I have a 1970's house. A few years ago while cleaning the basement floor drain I accidentally kicked the cleanout plug into the drain. It sank and couldn't be retrieved. In the summer I now have to leave the drain cleanout partially open to allow the air conditioner condensate to drain. This sometimes creates odor problems on windy days. Is there a recommended process for removing an obstruction in a floor drain? I'm guessing that this is not an unusual circumstance.
Catwatcher
He's talking about the little plug off to the side that bypasses the trap, so you can get a snake down the line. The plugs often have to be chiseled out if they haven't been opened in 20 years, and pretty much any plumbing store will have new ones. The old one is likely in the bottom of the trap, but I wouldn't think it would do more than restrict the flow a little. OP should get a new plug to keep the sewer gases at bay, A wet-dry shop vac does a good job on floor drain traps. If the blockage is further downstream, time to call the drain guy, and pay the hundred dollars.
-- aem sends...
You're exactly right on the plug being in the bottom of the trap. Unfortunately it fell into the trap with the knob side down and couldn't be retrieved with needle nose pliers -- there wasn't anything to grab. But I did manage to poke it a little farther into the trap. Now the trap is totally blocked. I have to leave the cleanout open to permit the AC condensate to drain.
So, any suggestions on retrieving the plug from the trap or is this call a plumber and have the trap replaced? That will likely be a somewhat messy and expensive job.
Catwatcher
Start with a wet/dry vacuum. You can likely suck it right out with the water in the trap.
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