Basement drains in older house - where do they go?

I have 2 basement drains in my house. It looks like at one time a washer and dyer was down there. They do not appear to be hooked to my septic tank. Where would these go?

I am thinking of adding a 1/2 bath in the basement and wonder if I can use them

Reply to
theedudenator
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First guess is a sump pit. Second guess is a dry well.

Not if they don't go to to a septic system or a sanitary sewer.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Any clue how I can figure out where they go?

Reply to
theedudenator

Any clue how I can figure out where they go?

They make dye for this. Pour in some dye and go watch for it to appear in the sewer pipe in the street at a downstream manhole. If no dye appears then your drains are not connected to the sewer.

Reply to
Pat

I don't have sewer lines. Only a septic system.

Reply to
theedudenator

You obviously have to access the line to the septic system. In mine, I have a downstream box to switch grey water to separate leach field if needed and access is easy for me. I would think if access is difficult, you could call your septic guy out to pump tank and he or you could simultaneously run dye test.

Reply to
Frank

For your purposes it doesn't matter where they go if it isn't the septic. Pop the cover- have someone pour a bucket of water in the drain. When it doesn't come sloshing into the septic you know you need to rethink the 1/2 bath.

You might not even need to pop the cover. If your septic isn't too deep- go stand by it and see if you can hear a toilet flush. If you can, then repeat with bucket in drain.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

ou know you

you can buy a toilet with a macerator grinder pump, no need to rip up floor, pump small waste line to convenient main sewer line, pump toilet has inlet for sink too.

problem solved

Reply to
hallerb

The man clearly stated he's on a septic tank.

s

Reply to
Steve Barker DLT

you obviously have never had a septic system. They don't have covers you can 'pop' as a rule. AND they are always full, so you'd never see water 'slosh' into the tank. Unless you were having it pumped and happened to try the test whilst the tank was empty. Also, they don't make noise whilst standing next to them.

steve

Reply to
Steve Barker DLT

If it is like my house my wash water goes to a separate system, commonly known around here as a dry well. Mine was built by a previous owner. I would never consider hooking up a half bath to it.

As someone else suggested pop the cover on your septic and do the bucket test. Five gallon bucket would probably work best.

Chris

Reply to
Chris

No need to rethink the 1/2 bath, it just may take a bit more work and cost to tie into the septic line, or if below grade, to install one of the small pump tanks designed for below grade bathrooms.

Reply to
Pete C.

hmmmmmmmm............. another guy who's never been on a septic system.....

s

Reply to
Steve Barker DLT

As Steve said, the bucket test won't work on a septic tank system unless you pump it first. Also, in order to 'pop the cover' in most septic systems it will take at least an hours work digging the 'cover' out by hand before you can 'pop' it

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

I can see the main line from the house that runs to the septic. it is 4 foot up from the basement floor. So line from the basement probably do not run to the septic. I need to find the septic tank, I am not even sure where or what it looks like. I have no indications of an access cover in the yard. The septic is probably pretty old

Reply to
theedudenator

As Steve said, the bucket test won't work on a septic tank system unless you pump it first. Also, in order to 'pop the cover' in most septic systems it will take at least an hours work digging the 'cover' out by hand before you can 'pop' it

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Agreed. Also if the drains are in a non-walkout basement and there is no pump to raise the water to the septic tank level, the drains certainly do not feed into the septic tank. Probably they go into a drywell or drain out to a low area covered by bushes or some other plantings. A dye test would be good and will require some investigating to find where they exit. A camera/radio transmitter that some plumbers have would help trace the path and exit. Most certainly a half bath could not be installed using the floor drain piping.

Reply to
EXT

The previous owner said it was a dry well and showed me the cover. I popped the cover and it looked like one of the older wells with the pump under ground in a cinder block hole. Is that what a dry well looks like? I still think it was the original house well. Why would one have a dry well 5 feet from the house foundation?

The property had a new well put in 8 years ago.

Reply to
theedudenator

If it is a normal dry well, it would not normally have a pump or cover. Is there an electric line running to the dry well?? If not, then it is a true dry well. If there really is a pump, then where does the output of the pump go??

Reply to
hrhofmann

-snip- >you obviously have never had a septic system. They don't have covers you

I've never had anything but a septic system. If there is no cover on yours how do you pump it out? And I can hear water run into my tank when a toilet flushes.

The inlet is higher than the outlet by design.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

-snip-

Even when full I can hear a toilet flush into my tank. And there is *no* digging to lift the concrete cover.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

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