Problems With Plugging An Unused Basement Floor Drain

Water in any trap under unused drains will eventually evaporate.

Problems with plugging an unused basement floor drain.

A clogged drain line can cause a sewage flood. If the drain runs to a sewer pit which is not the same as a sump pit it s permissible to drain a washing machine or sink in the floor drain. Washing machine drains can be plugged by removing the washing machine drain hose from the drain pipe and then placing the correct diameter plug in the drain pipe. What causes basement floor drain backing up.

A big pipe carries waste from your house to the main sewer line under the street. If the basement floor is lower than the spot where the main sewer line exits the home the floor drain could connect to a third type of drainage system a sewer pit with an ejector pump. Figure 14 figure 14. Plumbing traps are the u shaped dips in the pipe underneath the bathroom drain.

This smell most often comes from tubs and sinks due to an unused plumbing trap or p trap. I have an old pvc sewer drain pipe that comes up out of a concrete slab floor. The seal needs to be held in place using the method described for bracing floor drain seals. If the main sewer drain is clogged it can eventually back up all of the drains in the house which is why such a clog can be so serious.

That would allow sewer gas to come up through the drain into the room. At the very least a clogged main sewer drain pipe may cause wastewater and raw sewage to back up through a floor drain into the basement or floor of an hour home. That s usually a floor drain. You have a water trap under a floor drain laundry tub or wash basin that has dried out from lack of use.

Floor drains are most often installed during original construction often in the utility area to drain away excess water in the basement. If either of them becomes plugged or overloaded sewage backs up and flows out of the lowest available drain. Water under pressure can cause the sewer line to back up because it escapes through the lowest point it is the easiest route. Figure 15 figure 15.

These traps are in place to prevent your bathroom and home from being filled with sewer odors. Although it may seem like it not all problems related to the backed up sewer line have to do with actual clogs and defected pipes.