Basement drain: water level, suspected clog?

[pfloyd75]

Hello everyone,

I could use a little advice...

My air conditioner's kick-out pipe was bad, and I had a clean-out put in. When the pipe was unclogged, there was quite a bit of dirt, sediment, etc., that fell into the basement drain. Now when I look in the basement drain, the water level seems kinda high in there. I know that there should be water visible, but can anyone tell me what a reasonable water level in a basement drain should be?

Insofar as I can tell, nothing seems amiss in terms of flushing, etc...I haven't tried running the basement washer as of yet, however.

Do I have a potential problem/clog?

Thanks in advance!

[Gary Swart]

This should be the trap you are looking into, and there is supposed to be water in it; that's what makes the seal to prevent sewer gas from coming into to the basement. I seriously doubt that any dirt or sediment that went into the drain has clogged it. Best way to tell for sure is to run water into it. If it doesn't back up, there's no clog.

[pfloyd75]

Yup, that's right Gary -- looking into the drain trap. Sorry about my poor terminology! And thanks much for the reply!

I am aware that I should see water in the trap, I was just curious as to the "typical" water level in such traps. The water level seemed fairly high, and this is why I suspected a clog/slow drainage.

[Gary Swart]

Only way I know to check if the drain is flowing freely is to run water into it.

[hj]

There is no "typical" level of the water below the floor level. The water level in the trap will be at whatever point the drain pipe is located. If the pipe is high the water level will be close to the floor surface, if it is deeper, then the water level will be that same distance below the floor surface. However, the "depth" of the water from its surface to the bottom curve of the trap will always measure the same, but that depth will vary depending on the size of the pipe and the material it is made of.