Unknown drain stack / sump set up

[Brian lopatta]

Good Afternoon,
My wife and I are considering purchasing a new house. While viewing the basement, we came across this set up at the sump pump. The drain coming down is from one of the upstairs bathrooms and runs into the stack. The issue I have is the pipe that comes off to the side and runs into the sump. Looking at the fittings, it looks like this was added after the house was built, as they are new. The homeowners insisted that there was never any back ups or water in their basement. I have never seen anything like this and don't know if it is acceptable or even legal (canfield, Ohio). My initial thoughts was that this is some type of blowoff from the drain in the event the sewer backs up but I am not sure. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Reach4]

I am not a pro... I don't know if Canfield allows sump pump discharge into the sanitary sewer system; some places do, and others do not.

From a functional point of view, that trap is not quite right in that there is no vent. However that might never cause a problem, because the other end of the pipe is to the sump pump, and the openings for that are below the water level. It seems to me that replacing that cleanout plug with a big AAV could prevent that trap from siphoning out.

Getting a radon test? The area around the sump pump would be the suspected hot spot.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Brian lopatta]

I am not a pro... I don't know if Canfield allows sump pump discharge into the sanitary sewer system; some places do, and others do not.

From a functional point of view, that trap is not quite right in that there is no vent. However that might never cause a problem, because the other end of the pipe is to the sump pump, and the openings for that are below the water level. It seems to me that replacing that cleanout plug with a big AAV could prevent that trap from siphoning out.

Getting a radon test? The area around the sump pump would be the suspected hot spot.

That pipe daylights into the sump crock. It is not the sump discharge. Sorry, I should have been clearer in my description.

 

[Reach4]

" The drain coming down is from one of the upstairs bathrooms and runs into the stack."
Is that pipe from above carrying water or is it just hooked to a vent? I don't know what the rules for that might be.

"sump crock"? http://hullhomeinspection.com/archive/sump-crock-and-pump/ uses that term for the sump pit, which is the pit to the left of your picture. Are you saying there is no pump in the pit? You cannot be saying that, because there are wires. Are you using that term to refer to the septic tank, or is it referring to a dry well outside that does not handle sewage?

 

[Brian lopatta]

The pipe coming down is not a vent. It carries water. The sump crock is the sump pit. There is a sump pump in the pit and the discharge pipe is not viewable in the picture.

 

[Reach4]

Pretty odd. So you think that this setup is to shunt drain water from above into the sump pit if the sewer clogs? I am pretty sure this is not allowable, but if you get a good enough deal, you might choose to live with it if there are no function problems, and to spend some of the money you saved if there are problems. I suspect this was put in without a permit to solve a problem. The main point might have been installing the cleanout.

It seems weirder the more I think about it. How would that trap ever get filled with water?

I came up with a theory. The pipe below the concrete clogged in the past. Person decided to install a cleanout, but pipe was full of sewage. So he thought that by having the pipe able to overflow to the sump pit, he could open the cleanout in the future without having the sewage flow onto the floor. If I were doing something hokey like that, I think I would have used a ball valve instead of a trap. That would keep the sewer gas from flowing to the pit under non-clog conditions.

 

[Terry]

With a sump pump, you should have a check valve and a gate valve about that for servicing. At least on a sewage pump you would. You're pumping ground water, so it's less critical to have that gate. I've never installed a pump with a running trap like that. It's a pumped line anyway.

 

[Smooky]

There are several things that catch my eye about this set up. One is the quirky p-trap without a vent as was already mentioned. It does not look like a pump would have been needed since the pipe it discharges into is going down. My thought is the sump pump is for ground water. Most municipal waste water systems do not want ground water going into the sanitary sewer system. Also if you are on a septic system you would not want it going in there either. My guess is that originally the ground water was pumped up and discharged outside somewhere. At some point it was a problem for someone and they connected it to the sewer drain.