Ensuring proper plumbing inside your walls and under your foundation is vital to maintaining a durable and well-functioning home. Before your foundation is poured or form boards are set, workers are busy digging trenches and placing supply and drainage pipes underneath the footprint of your home. From this step, all the way through framing, special care is taken to maintain the integrity and efficiency of your plumbing system. 

If you’re at your jobsite before the foundation pour, you may notice that much of the plumbing is already installed. Trenches have already been dug for drain lines from showers, sinks, toilets, and tubs. These drainpipes are installed at a downward grade from the home and meet at a singular trunk line that flows outward. These trenches, now with drainpipes nestled inside, are covered before foundation pouring can occur. 

Depending on local building codes in your area or municipality, you may notice a very tall pipe protruding from the footprint of your home. This is used for the plumbing installer to conduct a pressure test. The pipe will be filled with water so that the workers can ensure a leak-free system. For this water line, we use a one-inch, cross linked polyethylene pipe, also called PEX piping. You may also see additional PEX piping protruding from the ground if your home is set to have a kitchen sink in an island. Since there’s no wall to feed water to the sink, supply must come from underneath. The same goes for drainage which is sent down and out from underground, and sewage gasses which are directed to an adjacent wall and vented out of the home. 

Additional efforts are taken throughout the process to ensure the system’s efficacy and durability. Every supply line that enters the home is pressure tested with air to assess for leaks. You’ll also notice a significant amount of reinforcement around the sewer drains. This is meant to keep them from moving or jostling during the foundation pour. Black boxes, or ‘tub boxes,’ are used around your shower and tub drains. These are filled with dirt to keep concrete out of them during the foundation pour. The dirt is then removed, and the empty void can be aligned and attached with the tub or shower drain. 

Though some of these techniques and practices may vary based on local codes and needs, we strive to provide the same standard of excellence with each plumbing system installed.