One of the most common defects at old Minneapolis and Saint Paul houses is a missing cleanout plug in the floor drain. When we find this during a Truth In Sale of Housing Evaluation in Minneapolis, it’s actually a required repair item. A missing cleanout plug can allow hazardous sewer gas into the home and often indicates a clogged floor drain. To learn why and how, read on.
Every plumbing fixture has a trap. A plumbing trap prevents foul-smelling sewer gas from entering a home. The image below shows a P-trap, which can be found at sinks, showers, and bathtubs.
The left side of the trap connects to the plumbing fixture, and the right side connects to the sewer. The ‘sewer’ side will have sewer gases present, but the water at the bottom of the trap prevents sewer gases from entering the building.
Floor drains are no exception. The photo below shows a floor drain viewed from the side.
The shaded portion shows the trap where water will always sit, which prevents sewer gas from entering the building. When you look at an installed floor drain, all that you typically see is the grill on top; the rest of the drain is always buried in the basement floor.
What if the drain is clogged?
Floor drains clogs happen in two places; one is the trap itself, and the other is a clog in the line downstream from the drain. To know the difference, try removing the cleanout plug; it’s that thing I circled in the photo below.
This will allow water to drain past the trap, through the area highlighted below.
If you remove this plug and water drains properly, you have a problem with the trap, and your best bet is to use a drain auger to clean out the trap. As long as someone didn’t pour concrete or tile grout down the drain, it shouldn’t be a big deal to fix this. If you remove the cleanout plug and water still doesn’t drain, you have a problem with the drain line downstream from the trap. Try using a drain auger to clean out the line by pushing it through the cleanout hole.
When this plug is removed, however, sewer gas will enter the building. After you’ve cleaned the drain, be sure to put the cleanout plug back into place. You don’t want stinky sewer gas coming into your home.
What if the cleanout plug is missing?
If you have an existing floor drain with a missing cleanout plug, it usually means one of two things:
- The drain was clogged, someone removed the cleanout plug to clean the drain, and they forgot to replace the plug.
- The bottom of the trap is clogged, and someone removed the cleanout plug to allow water to drain directly into the sewer, instead of going through the trap.
To know the difference, take a look at the water level. If the water is right at the cleanout hole, you have a clogged trap that needs service. If the water level is a couple of inches below the cleanout hole, you should be fine. All you need to do is replace the cleanout plug.
On some older floor drains, the threads that used to accept a cleanout plug are damaged or badly rusted, so it’s impossible to screw in a new cleanout plug. The right way to fix this is to install a rubber plug. One type of plug is a piece of rubber sandwiched between two pieces of metal that expand the rubber when tightened together. The two photos below show a rubber plug before it’s tightened and after it’s tightened.
Another type of rubber plug can be found at Real-Tite Plugs – a company located in Golden Valley.
When the cleanout plug is missing it needs to be replaced, and the floor drain may need to be cleaned out or replaced. If the drain cannot be cleaned, the entire floor drain needs to be replaced.
Ryan
August 30, 2012, 12:00 pm
Hi Reuben,
I moved into a new condo about 3 years ago. There was a strange smell coming from my laundry closet, which only consists of a stackable washer/dryer. I had first thought the washing machine was the reason for the sewer odor, but a repairmen said that there was no p trap. So basically the only way to solve this issue has been to pur mineral oil down the drain (underneath the w/d and very hard to get to) every couple months which does actually erase the smell. Is there a permenant solution and is there a “normal” estimated cost that you could provide. Thanks so much for your help1
Reuben Saltzman
August 30, 2012, 2:11 pm
Hi Ryan, the repair is to have a plumber install a trap. There is no type of ‘normal’ estimated cost for this, because each situation can be very different.
Patrick Pihana
September 8, 2012, 7:45 pm
Great article. Most instructions for cleaning out floor drains mention removing the cleanout plug and the p-trap which is hard to visualize for a floor drain. Your accompanying photos cleared up my questions immediately.
Great site – many thanks for the professional postings.
Jack
September 9, 2012, 9:31 pm
Hi Reuben, a quick question:
In the basement floor of an old building in which I work, there is a broken concrete cap over a drain. The cap is loose and can be simply lifted up. The drain itself is plugged up with old newspaper. The air in the surrounding area has a strange funk to it, and if you get close to the floor, there is a strong odor originating from the drain.
Is this simply a trap that has dried out over time, and a poor job done sealing off the drain itself? What is the proper way to seal off such a drain?
Should I be concerned about prolonged exposure to this environment?
Thanks so much,
Jack
Reuben Saltzman
September 10, 2012, 3:47 am
Hi Jack,
It’s tough to say exactly what the issue is without seeing the drain. Yes, you should be concerned about prolonged exposure to that environment if sewer gases are coming in. Sewer gases are unhealthy.
Does any water flow to the drain? Would it hurt for you to plug the drain off?
jennifer g
September 10, 2012, 10:35 pm
I have a 116 yr old house I didn’t know I was missing a drain plug in the floor drain ..hole measured 2 inches so i bought a 2 inch rubber expandable plug with he wing nut I was looking for the tapered one but no one carried it ..2 inch was too big and the 1 and 1/2 was too small ..took a grinder to the bottom meteal of the rubber to reduce the diameter ,used the ground down bottom metal disk on my 1and 1/2 inch rubber with the 2 inch topper metal disk with stopper . I was one of them too big and too small projects we shopped 3 hard ware stores just to come up with a solution to the missing clean out drain plug to a 116 yr old house with a pea trap that worked lol but out of frustration imagination worked to our goldilocks. we had a rag stuck in the hole for a while but I was worried about it falling apart til i read off your website it really needed a plug the ,I didn’t know that. Thanks:)
jennifer g
September 10, 2012, 10:49 pm
needless to say the smell is gone from the house and we ran a hose from our wash sink for half hour it drained like a champ go figure hubby is a real good house fixer upper when it comes to me complaining about thing like this lol juat think I was trying to find a cork for the hole:D the smell was so bad even my vent clip ons where keeping up.
jennifer g
September 10, 2012, 10:50 pm
weren’t not where’ I think I need to get to sleep:)
Peter K
September 11, 2012, 2:53 pm
Hi Reuben,
I have a question about a 1.5 inch floor drain in the concrete slab on the bottom froor of my townhouse in Maryland. It is used exclusively to drain condensate from the A/C. It has backed up and water from the drain and condensate caused the area to get soaked. Two plumbers attempted to clear it out with 25 and 50 foot snakes, without success. The second one told me he could send someone to put a camera down there to find the problem and it would cost $500. Would it be ok to simply seal up the drain line with a plug and instead install a pump to drain the condensat eelsewhere?
Thanks!
Reuben Saltzman
September 12, 2012, 3:57 am
Peter K – $500 to run a camera down the drain? That’s extremely expensive. I would call around to see if that price is in line with what other plumbers in the area charge.
At any rate, plugging this drain off and using a condensate pump would be a perfectly acceptable repair.
Vincent Ferraccioli
September 12, 2012, 9:44 am
I have a floor drain at the bottom of the stairs in our basement. It doesn’t drain anywhere. Originally, our house was on a septic system. House was built in 1940. The village put in a sewer system to our house (prior to our owning it) around 1970. The basement has another floor drain in the opposite corner. I have heard water running in that drain many times if I put my ear to it. Is that drain supposed to be tied to the problem drain (which is diagonally opposite from the corner drain). There is also a clean-out flush mounted in the floor about 1-1/2′ from to the problem drain. When there is a heavy rain, the first place water enters is around this clean-out. The floor has evidence that work was done in this area. Is it possible that concrete got into this drain or the pipe that might be routed under slab to the opposite corner drain was damaged or blocked? Help!
Reuben Saltzman
September 14, 2012, 3:58 am
Vincent – that’s a unique setup you have. I wish I could give you some advice, but all I could do is guess. You would do well to hire a plumber to take a look at it.
Nicky
September 12, 2012, 3:48 pm
Hi Reuben,
I am pretty sure no one has ever had an issue like mine but I had a shower in the basement and the shower base cracked so I was planning on replacing it but while uninstalling the shower base the drain pipe broke off from the connection it had to the main drain and there were some loose gravel around the main drain pipe which fell in the drain. Now from your experience, is there any way to remove the loose gravel, or reading from some of the post, could snake work for it? I have tried to scooping it out and using some things, and gravel comes up but falls right back in. Sorry I am a bit clueless here.
Reuben Saltzman
September 12, 2012, 6:52 pm
Nicky – sure. Use a powerful wet/dry vac. That’ll suck it right out.
Nick
September 20, 2012, 9:04 am
Great forums and amazing response times! Glad to see you’re willing to give up your time to help people out so much!
Anyways my problem: I noticed a smell yesterday and isolated it to the drain in the middle of the basement floor. Normally I could get rid of it by pouring a gallon or so of water into the drain understanding that it has dried out. This time I did that and within 5 minutes it was drained low in the trap (just at the bottom of the U). Poured more water and same thing. Then I had the idea to blast water from a hose into the trap and saw some pretty gross murky water that eventually went clear as it was pushed out of the line. Again the water drained fairly low and the smell returned. I’m thinking there is a crack somewhere in the trap but am not 100% sure. Any other culprits? If it is a crack, could there be an easier fix besides tearing the whole thing out? Thanks for the help!
Reuben Saltzman
September 20, 2012, 7:19 pm
Nick – your issue definitely sounds like a cracked or rusted out trap. I’m not aware of any fix other than tearing the whole thing out. Bummer.
Jane
September 26, 2012, 5:31 pm
What a find this site is! I have scrolled through your replies but was unable to find an answer to this question. I am in central MN lakes area and am thinking about finishing the basement. There is a drain right in the middle of the floor. Can you finish a floor over the drain or how does the drain function under the floor without causing mold problems?
Reuben Saltzman
September 26, 2012, 6:27 pm
Jane – the purpose of the floor drain is to receive surface water in the basement. If you’re going to finish the basement floor with something like tile, just leave the drain there. If you’re going to use carpet, you should have the drain capped off. If you don’t cap the drain off, the water will eventually evaporate and you’ll get sewer gas coming in.
Tracie
September 29, 2012, 3:19 pm
I bought a 1950s ranch two years ago. The basement already had a completed bathroom with toilet, sink, and combo bath and shower. The bathroom is sandwiched between the laundry room and a room that has a sewer with a cover on it. When my tenants moved in they noticed a sewer gas smell from the sewer room next to the bathroom. The smell gets worse the more the bathroom or laundry room is used as well as when the weather is warmer. I had a plumber take a look and he said that when the basement bathroom was put in it wasn’t done right. He said the bathroom is going into the sewer on the floor instead of the sewer that goes out of the house like the upstairs bathroom. He said the best way to fix the problem would be to eliminate anything going into the sewer in the floor and redirect everything to the other point that goes outside. He would also have to connect to the existing plumbing vent. He said he would then cover up the floor sewer opening by covering it with concrete. Does this sound correct?Thanks for any help. Tracie
Reuben Saltzman
September 30, 2012, 7:40 pm
Hi Tracie – the only part I’m not clear on is “sewer”. If you replace “sewer” with “floor drain” in most of the places where you say sewer, this makes perfect sense and your plumber’s recommendation sounds correct.
Tony
October 5, 2012, 7:35 pm
Hello Reuben, My bath tub is draining really slow, I tried using a plunger and it still the same. So I went to the light well which is an open space for fresh air where the floor drain is located, I used one of those Drain bladder to try to clear out the drain and all of a sudden water and lots of water and sand was coming up from the drain! I don’t know where the sand came from. The rain gutter is also connected on the same floor drain. Please help!! Thank You in advance.
Reuben Saltzman
October 9, 2012, 1:56 pm
Tony – wow, sand coming up out of the drain? I think you need to hire a plumber to figure out the problem. This goes beyond the scope of anything I could diagnose.
Anna
October 9, 2012, 8:08 am
Reuben
Seven years ago we moved into a brand new bi-level home. Within a month the main drain had backed into our home and all over the brand new finished basement. We had a plumber come out who cleared the drain stating the clog was a white paste possible paint from new construction.
Now we are new to the owning a house ordeal and everything as far as maintenance is new to us. We have leavened to maintain our home through trial and error.
Yesterday we were leaving to celebrate my bday and again the sewer had backed into the house again causing major damage to our finished basement. My husband said the clog was in the trap and he was able to push that through. He did use an old auger my dad had laying around.
My question is four fold.
1) If he pushed the clog thru with a 25 foot auger do I need to be concerned that it can possible clog the main drain? Should I call a licensed Plumber out?
2) Obviously I do not care to remodel my basement yet again after this remodel. Is it possible that one of these backwater valves I have seen here on the internet would help with this?
3) Now this may sound silly but we quit using the expensive soft plush Charmin the first time this happened because we were not sure if this was the issue. Recently we went back to using this nice soft thick tissue. A month later woolah we have a flood. Can this expensive plush toilet paper be the cause?
4) Do we need to have our drains inspevted annually like we do our HVAC system?
Thanks so much
Anna
Reuben Saltzman
October 9, 2012, 2:02 pm
Anna – #1: probably not. The main drain will be much larger.
#2: Possible, but very unlikely. I’ve seen those things leak like crazy. The only work well when they’re brand new.
#3: Good question. I haven’t done any type of research on different toilet papers and clogs, but I’d say that if this had anything to do with the clog, you have a much bigger problem than just the brand of toilet paper.
#4: No, you don’t need to have your drains inspected annually, but it would be a good idea to have it inspected if you haven’t already had that done. Have a plumber or drain cleaning company scan your drain lines with a fiber optic camera to figure out why it keeps backing up. The situation you’re describing makes me think there is a serious problem with your drains.
Kimberly
October 9, 2012, 12:28 pm
Seems like lots of knowledge here, so maybe someone can answer my question regarding a 1946-built Freddie Mac “as is” foreclosure I am hoping to buy. I’ve had the house inspected and the inspector suggested I get the sewer line videoed so I’ll know if the sewer lines are in good shape or need to be replaced. Had that done today, only the camera could only go from the main clean-out near the back of the house, to the trap buried in concrete near the front of the house. There were two caps at floor level indicting the trap near the front. The plumber said to view the rest of the sewer the trap would have to be jackhammered out of the concrete and replaced with a regular line. He said they used to build houses with a main house trap, then discovered they didn’t need them because the traps for each drain took care of the sewer gas problem. He further said when they encounter these old traps, they remove them and replace with straight piping. My question is: Is there really no way to view the sewer pipes leading out of the house? I currently have no way of knowing if the pipe is in good shape or needs to be replaced and can’t afford a 10K+ expense if that’s the case. I will add that the former homeowner did report slow drainage, but no backups. The plumber said the slow drainage is due to the existence of the house trap, and possibly roots in the pipe outside the house, but said there is also no way to clear the line as long as the house trap is there. Is this all correct? Do I have to live with slow drains due to the house trap or pay 3K to have it replaced so the rest of the line from the house to the street can be viewed and/or cleared?
Reuben Saltzman
October 9, 2012, 2:48 pm
Hi Kimberly – I’ve never even heard of a house having a trap before going out to the street. That’s certainly not to say they don’t exist, but this gets beyond the scope of what I encounter during a home inspection.
I would be included to believe your plumber. If it were me and I wanted the house, I’d probably pay the 3K to have the trap removed and the main drain line viewed / cleared.
Where is this house located?
Kimberly
October 9, 2012, 3:16 pm
The house is in Farmington, Michigan. Per the conditions of buying a Freddie Mac foreclosure, I am specifically prohibited from doing any repairs prior to closing on the house, so even if I wanted to spend 3K now to determine if the sewer pipes outside the house need to be replaced, I cannot until the sale closes. The plumber said some houses built prior to the 1950’s included a trap like this. The thinking was a trap for the whole house served the same purpose as traps on drains, however it was later learned they only slow down the flow of water and are unnecessary due to traps on each drain taking care of the sewer gas problem. My concern is not the slow drains, but whether or not the main sewer pipe outside the house will need to be replaced. That’s much more than a 3K job and I’ll want to renegotiate the price if that’s the case.
tom
October 15, 2012, 6:04 pm
Hi ruben here’s the deal I am finishing my basement here in st.paul park however my current floor drain is located right in the middle of where I want my carpeted floor so my plan is to tear up the floor and relocate it in what I will be makeing the laundry room. My question is if and when I put in the new trap since it is further away from the sewer then before will I need to have it run at a slight angle to help flow or can it just lay under the cement level ? Cause I have noticed that the current drain don’t have a slight angle/runoff to the sewer thanks
Reuben Saltzman
October 15, 2012, 6:13 pm
Hi Tom,
Yes, your new drain should slope at least 1/4″ per foot.
mark
October 17, 2012, 9:01 pm
Reuben,
I live in a 1920’s house and we are struggling with a terrible sewer smell. I know that its comming from the drain in the basement. I picked up the board that covers the drain and there seems to be water in there.Any ideas?
Thanks
Reuben Saltzman
October 18, 2012, 3:48 am
Mark – and there is no cleanout hole present? If there is no open cleanout hole in the drain and there is water in the trap, it’s probably not the source of your sewer odors. You could always try cleaning the drain opening, of course.
This post covers some other potential sources of sewer odors
Noelle Szczepanek
October 22, 2012, 10:15 am
I live in a house built in the early 50’s. We have a floor/clean out drain off of our den. We have had 12 years of sewer back up and high out of pocket costs to plumbers to snake our lines. This past winter it was determined there was a belly in our line extending out into the public street. The county came out and replaced that section of the sewer line and no more back ups. However 2-3 wks after they were out we started to notice sewer flies invading our living space. This issue is still continuing. The county was called back out to flush and disinfect our lines, which we were told would take care of this issue. It did not. The sewer flies are still in the house. We have poured clorox down all of our drains including the floor drain off of the den, however I have now noticed what should be just water laying in that drain appears to have taken on a different appearance. It looks like sewage and fecal material, minus the smell. I had noticed this in the past but figured it was a reaction of the clorox mixed with the water in the drain. After reading about these drains at no time should this have this appearance, am I correct? We are waiting for the plumber to come out and take a look. How would feces get there and is this the cause of the annoying flies?
Reuben Saltzman
October 22, 2012, 7:39 pm
Noelle – sorry, but I’ve never had any experience trying to troubleshoot problems with sewer flies.
Stephanie
October 22, 2012, 10:35 am
Well, going back to my post last year in
December, we are still having our problem of waste in our main floor drain, Sometimes it apprears to be greasy gunk and other times it appears to be toilet paper that is all broken up. Needless to say, I am completely fed up with my husbands passive attitude about this, I am assuming that we will need to break up our concrete and replace part or all of the pipe. I wanted to get your opinion about how much of the line to replace. If there is a single spot that has to be replaced is that all we should replace? My husband seems to think that we should replace the entire pipe but also says that there is no way he is paying to get this fixed. Is it necessary to replace all the piping or just the damaged spot?
Stephanie
October 22, 2012, 10:37 am
I forgot to mention, if there is the slightest trickle of water from the ac or the humidifier running it seems to be enough to keep everything at bay and apparently normal. Not sure if I should be surprised about that.
Reuben Saltzman
October 22, 2012, 7:37 pm
Stephanie – I don’t think you would need to replace the entire line, but your best bet would be to get the opinion of a plumber who can do a video scan of the drain. If you’re the same Stephanie who said there was a hump in the drain, that might be the only part of the drain that would need to be replaced.
Noelle Szczepanek
October 23, 2012, 6:17 am
ok, what about the floor drain, I am assuming you should be able to look down a floor drain and only see water and not what I am seeing, correct?
Sharae
October 29, 2012, 7:00 am
We have sewer gases in our basement. It smells like it from the floor drain. We never smelled anything in 5 years & now water is covering the grate. It drains slow but water is constantly. The downstairs toilet would flow too much before settling and the sink would go “bloop, bloop, gurgle”, but only if the upstairs bath was used at the same time. From the same company 2 plumbers were sent. The first said the sewer was backed up. The 2nd plumber came for the sewer & said the floor drain is normal but the drain trap for the toilet has to be snaked. I don’t understand how the drain trap for the 2nd toilet is related to the floor drain being resolved. Unfortunately for us to have the floor drain snaked we have to remove a very expensive custom built in cabinet. Im really confused why the floor drain wasnt addressed if you can see water sitting but never saw that in 5 years. What are your thoughts ?
Reuben Saltzman
October 30, 2012, 3:44 am
Sharae – I also don’t understand how the drain trap for the second floor toilet could be related to a partially clogged floor drain.
Mellissa
November 9, 2012, 5:48 pm
We have a fkoor drain in the laundry roomof our basement. The kitchen sink, washer, and dishwasher all run through this drain in the floor. the drain has been backing up when we was clothes. We recently had some rain and now there is water standing in it and it won’t go down, we have run a snake down it and its still standing what could be wrong.
Reuben Saltzman
November 9, 2012, 6:50 pm
It sounds like you have a clog downstream. I recommend you hire a plumber to look in to it further.
Derek
November 12, 2012, 2:21 am
I have a problem and am hoping for a bit of advice. Two days ago I noticed a large amount of water had backed up out of my basement floor drain after I had taken a shower. Eventually the water DID subside, but SLOWLY. Once the water level dropped to normal, I poked around inside the trap and found a ton of debris and sediment… sand, gravel, dirt… is this normal? I’m worried that there may be roots in the sewer line, as I have two VERY LARGE evergreen/pine trees in my front yard, near where the line would run to the city sewer/street… My question is – should I be concerned that there was a large handful of debris and sediment in the trap, or is this normal? Or is it hard to say without looking at the situation? My thought is that if a root did indeed compromise my plumbing, dirt would fill into the pipe, thus explaining what I am finding? Am I just paranoid?
THANKS!
Reuben Saltzman
November 12, 2012, 4:53 am
Hi Derek,
It’s very possible that you have a compromised drain line. You’re not being paranoid – this is a very common problem with older homes.
marty
November 25, 2012, 3:18 pm
When the washing machine on the second floor drains, after a few minutes water comes up in the basement where the floor meets the wall. The washing machine in against the back wall of the house. I can hear and feel the water come into the dain pipe in the basement and then it comes thru about 6 inches in back of the pipe where the floor and wall meet. Does this mean the cast iron pipe in the floor is clogged and leaking? How do you determine where the leak is as the pipe runs a good distance ie 25 feet to exit at the front of the house. thanx
Lori
November 26, 2012, 10:26 pm
Hi Rueben! I have read every (almost) post on this thread and I am hoping that you can tell me that what I am dealing is an easy, inexpensive fix…
I am in a 45 yr old one-story slab home with a main plumbing wall located in the center of my home. The floor drain is located in my utility closet near the front of the house with the main bathroom directly behind it and the kitchen, laundry and half bath behind that. For the last year or so I have noticed that when doing laundry I can hear a gurgling sound coming from the floor drain during the spin/drain cycles. I thought it was odd but it really did not phase me as everything else worked fine and there was no water coming up from it. Within the past two weeks things have progressed to a bit worse of a situation, the floor drain overflowed during the spin/drain cycle of the wash once and the cleanout in front of my house overflowed as well. It was suggested that I buy muriatic acid and dump it in my cleanout; this posed a couple of problems – first I was uneventful in my purchase of muriatic acid as I was told at the hardware store I could not purchase it for plumbing purposes and second I cannot get the cover off of the cleanout (I believe it is cast-iron due to it being 20+ years old). So with the advice of the associate at the hardware store I purchased a concentrated lye product and put it down my my laundry drain pipe after researching the possibilities of a clog due to laundry lint. This did not correct the problem so just this weekend (two days ago) I opted to try the main line cleaner product that is made by the same company in my floor drain. Again, problem still present with only gurgling during washer spin/drain cycle. I have also noticed on rare occasion that the floor drain would gurgle upon flushing the toilet. Tonight we decided to do a load of laundry following the routine of one person at the washer during the drain cycle and one person on the floor watching the drain. What transpired at that point was completely different! While the washer drained both toilets in my home bubbled and drained and then during the final drain cycle of the washer, with toilets bubbling once again the floor drain decided to fill up and overflow. We quickly turned off the washer and proceeded to soak up the standing water as to not allow it to cause the damage seeping into other places like it did the first time and I went outside to check the cleanout, it had filled up as well and was completely covering the recessed lid. At this point I am assuming that my problem is not existing in my home plumbing but between the cleanout and the sewer. My first thought, after the laundry lint idea was maybe it was a venting issue, now I am pretty certain it is a blockage beyond my home. I am really nervous about calling a plumber as I do not have very much (nearly none) money that is available to pay for everything they will suggest I replace. I hope you can share your knowledge and expertise in this matter and help me know what route to take.
Reuben Saltzman
November 27, 2012, 5:11 am
Lori – I think you’re right with your suspicion that this is a problem with the main building drain. Here in Minnesota, you can find someone to snake the line and do a sewer scan with a fiber-optic camera for under $200. This will tell you what you’re dealing with.
Lori
December 2, 2012, 10:06 am
Thanks Rueben! Plumber came out 4 days ago and snaked the line, had a bit of a hard time but was persistent and finally made it through. Turns out it was a wad of roots that in the dark looks like it was a large cat when he pulled it out. He also camera-ed the line and it is clear and running beautifully now. Total cost was $185, it is such a good feeling to have piece of mind that I will not be paying for any major repairs any time soon!
Reuben Saltzman
December 5, 2012, 8:40 pm
Marty – yes, it sounds like the pipe is leaking. I think you would need to hire a plumber to figure out where it’s leaking – I don’t have any great tips to give you to figure out exactly where it’s leaking from.
Lisa
December 7, 2012, 10:36 am
Hey Reuben-
I have tried to research this but found no answers.. Is there any way that my clean out or access to the main line be in my laundry room under the laundry sink? House is on a crawl space (which is dry) and everything is backing up through the laundry room floor drain (floor drain has water in it and no bypass, not that i can see anyways). We tried to snake the floor drain but couldn’t get past a certain point- called a plumber and he could not find a main line access or clean out outside and we do not know where it is or would be because we just bought the house a week ago… the plumber told us it would be $275 to snake it through the toilet since he could not find anywhere outside to do it from but if his cable/cutter got stuck doing it that way is would be $1900 to get it out via putting in an outside clean out- to which I said we will explore other options. I have looked around, did not see anything outside my house myself but found something under the laundry room sink on the inside of the house that is covered and looks like a clean out, if clean out can be metal because it is not PVC. My house is a 1950s ranch- and what I am referring to as a possible clean out is located under the laundry room sink, comes about 1-2 inches above the tile, it is pretty rusty and has a circle cap with a square in the middle of it. I have no idea where our stacks are either, I see them nowhere, but there is a short vertical PVC pipe connected to the laundry room sink (next to the potential clean out) this is the only place I see anything resembling a stack.
Reuben Saltzman
December 7, 2012, 5:46 pm
Hi Lisa,
What you’re referring to sounds like a cleanout. Send me a photo and I’ll tell you if I think it’s a cleanout, and I’ll post it here for anyone else to see.
Mark
December 9, 2012, 4:30 pm
Reuben, some of your readers with older houses who cannot locate their floor drain bypasses might benefit from knowing there is a style of floor drain used in my 50s built home that has a bypass adjacent to the drain grate rather then inside of it. I am sure the design intent was for the slab to be poured such that the plugged bypass port is flush to the slab surface, i.e., exposed and readily accessible. However, in my home the six floor drains all have bypasses that were hidden (buried) under the surface until I chiseled away a thin layer of concrete to expose them. Prior to a friend tipping me off that this might be the case a plumber who could not locate the bypasses made a feeble attempt to snake through the trap. When that failed he advised that because there were no bypasses the three drains that were backing up would have to be excavated and replaced in order to correct the problem. After exposing the buried bypasses I was able to hand-snake two of the drains myself and paid a second plumber $55 to power-snake a third one. Excavation of those three drains as was recommended by the first plumber would have cost thousands. Hope this helps.
Mike Schmitt
January 1, 2013, 6:11 pm
Hi this is my first time posting a question on a site. I have a laundry tub drain in my basement that is your basic chrome brass trap that runs straight sown into what looks like a lead line under the concrete slab. The lead has a flange type lip where the chrome ties. In . It’s leaking out at the point where they meet.
Carlos Diaz
January 6, 2013, 8:06 am
Hi Reuben,
Great site! I’m in the process of finishing my basement and there is a floor drain that seems to be dried out. We’ve lived in this house for over 7 years and I can’t recall ever having any leaks or floods that would call for the use of this drain. I’ve never had and odors coming out of it so is it safe to say that I can plug it up with no worries of problems coming up in the future? If so, what’s the best way to do so?
I’m planning on putting a subfloor and laminated wood. I live in New York State, Zone 5, if that helps.
Thanks in advance!
Reuben Saltzman
January 6, 2013, 8:46 pm
Carlos – if it were me, I’d plug the drain. I recommend you check with your local municipal plumbing inspector for the proper way to plug it. In Minneapolis, for instance, you’re supposed to pull a permit when you plug the drain, and if I remember correctly, the inspector wants the floor drain dug out and removed, the drain plugged with a cloth or something similar, and then the stub filled with concrete.
Robert
January 8, 2013, 6:17 pm
I have been dealing with this sewer gas problem on and off for years and although I tried to read every post I couldn’t. I feel I’m closer to a solution now more than ever so let me explain my situation. I believe everything runs through the floor drain in my basement to the main line, toilet, bathroom sink, kitchen sink, and washing machine. I’m not sure about the bathtub. These traps never dry up and theres always some type of “debris” filled dirty water sitting in them. I imagined it was the debris causing the smell but now I know its the sewer gas that you speak of. At least twice a year I have a main line back up where all the dirty water enters the basement. After looking at pictures of a P-Trap I’m not sure I even have one. Is this dirty water supposed to stand in these traps under the cleanout plugs or is everything supposed to run freely into the city sewer leaving my traps empty or almost empty? I have pics if your interested. After scrolling up I see its somethin similar to what Stephanie Dec 12, 2011 described.
Reuben Saltzman
January 9, 2013, 4:49 am
Hi Robert,
Nothing runs through your floor drain. When you floor drain backs up, it’s just happening because the floor drain is the lowest fixture in your home. If your floor drain was sealed off, the next lowest fixture in your home would spart spewing sewage when you had a backup.
There should always be water in your floor drain.
Irv
January 9, 2013, 7:07 pm
water has been overflowing from my basement sink so i decided to snake the pipes> I can see three plugs on the floor and the third closet to the street is not flushed to the floor it is angled towards 8:00. i opened the two that were flush to the floor afte chipping away at cement to expose it. i finally removed the cover and snaked it fine, but now i want to close it up and i got a rubber expansion 3 inch that is to small when stretched to its maximum and a 4 inch is to big. i measure the inside of pipe and it says 3 1/2. need help cappig this off.
Reuben Saltzman
January 11, 2013, 4:34 am
Hi Irv, that’s an odd size. Try asking Mark the Plumber – he does a Fix-it-Friday on his facebook page, where he answers your plumbing questions every Friday. He’s the plumbing pro.
Ricky
January 20, 2013, 10:59 am
I am a first-time homeowner and recently purchased a 1950’s N.Y. ranch with a finished basement. The good news is that I do not have water backing-up or filling the basement (although a few tiles often get stained from underneath). However, there is water entering the basement trap from the surrounding concrete. I have never seen a great deal of water in the trap, but the water line shows that it has come up 3”. A plumber recently did some work on the house and replaced one of the two plugs. The other had two holes that the previous owner had drilled into the plug itself. It appears that the holes were meant to allow the water to seep into the main line. The plumber decided not to replace this second plug. I am concerned that the holes may be allowing gas to enter the home and that the water may be a sign of future problems. He believes that rain water may be streaming in alongside the air pipe. He said that I should dig up the front of the house and re-tar the area alongside the pipes. I do see that the previous owner tarred the inside area of the air pipe, so I am not sure about this solution. The trickle is entering the trap from both sides. Therefore, I am not convinced that the cause is simply rainwater. Also, there are two dry pipes that end at the highest point of the trap just below the basement floor. The plumber didn’t know what these lines were for. Any help is much appreciated. Hopefully, the pictures are attached. Respectfully, R.
IMG_3288.JPG
IMG_3290.JPG
Reuben Saltzman
January 20, 2013, 2:30 pm
Ricky – the pics didn’t come through. Feel free to email them.
Reuben Saltzman
January 21, 2013, 3:22 pm
Hi Ricky,
Those two white pipes at the bottom of your photo look like they’re connected to a sub-slab drainage system for rainwater. I agree, those holes in the drain plug are probably allowing sewer gas in to the home, and were probably added so rainwater would drain in to the sewer. I don’t know why you have two sewer lines; you would be better off asking someone these questions who is familiar with the way homes are built in your area.
Here’s the photo.
Marilyn
January 24, 2013, 10:20 am
We moved into a newly constructed home in Nov 2011 and during the winter of 2012, I noticed a smell coming from the basement floor drain, When I looked in, there appeared to be ice. I poured some water into the drain and the smell disappeared.
Over the last year the same smell was coming from my main floor laundry rm floor drain and also again from the basement floor drain. This is a brand new house, why would I have this problem?
Reuben Saltzman
January 24, 2013, 2:46 pm
Hi Marilyn, I’ve never heard of that happening before. Try asking Mark the Plumber – he does a Fix-it-Friday on his facebook page, where he answers your plumbing questions every Friday. He’s the plumbing pro.
Robert
January 28, 2013, 4:12 pm
Re: 1/9 I said floor drain but I meant the two traps under the cleanout plugs. I purchased some newer cleanout plugs 3″ and the smell has disappeared. But yesterday I had a minor backup again. Removed the plugs and cleaned the area. Looked greasy with debris sticking to it causing backup.
Nic
February 5, 2013, 1:50 pm
Hi I’m In queens ny 11420 I notice some water in my basement never seen this for 15 20 years I thought my furnace backed up waters been dark in there have some one local check every year he drain fills and makes everyone fell at ease no mention off maybe snaking my clean out mayb backed up nothing. Ok so now I see my cap clean out plug came off. I’ve been having flushing issues for a week cleared out for a week now. No cap ok so I see the rim is rusted and stuck inside and top part is ok was laying there so I need to get this rusty rim off and cap back on and cleans nyc code cause its nasty but I pushed the water to my floor pipe and it drained but water I sitting noticeably so I see gook so I plan to clean up nasty stuff and snake alittle and then snake and clean clean out plug area and get that rusty piece off then replace. Does this sound good
Max
March 19, 2013, 11:09 pm
Hi Reuben. What a wonderful service you provide! I have a garage floor drain that doesn’t seem to drain at all in my 1969 Iowa house. The drain is a 6″ wide cast iron pipe that appears to go straight down. I stuck a metal rod down it to try to free it but it seemed like I was just shoving it into sand/gravel about 2 feet down. Should I assume that this type of drain goes right into a gravel pit or does it just drain right under my foundation? If this is indeed the type of drain I have, how do I unclog it?
Thanks
Reuben Saltzman
March 20, 2013, 3:47 am
Hi Max,
When it comes to a floor drain in a garage, all bets are off. I have expertise to share on garage drains, sorry.
Lou
March 22, 2013, 12:20 pm
I am having problems with 2 connected floor drains in my basement. One drain has a missing drain plug and is located in a room under my front porch, and the other drain connects to the first under or through my foundation and both then tie into the vertical downspouts on the North side of my home. Water is directed underground into the Township’s rain run off system approximately 15 feet from my home. For 18 years I’ve had no problem with these unused drain, but during the past several heavy rain storms (1″ to 2″), rainwater has backed up through the rain run off system into my cellar. After the storm the rain water slowly recedes back down the drain. Where do I start?
jim
April 20, 2013, 7:42 pm
Hey Reuben,
First of all thanks for all the great advise youve given to all! Im going to try to articulate this question the best i can lol.
Ok my basement does nothave acrock witha sump pump. It does have a floor drain in which backed up last week. The “drain people” said most likely from time over time from Washer machine draining (lint,hair what ever)
Ok, so fine… So the looking at my drain from the top down (when I remove the top piece) it looks like a bowl that in the center obviously goes into the drain area that is aprox 2′ deep in which at the bottom of that 2′ deep square pit is what im quessing starts my ptrap hole.
My qusetion is about the “bowl” at the top of my drain assembly. I have a slop sink that drains above this floor drain, and I notice that theres always standing water in this “bowl” area. Its cast iron and has aost of rustand what not. Id think there should bedrain holes of something. Should I get a cold chisel and knock some holes in this or is it doing whatits supposed to??
Thanks!
Reuben Saltzman
April 20, 2013, 9:24 pm
Hi Jim,
Email me a photo; I’m having a hard time picturing it.
reuben@structuretech1.com
Reuben Saltzman
April 21, 2013, 5:01 am
I wouldn’t bother messing around with the top of that drain. The small amount of water that sits there won’t hurt anything.
C. Treichel
April 24, 2013, 8:02 pm
My problem is not smell. Periodically when we do back to back laundry loads or run a lot of water in the kitchen, it backs up in the basement floor drain. I routed it which may have cleared up the problem, but I am contemplating jamming and sealing a pvc pipe into the drain and installing a one way ball or flapper check valve at a level perhaps a foot or two above the level of the floor. (I don’t need the floor drain for any other purpose) Is this a good idea? I think the added pressure from the water in the pipes above, if there is a minor blockage, would clear the pipes.
Reuben Saltzman
April 25, 2013, 3:41 am
@ C.Treichel – I can’t think of any problems with that.
Victor
May 28, 2013, 8:25 pm
Reuben, A weeks ago The technician changed the water heating tank. A day before another technician hook up a hose from the water heating tank directly to the floor drain to empty the tank for about 18 hours until arrive the technician to change the water tank. Everything was ok. Now the drain is blocked and the water is dark and is a bad odor. A plumber did a video inspection of the main drain found nothing wrong, sucked water out of drain and found that it was full of mud, tired to snake the floor drain but could not clear.
What can be wrong and what can be the next steep to fix the problem.
Thank you ,
Paul
July 1, 2013, 12:05 pm
Hello Reuben,
I live in Nova Scotia, Canada in a bungalow built about 1976. We have lived here since 1978. The basement has a perimeter inside drain about 2″x2″ which drains through a basement floor drain which I can access from outside. We have rusty water in the drain and from time to time the drain totally fills up with hard brown rust. Then the drain then backs up. Is there some kind of liquid solution that would dissolve this rust? If not then what would be the best solution to this problem
Reuben Saltzman
July 1, 2013, 2:06 pm
Paul – tough question. I recommend you post that question here: https://www.facebook.com/952Plumber
They do a “Fix-it-Friday” where they answer plumbing questions every Friday afternoon.
Kathleen
July 5, 2013, 1:16 pm
Reuben,
I noticed a sewer-like odor coming from around one of two pipes in the floor of the concrete basement of a house built in the early 1960’s in MA. These pipes lie side by side near the furnance and are both capped. I assume one of these pipes is the floor drain. For some reason, there is a type of grease that was put around the top of both of these caps and adjoining concrete. The previous owner had a history of water backup problems. The pipe was scoped, found to be out of alignment and replaced. Before I moved into the house, it had been vacant for awhile. What do you think the causeof the gas is and the reason for the grease around the top of the pipes? Why was the drain capped instead of being open so that water could be added to the trap?
Reuben Saltzman
July 7, 2013, 5:26 am
Kathleen – my best guess is that there is or was a fuel oil tank at the property. I don’t think those pipes have anything to do with a floor drain.
Tim
July 9, 2013, 1:33 pm
Reuben,
Thanks for the website and your expertise. I live in Pittsburgh and our house was bulit in 1930. We have a “drain” hole located in the middle of our driveway near the garage. After a recent thunderstorm, I noticed that water had accumulated on top of this “drain”. I took the cover off and cleaned out sediment and water that was in this approx 3 foot deep hole. There is a several inch diameter pipe which runs into this hole (the end of the pipe is downward facing into the hole). This hole does not seem to connect to anything else. Above ground in this area we also have several leaders which drain into encased holes in the driveway and presumambly into the sewer system. One of these drains from the flat roof of our garage and recently clogged with debris that I was able to clear.
At the same time that the outside drain hole has backed up, we are also having the tubs adjacent to the washing machine in the basement (they are also located just a few feet from the outside drain hole) backing up with blackish water. When we run the dishwasher located on the first floor directly above the tubs, the tubs back up.
Last night we had another storm, and the tubs had black water in them. So long as it continued to rain, if I got the water level down in one of the tubs, black water would bubble up from the tub’s drain. The floor drain located near the tubs had not overflowed and as I had been emptying water from the tubs for over an hour, I got the bright (!) idea to take the floor drain cover off and use a plunger (which fit perfectly over the drain) to see if that would clear the clog. Initially the water went down in the floor drain but then came up and I then had to use a cup to keep emptying the drain. When it finally stopped raining, the drain and tubs were okay.
Sorry for the long e-mail, but I wanted to give as much info as possible. Do you think using a snake in the floor drain will solve this problem?
Reuben Saltzman
July 9, 2013, 2:19 pm
Hi Tim,
No, it sounds like you have a problem with your main building drain. I’d hire a drain cleaning service to snake it out, and maybe even follow up with a video scope of the drain.
Tim
July 9, 2013, 2:32 pm
Thanks Reuben,
Finances are at a premium at the moment so I’m wondering if there is any way I could do this myself, perhaps with some equipment rental? If you don’t recommend that, what would be a very reasonable dollar amount I should expect to pay for this service? Thanks.
Reuben Saltzman
July 9, 2013, 2:35 pm
I don’t recommend doing it yourself; you probably wouldn’t know what you’re looking at in the camera. You could probably get a pro to do this for under $200.