Water backing up from sealed off mystery drain in the basement

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sonicwind

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We recently discovered water in the basement of our 1950 brick home in west suburban Chicago. It appears to be coming up from an unused drain which has been sealed off with concrete for at least the 50 years our family has lived there. The house was built by the original homeowner himself. This old drain is sealed flush with the concrete floor.

What is this drain? Any way to tell? What to do about it? Is there a solution?

Possibilities that have been suggested to me as to what it is:
1) The unused drain pre-dates the house being built. But we know this property was open land before the house was built.

2) The drain is from the original (unused) location for a toilet. This seems unlikely, as the drain is in what would have been the center of the basement at the time. The basement toilet he built instead is perhaps 18 feet away, in the corner of the house, where the water lines come into the home.

3) The drain might be an old sump pit for a sump pump, which he never used as he sealed it off with concrete when the basement was built. This seems more likely than the toilet idea.

4) The most likely answer to my untrained mind, is that this was the original location for a basement floor drain. Until he discovered that it was not the lowest part of the basement floor, after which he relocated the basement floor drain about 10 feet away in the main room of the basement, where it is today.

I greatly appreciate any help and thank you for your time. Photo attached.
 

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jasperwkingsley

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We recently discovered water in the basement of our 1950 brick home in west suburban Chicago. It appears to be coming up from an unused drain which has been sealed off with concrete for at least the 50 years our family has lived there. The house was built by the original homeowner himself. This old drain is sealed flush with the concrete floor.

What is this drain? Any way to tell? What to do about it? Is there a solution?

Possibilities that have been suggested to me as to what it is:
1) The unused drain pre-dates the house being built. But we know this property was open land before the house was built.

2) The drain is from the original (unused) location for a toilet. This seems unlikely, as the drain is in what would have been the center of the basement at the time. The basement toilet he built instead is perhaps 18 feet away, in the corner of the house, where the water lines come into the home.

3) The drain might be an old sump pit for a sump pump, which he never used as he sealed it off with concrete when the basement was built. This seems more likely than the toilet idea.

4) The most likely answer to my untrained mind, is that this was the original location for a basement floor drain. Until he discovered that it was not the lowest part of the basement floor, after which he relocated the basement floor drain about 10 feet away in the main room of the basement, where it is today.

I greatly appreciate any help and thank you for your time. Photo attached.
sealed drain was likely intended as an original floor drain or possibly a sump pit, which was later sealed off when the basement was finished. The water backing up could be due to hydrostatic pressure or an issue with the drain's connection. I recommend having a plumber inspect the area to confirm whether it's connected to your drainage system or an external issue. Uncovering the drain carefully could help you determine its original purpose.
 
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