Basement floor drain--is it right?

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Guy48065

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I bought a cottage with a 1/2 basement and just inside the utility room there's a depression under the vinyl tile that might be a floor drain. There aren't any others. The place is on well/septic and on a lake. IF this is a floor drain how can I tell where it goes and if there's a trap? This isn't the first time I've seen a covered basement floor drain--what good reasons are there for covering the only drain?

I should mention this place was built around 1950 (pre-code) and the addition where this drain is located was installed mid-'70s. I don't know if there are drain tiles or where they might lead. Most of the cottages there have "interesting" plumbing & electrical and a handfull still have outhouses & hand pumps :)
 
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Cacher_Chick

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It might just be a hole going into the ground, or a pipe going to a dry-well. Assuming it will drain water, a drain camera inspection would be one way to see.
 

kcplumber

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I have seen floor drains get covered with finishing the basement. Usually the concrete will slope down toward the drain and is not ideal for a finished space. Does the main drain leave through the floor or basement wall? If it leaves through the wall, your floor drain probably does not feed into the septic.
 

Guy48065

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Good question. This is in a cottage where there isn't a real "system". The bathroom drains for toilet, sink & shower all individually drop straight down into the ground in the crawlspace. I assume they connect together below the frost line and from there lead out to the septic. The vent stack is outside the house next to the bathroom. The kitchen is on a slab so that drain goes out the wall & vanishes into the ground. Can't use the sink in the winter. I assume it's tied into the septic but I don't know for sure. Being an old cottage community there could be a grey water french drain down there. I hope not.

In short--there's no cleanout, no evidence of drain tiles. The good news is there's good drainage and no leak issues.
I've only owned it for a year so there's still a lot to be discovered. I could have a lot of fun with a camera snake :)
 
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