Problems With Plugging An Unused Basement Floor Drain

These traps are in place to prevent your bathroom and home from being filled with sewer odors.

Problems with plugging an unused basement floor drain.

An unused bathroom drain can begin to smell after a certain amount of time. Floor drains are most often installed during original construction often in the utility area to drain away excess water in the basement. 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. I have an old pvc sewer drain pipe that comes up out of a concrete slab floor.

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. Water in any trap under unused drains will eventually evaporate. Water under pressure can cause the sewer line to back up because it escapes through the lowest point it is the easiest route. What causes basement floor drain backing up.

This smell most often comes from tubs and sinks due to an unused plumbing trap or p trap. That would allow sewer gas to come up through the drain into the room. A big pipe carries waste from your house to the main sewer line under the street. 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.

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 15 figure 15. A clogged drain line can cause a sewage flood. Plumbing traps are the u shaped dips in the pipe underneath the bathroom drain.

The seal needs to be held in place using the method described for bracing floor drain seals. 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. 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.

Figure 14 figure 14. Under the floor the other end of the pipe connects to other drain pipes in the house so before i cover the area with more carpeting i d like to seal that pipe off permanently to avoid any possible leakage in the future.