet. It has a small-diameter pipe and a macerator or pump. A good privy has a powerful macerator that will shred solid waste and toilet paper into a slurry.

The electric pump uses pressure to push the waste to the septic tank, city sewer line, or nearest main sewage line. The electric motor should be reasonably quiet as it grinds the solids into a slurry to allow it to flow through the narrow pipes of the basement. A good upflush toilet has a motor that is powerful enough to cut solids within 15 to 30 seconds.

The best toilets for the basement should have an efficient pump system, two different blades, a large pipe leading from the toilet in the back and the same flush rate as a standard gravity toilet. We recommend that you understand the installation requirements before choosing an upflush toilet for the basement.

The best macerating toilets to install in a basement include those made by Saniflo and Liberty. They are compact, affordable and water-efficient as well as easy to install. The toilet should be flushed daily to keep it in good working order.

Always use toilet paper specifically designed to be used in an upflush or macerating toilet. Before installing, know the voltage and wattage restrictions for the basement and home, unless you choose to install a battery-powered macerating toilet.