Sink In Basement

[KarmaCitra]

Those of you who have built out your brewery in the basement, how did you get a sink in your space? We have a stubbed out basement bathroom, could I just tee off of that somehow?

 

[grampamark]

Those of you who have built out your brewery in the basement, how did you get a sink in your space? We have a stubbed out basement bathroom, could I just tee off of that somehow?

Sure, depending on how close your proposed brew space is to the roughed-in plumbing. If you could post a picture of what you have to work with that would make it easier to propose suggestions.

 

[Deadalus]

What grampamark said plus do you know where you main trunk exits the house in relation to your proposed sink space and maybe the vent line too?

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

i used pex and sharkbites. where i put my sink ended up almost directly below my kitchen sink so the lines were very accessible. i turned the main water off and cut the copper pipes and trimmed a small piece off them so the sharkbite T fitting would have room. put the sharkbite on and ran the pex to where i put my sink, only about 5 or 6 feet. attached to my sink and good to go. for the drain i currently have it going into a floor drain because i didnt get an upflush system yet to send it to my septic. i live in the middle of nowhere on the side of a mountain and the drain comes out a hundred feet or so down my yard. that part is temporary but it works for now.

 

[KarmaCitra]

The rooms aren't finished, so ignore that. But thinking of building it out in the "bedroom".

 

[Deadalus]

Is this new construction? Or was the basement left unfinished? Sheetrock is up? Does the sink drain go into the wall or into the floor and the floor is concrete? Garage is right there so I expect it is. The tub/shower drain is floor level. A sink in that bedroom would either need to drain into the floor to reach the main or travel through the wall around the tub towards the sink. That's one corner at least and plumbing doesn't usually run like that. That's if the sink drain runs into the wall first not the floor. The sink probably drains towards the tub past the toilet which is under the i. Your vent pipe is likely in the wall behind the toilet and sink. Now if your upstairs bathroom or your kitchen has a drain line coming down in any of the bedroom walls, you could tie into that. Water lines are a lot easier because they are smaller and pex is flexible. Anything over 1.5" drain line (which you could use for a sink) needs a 2x6 wall. I wonder if that wall for the stairs between the bathroom is 2x6 the line is fatter. If I had to guess, I'd guess there's a three inch vent in the wall the sink and toilet are on or the shaded block by the tub. What's the W room? Walk in Closet? Steal that!

 

[grampamark]

The closet would be the place for the sink, as far as simplifying the plumbing goes. The wall between the bathroom and stairwell would be a wet wall and the toilet being there would mean there is a DWV (drain, waste, vent) stack there.

Is the bedroom already framed or is it just represented on the plans? Has construction actually started or are you still in the planning stage? I ask because, if you have decided on a plan but haven’t actually started building, some pretty simple changes could be made to turn that bedroom/walkin into a dedicated brewing space. Relocating the door and adding a floor drain are two things that come to mind.

 

[KarmaCitra]

Yeah, this is unfinished. In fact, house hasn't even been built yet, I'm sort of pre-planning. So do you think that it's even feasible to put a sink in that "bedroom"? I could always do a floor drain, right?

 

[KarmaCitra]

Nothing is framed yet, they just started digging the basement out lol. The WIC for the "cleaning room" I think is the best bet.

The closet would be the place for the sink, as far as simplifying the plumbing goes. The wall between the bathroom and stairwell would be a wet wall and the toilet being there would mean there is a DWV (drain, waste, vent) stack there.

Is the bedroom already framed or is it just represented on the plans? Has construction actually started or are you still in the planning stage? I ask because, if you have decided on a plan but haven’t actually started building, some pretty simple changes could be made to turn that bedroom/walkin into a dedicated brewing space. Relocating the door and adding a floor drain are two things that come to mind.

 

[grampamark]

If construction hasn’t started then, yes, a sink and floor drain in the “bedroom” would be easy.

Move the door farther down the wall (away from the bathroom) and locate a sink and floor drain along the wall adjacent to the bathroom. The drain plumbing for the sink and floor drain can be roughed in below the basement floor (before the slab is poured) and tied in to the main stack on the stairwell side of the bathroom. The water lines to the sink can be run above the bathroom ceiling.

You could leave out the wall between the rec room and brewery altogether (assuming it isn’t load bearing) and build a bar there instead. Use the space designated for a closet for storage and grain milling with enough space left for a ferm chamber. Put your kettle(s) along one of the outside bedroom/brewery walls to make ventilation easier.

You have a lot of possibilities here; I’m just throwing some out that wouldn’t be very costly in a new construction scenario.

 

[TechFanMD]

I would build such that access to the bathroom is from where you'll brew, and don't put in a tub but a near-zero clearance shower (which may not be possible in your basement drain-wise). Put in both a hose and a shower head (or a lower hose bibb), and do much of your washing/rinsing/filling there. Then use a bathroom sink style - or even use a kitchen sink in the bathroom - that would work well for remaining cleaning tasks.

NOTE- brewing creates a lot of moisture from boil-off and that moisture can be brutal in a basement space, causing mold issues. Plan for some ventilation.

 

[TechFanMD]

View attachment 666360 i used pex and sharkbites. where i put my sink ended up almost directly below my kitchen sink so the lines were very accessible. i turned the main water off and cut the copper pipes and trimmed a small piece off them so the sharkbite T fitting would have room. put the sharkbite on and ran the pex to where i put my sink, only about 5 or 6 feet. attached to my sink and good to go. for the drain i currently have it going into a floor drain because i didnt get an upflush system yet to send it to my septic. i live in the middle of nowhere on the side of a mountain and the drain comes out a hundred feet or so down my yard. that part is temporary but it works for now.

I, too, have septic, and did install an upflush. I wish I had a way to have just plumbed my wastewater out to the yard or into a makeshift greywater system. Brewing creates a lot of water waste that does not need treatment by my septic. I actually dump my PBW and star-san across the yard to avoid it all going into the septic anyway. I don't know if it would hurt the health of the septic, but I'm sure it wouldn't help. I also dump trub and the first rinse of dirty fermenters outside to be easier on the upflush pump and check-valve.

Mine is a walk-out basement so I use a propane burner right outside my brewery door. In winter, I have to run my immersion chiller inside, and I run the waste outdoors rather than through the upflush into the septic. I figure the amount of water I use to chill beer is probably like doing 3 loads of laundry.