When we hear the words basement floor drain the scenario that instantly pop up in our brain is a round opening a few inches wide having a small grill over it truth to be told most of us don t know more than this.
Where do basement floor drains go.
How does a basement floor drain work.
Water collected in a sump pit is discharged up through a pipe and sent outside of your home to drain away in the foundation.
If there is debris clogging the drain or there is no water in the trap below it sewer gas odors will waft out of the pipe causing a strong smell in the basement that can float into the rest of the house.
In some houses they even run directly into a sump pit from which the water is lifted to the exterior surface with a pump.
In some climates the clean out is mounted in an in ground fitting located just outside the foundation of the home.
Floor drains and.
Anatomy of a floor drain.
Floor drains floor drains are most often installed during original construction often in the utility area to drain away excess water in the basement.
It is usually found in a cap or hub mounted to a 3 to 4 inch diameter pipe that rises out of a slab floor in a basement or utility area.
From the basement only the cover grate is visible.
Finding this will make it much easier for you to rod the pipes with a plumber s rod or snake as the access hatch allows you to deal with the blockage without having to navigate the sharp bend between the drain and the pipe.
The concrete floor around the drain gently.
A catch bowl drainpipe and plumbing.
But this direct installation will result in a floor that s cold underfoot.
Both inside and outside drainage pipes are then connected to the pipe in the exit trench giving you a complete basement drain system for keeping your basement floor dry.
Older homes tend to have still a floor drain that connects directly to a local sewage system.
Drainage pipe should also be installed along the outside of the footing and tied together with the inside drainage using the proper fittings.
Most basement drains are large and should already have an access port somewhere in the drain line.
We only think about our basement floor drain when it gets clogged and our basement start smelling like an outhouse.
Sometimes it is mounted flush into the floor.
Situated at the lowest point on the basement floor the floor drain serves as an outlet for.
What most people don t know is that their home basement floor drains are usually directly tied to the sewer system of the whole house.
Floor drains naturally catch debris and other gunk building up inside and necessitating a clear out.
Many basement flooring materials like paint epoxy tile and rubber flooring for example can go down directly over the basement s original poured concrete floor as long as the concrete is in good condition.