What is this pipe in my basement?
Foundation drains are pipes that are installed under your foundation or basement floor to collect water and move it off-site to prevent your basement from filling with water.
What is the black pipe in my basement?
The plumbing vent is a vertical pipe that runs up through the walls of your home and out of the roof. It connects to the drainage pipe of your home’s plumbing system. The pipe leaves your home and leads to the sewage pipe that connects to a septic tank or the public sewer system.
How do I know if my basement drain has a trap?
Pour some water down the drain –> disconnect the drain –> take a flashlight and look into the drain where it enters the floor –> if the drain pipe has water in it then it likely has a trap.
Can I cover the drain in my basement floor?
What Options Are There for Covering a Floor Drain? There are two main options for covering a basement floor drain: cement or a lid or cap. While a permanent option may be the way to go when finishing a basement, a temporary cap or lid is ideal in other situations.
What is the big white pipe in my basement?
“What the heck is a sewer cleanout?” you might be thinking. Well, it’s a white pipe with a rubber cap or, in older homes, a metal “mushroom” cap, which provides access to the sewer line, so clogs can easily be cleaned out.
What is a French drain in basement?
A French drain (also called a weeping tile, drain tile, perimeter drain or sub-surface drain) is a common basement waterproofing solution. It’s a trench containing a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and groundwater away from the foundation.
What is the small pipe coming out of my house?
If you’ve noticed a pipe leading to the outside of your home that drips water, there’s a good chance that this is actually just your AC condensate drain, which is supposed to carry water outside your home.
What is black plastic plumbing pipe called?
ABS
ABS: Short for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, this sturdy plastic was one of the first plastics used for residential plumbing. ABS pipes are always black and tend to be softer than PVC. They are mainly used for vent and drain lines, along with other outdoor underground uses where cold temperatures are common.
Is it OK to pour bleach down basement drain?
Bleach is a powerful, toxic substance that should be used carefully and properly, and pouring it down a drain is not a proper use. Bleach can react with other substances in your pipes, potentially release fumes, and further plug up the system.
Is a basement floor drain necessary?
Most homes built today are required by local code to have floor drains that lead to a collection pit where a sump pump carries the water to the surface.
Where do old basement floor drains go?
The drain can connect to one of three things, either to the sewer system or to a sump pit. Drains connected to the sewer system are suitable for draining a washing machine, water softener or a basement laundry sink.
Do basement floor drains have P traps?
You see, floor drains have one of those U-shaped P-trap pipes just like your bathroom sink drain. That U-shaped pipe is designed to hold water, which stands in the pipe and prevents sewer gases from coming up through the drain. If you smell sewer gas, grab a bucket of water and start pouring it into the floor drain.
Why is there a drain in my basement floor?
Your basement floor drain is located at the lowest point of your basement, and its job is to direct any water safely away from the house and to the sewer system or municipal storm drain system. This keeps your basement floor dry and prevents flooding, which may damage personal belongings.
Is basement floor drain connected to septic system?
What most people don’t know is that their home basement floor drains are usually directly tied to the sewer system of the whole house. In some houses, they even run directly into a sump pit from which the water is lifted to the exterior surface with a pump.
What is a curtain drain?
Curtain drains are essentially trenches filled with gravel covering perforated pipe acting like a gutter system to remove unwanted water away from your home. The trench is lined with filter fabric to ensure that the perforated pipe with remain free of clogs from dirt and silt over the years.
What’s the difference between a French drain and a curtain drain?
Curtain drains essentially do the same thing that french drains do- get rid of the water. The main difference is that french drains deal more with groundwater while curtain drains have more to do with surface water. Curtain drains are built in a very similar way to french drains but are dug to a shallow depth.
How long does a curtain drain last?
When enough sand, clay or silt gets past the fabric, the gravel spaces fill and the effectiveness of the french drain ends. This is why most experts state that a French drain is not a long-term solution to a drainage problem: You have to dig it up and reinstall it every eight to 10 years.
What is an interceptor drain?
A drain interceptor is a tank installed within pipework to collect and hold contaminants, allowing the remaining wastewater to be discharged safely into the main sewerage system. Drainage interceptors are referred to by other names, including interceptor traps, interceptor tanks, and filter tanks.
What is toe drain?
Toe Drain. Drains or a drainage channel typically built into the landward toe of an embankment or the downstream toe of an embankment dam. For the purpose of capturing seepage from the embankment and conveying it safely away from the structure.
How do you clear a block interceptor?
If you have to clear a blockage between an interceptor chamber on your property and the main drain, you will have to insert the rods through the rodding eye. At this chamber, the drain drops through a U-trap similar to the one in a gully.
