basement issues

Users who are viewing this thread

sergebeaudry

New Member
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
ontario canada
hi guys, i recently bought a house and in the basement there is a hole in the concrete and in this hole there is two pipes that seem like they run around the house (i am guessing it is for the sump pump) there is a floor drain and there is a big pipe (i would say 6" in diameter). i am begining renovations and would need to know what it is and what i can do with it haha... and the pipes are about 3" bellow the grade of the basement floor.
if anyone could help me figure out what these pipes are it would be greatlly appreciated!
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,770
Reaction score
1,190
Points
113
Location
New England
It could be for radon mitigation and they found that it wasn't needed, so they never got hooked up to an extraction system...
 

Nestork

Janitorial Technician
Messages
98
Reaction score
2
Points
0
Location
Winnipeg
Serge:

Buried around the perimeter of your concrete foundation footing will be "weeping tiles". These weeping tiles allow excess water in the ground around your basement walls to drain away (into the weeping tiles). That eliminates the hydrostatic pressure driving that ground water through your basement walls to make for a dryer basement.

The weeping tiles will be connected to either a sump pit or "catch basin" in your concrete basement floor.

If you have a sump pit, there should be a sump pump in it that pumps the water out of that pit. Depending on what your local codes require, the sump pump can pump the water onto your property somewhere, or into your house's waste water drainage piping.

A catch basin is often called a "floor drain" cuz it's just a hole with a metal cover in your basement floor, most often near the area set aside for doing laundry. At the bottom of the catch basin will be a p-trap, and then a pipe connecting that p-trap to the main wastewater drain line from your house. In my building, a sump pump pumps the sump water into my building's waste water drainage piping. In both of my sister's houses, there are catch basins that flow into the main waste water drain lines from their homes. I suppose if you have twinned storm and sanitary sewers in your neighborhood, the local code might require water from the sump pit or catch basin to flow into the storm sewer instead of the sanitary sewer. That's something I don't know.

The pipes from the weeping tiles will enter the sides of the catch basin. If you can see two pipes sticking up in your catch basin, I have no idea what they could be for.

In both of my sister's houses, the stand pipe for their clothes washing machines is connected to the catch basin as well. That way, every time someone does laundry, the p-trap at the bottom of the catch basin gets refilled with water. Otherwise, if there's a long period with no rain, the water in that p-trap could evaporate and leave the trap empty. In that case, sewer gas could come wafting up into the house through that empty p-trap.

If you plan to renovate your basement, you should allow for some way to access that catch basin.


To insert a picture into your post:
1. Click on the Insert Image icon, which is the third one from the right when you're making or editing a post.
2. When you click on that icon, your screen will go pale, and you'll get a dialogue box asking you whether the image you want to insert is on your computer or on the internet.
3. If it's on the internet, click on "From URL" and copy and paste the URL of the image into the URL box. I find it's best to unclick that box saying: "Retrieve remote file and reference locally".
4. If the image is on your computer, click the "From Computer" tab. You will see a button labeled "Browse" which will allow you to navigate to the image location on your computer. Once you've found the image on your computer, click the "Open" button on the file upload dialogue box. The image location on your computer should be in the designated space on the Insert Image dialogue box.
5. Now just click on the text "Upload File(s)" in the Insert Image dialogue box and your image will be uploaded from your computer into your post.

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:

sergebeaudry

New Member
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
ontario canada
sorry iv been away with work but finally got back to the basement, here is a picture of my "whole in the basement".
I should also add that I do have a sump pump installed at a different location
photo-1.jpg
 

sergebeaudry

New Member
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
ontario canada
from what I think I understand the pipe that is on the "wall" on the concrete slab in the wheeping tiles, there is another pipe just the same on the opposite side (can't see it in the picture). the floor drain would connect to the sewer system and this would drain if ever water came in thru the wheeling tiles (I have a sump pump so this isnt really necessary?). If all of this is correct does that mean the other big pipe is for a toilet?
please give me any insight you might have. I am just trying to do this the right way but still want to get it done so that I can continue he rest of the basement
thank you in advance for anymore answers!
Serge
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks