A basement floor drain is an invaluable fixture to any home that helps prevent flooding during a storm. It collects water from washing machines, air conditioner condensate lines, and rainstorms and drains it away, keeping your basement dry in times of heavy precipitation. A proper installation requires regular maintenance so that it does its job when required – this article explains where they belong in terms of where you can connect them to sump pumps or sewer systems.
The easiest and least costly way to connect a basement floor drain to the city sanitary sewer line is directly. While this method may be cost-effective and practical, this could pose potential problems should there be issues with city sewer backflow causing backflow into your basement drain! A backwater valve on sanitary sewer line must therefore be installed to avoid such scenarios from occurring.
Connect your basement floor drain to either a sump pit or sewer ejector pump for greater backflow protection, but at an increased cost. This method may also work better over time and work alongside an existing basement drain to provide additional backup protection.
At any rate, your basement floor drain requires a P-trap to prevent wastewater odors from seeping into the house. If it becomes clogged up, simply take steps such as taking away its cover and using your wet/dry vacuum on it to unclog. Be wary when using metal tools such as screwdrivers to dislodge debris from drain pipes as this could potentially damage them as well as their glue connection points.
Keep in mind that a floor drain should never be used as a garbage disposal and should never be used to dispose of food scraps or other materials, as doing so could result in gunk build-up and eventual clogging of your drain. Pouring chemicals like Drano down your drain may actually damage it further in time causing more serious issues for you down the road. If your floor drain appears clogged it’s wiser to contact a professional plumber immediately for service.