Basement Floor Drain Trap Dry

Upon inspection the homeowner might find the source of the smell is coming from a lesser used sink shower floor drain toilet or laundry.

Basement floor drain trap dry. If the drain system is not venting properly when a hig. Finding the source of the basement smell. A floor drain is pretty self explanatory. Some drains have visible p traps such as those under a bathroom or kitchen sink and some drains have p traps that are hard to see or hidden such as on a floor drain shower or toilet.

Especially during winter a p trap can dry up and allow sewer gas to enter the home. I am assuming you are noticing this because you are getting a sewer gas odor in your basement. If nothing drains into the floor drain prevent sewer odor by pouring a pitcher of water down the drain every couple of weeks. If you have a trap that is drying out rapidly and routinely it usually indicates a venting issue.

It s a drain in your floor usually found in store rooms washrooms loading docks and hallways. Sure you could find it in other places but you ll typically find them in these couple rooms. For dry floor drains or for that matter any plumbing fixture drain trap that is likely to remain un used for a long time long enough to let its water trap evaporate i pour about 3 4 cup of clean mineral oil into the trap. Dry air might just be the cause of that unpleasant rotten egg smell in your home.

When we hear the words basement floor drain the scenario that instantly pop up in our brain is a round opening a few inches wide having a small grill over it truth to be told most of us don t know more than this. If you notice a foul sewer smell in your house or basement here are the five possible causes in order of probability. However every drain must have a properly vented p trap and every p trap must have a regular supply of water going through it to keep the trap seal. The p trap and the floor drain.

Pour mineral oil into the floor drain trap. Well let s dive in to the world of dry traps and floor drains. You have a water trap under a floor drain laundry tub or wash basin that has dried out from lack of use. If your floor drain connects to the sewer system and you smell sewer gasses the trap beneath the drain is dry or the plug for the cleanout is missing.

Water in any trap under unused drains will eventually evaporate. Drains can dry out completely in as little as 2 weeks to a month depending on the temperature season and the rate of evaporation. Floor drains are most often installed during original construction often in the utility area to drain away excess water in the basement. On the face of it a dry drain doesn t seem like a big issue until you consider the debris slime and sludge that might be trapped inside.