Thread: Hole in basement floor drain pipe

I have heard of this before, but this my first time seeing it. I was drawn to it beacause there is a concrete patch around 3 walls of the basement and the patch stops near the floor drain, but no sump pit.

As I understand it, this is a poor man's way to drain water from under the basement slab without a sump pump. Right?

Anyone have a good way to report this?

Thanks for your time.

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Here are the pics, forgot to upload.

Dan,
When I see the patch around the edges there is usually a drainage plane extending up a few inches above the slab. Sorry I don't have a picture. This is an attempt to waterproof the basement from the inside - catch any water leaking through the wall and direct it into a French drain under the floor. It is done fairly often on older houses around here when heavy equipment could damage an old 8" brick foundation wall or when the yard is heavily wooded or lansdcaped.

In this case they are apparently running it to the floor drain instead of a sump pump. That is fine, gravity has never been known to break down or quit when power went out during a hurricane. Unfortunately, from your picture it looks like the floor drain itself is in poor condition and probably in need of repair or replacement.

A few questions. Did you see any evidence of basement leakage? Is the patch tight to the foundation wall all the way around, or are there gaps where a drainage plane may have been installed? Could you find the exit point for the floor drain and verify it is functioning?

I would probably recommend asking for copies of any repair receipts or warranties from the repair contractors. If none are available refer it to a professional waterproofing contractor for further evaluation and repair.

Fred-
No evidence of leaking, but the walls and the floor was freshly painted. The "patch" did not have any drainage plane at the walls. The intesections to the walls are tight.

The floor drain picture is the only floor drain in the basement. So as I see it, the drainpipe was intentially broken to let the moisture from under the slab into the drain. I was under the impression that this is wrong.

This is a short sale, so I dont think there is any paperwork available. No disclosure was available.

They may have installed a new drain line under the new concrete. They may have tapped into a storm drain outside. One way to be sure is to have a drain contractor check it with a snake.

Here in Stark county Ohio If it is draining to city sanitary sewer or county it is illegal. May want to advise client that it should be checked out.