Un-trapped Basement Drains!

[Nancy Johnson]

I'd love to add traps to existing basement floor drains.
We have lived with a stinky basement for 35 years and I'm really tired of it. I'm thinking that the floor needs to be broken out around the drains and new trapped connections installed.Will this be a huge expensive deal in a 1915 house?

 

[WorthFlorida]

Are the floor drains needed and are you sure the musty smell is from the drains and not just a damp basement? Plugging them up is a simple solution if the drains are not used. Somewhere either at the drain or at the sewer connection there should be a trap(s) for the floor drains, even in 1915 it should have been done unless a DIY'er back then didn't know better. With floor drains the traps has to be kept filled with water. The least is once a month you pour down a bucket of water in each drain. There are other ways to keep the traps filled with water but it will get expensive.

Cost wise it is the unknown in an old home. Do you know if these go to a tile drain or to the sewer or septic system? Most likely the pipe is clay and a chance they might be cast iron. Clay will break and cut easy and to connect new pipe you'll need to use rubber pipe unions. If they're cast iron it will be a bear to cut the pipe but with the right tools it is doable by a licensed plumber.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Nancy Johnson]

Are the floor drains needed and are you sure the musty smell is from the drains and not just a damp basement? Plugging them up is a simple solution if the drains are not used. Somewhere either at the drain or at the sewer connection there should be a trap(s) for the floor drains, even in 1915 it should have been done unless a DIY'er back then didn't know better. With floor drains the traps has to be kept filled with water. The least is once a month you pour down a bucket of water in each drain. There are other ways to keep the traps filled with water but it will get expensive.

Cost wise it is the unknown in an old home. Do you know if these go to a tile drain or to the sewer or septic system? Most likely the pipe is clay and a chance they might be cast iron. Clay will break and cut easy and to connect new pipe you'll need to use rubber pipe unions. If they're cast iron it will be a bear to cut the pipe but with the right tools it is doable by a licensed plumber.

Yes the drains are needed because all 3 of them drain water when it rains a lot. I do believe that that at least one is from an old DIY project.

It's for sure a sewer smell!

 

[Reach4]

Read up on SureSeal and Green Drain.

TrapGuard is supposed to be for keeping a trap for drying out, but it might also work for the application. http://proventsystems.com/product-solutions/trap-guard/overview/