Drain question for laundry room floor

[Jeffrey J. Kosowsky]

We are putting in a tile floor in the laundry closet we are building on the first floor of our house (with an unfinished basement below).

Originally we had planned on putting in a drain in the center of the floor and hooking it into the house drain system. However, according to the plumber this would be quite expensive and complicated since we would need a separate trap from the washer and we would have to connect the trap to the water supply to prevent it from drying out.

Given that, we have decided to instead install a shower-drain gizmo in the floor and leave it unconnected so that any overflow or spillage goest directly down into our (unfinished) basement rather than onto our hardwood floors.

- Does this make sense?

- What hardware do we need for the drain if we just want it to go through the tile and subfloor? (we also might want to preserve the option to hook up the drain to some pvc pipe or hose to direct it to a drain in the floor of the basement)

Thanks

[G. Morgan]

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 03:03:32 GMT "Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" used 22 lines of text to write in newsgroup: alt.home.repair

Well that would explain why you asked about basement dehumidifiers only eight minutes ago.

[Speedy Jim]

That's not such a bad idea. Maybe one of these drain fittings:

prolly has them or similar. Check whether the threaded "stem" will be long enuf to get thru the floor. These accept 2" pipe. You will also find fittings intended for floor drains which accept 3" or 4" pipe.

Jim

[Joe Bobst]

Find a smarter plumber. The washer drain does indeed need a trap and that will be conveniently installed just below floor level. More important, there needs to be proper venting of the drain line (after the trap) into the vent stack. This may be where your plumber has a problem since it could involve some clever work that he does not know how to quote for a fair profit. Of course you need a pan for emergency overflow probelms just for insurance, but this is part of most washer installations these days anyhow. Good luck.

Joe

[Jeffrey J. Kosowsky]

All the above is true. But additionally, I was told that we would need a rather expensive connection from the supply to keep the trap from drying out...

Combining all the above, we would end up spending many hundred $$$ extra to protect against what is (hopefully) a rare event. Plus, even if we do get a leak, having a drain that flows to the basement still avoids the major damage potential of ruining the first floor since our basement is unfinished.

The only remaining risk would be *IF* we get a major leak and *IF* we are away from the house for a long time, then we could seriously flood the (unfinished) basement -- but this would be no worse than what would happen if a basement laundry machine leaked and most people I know don't even think of putting pans under washing machines in unfinished basements.

Does this make sense?

[Heathcliff Bambino]

It seems like it's asking for trouble -- even the unfinished basement may have some valuable things in it that you would not want flooded, or you may finish the basement in the future. Having a drain line that ends near the basement floor drain (if there is one) would be better. Or possibly a drain to the outside.

[lurking licker]

This is just a floor drain right? In case of an overflow, clogged drain, or burst hose? DO NOT just let it drain into the basement. If you route the drain outside or INTO the basement floor drain above it's trap, you don't really need a trap to prevent sewer gas coming up the drain. You'll need some kind of screen or baffle at the outflow to keep varmints out. I don't think you really need a vent either, at least not a "to code" one. In the case of a clogged washer drain your going to get only the amount of water used in the cycles, several gallons yes, but not like the other scenarios. And any drain is better than none. If you can, always turn the water supply to the washer off when you are not actually using it or at least get metal braided reinforced hoses for it. My worst non rain caused garage flooding was caused by a bad water level sensor. Water just kept flowing into and over the tub. And of course we left the house right after starting the washer. When we returned we wondered where all that water running down the gutter for blocks was coming from. Some how I was able to force my way upstream thru the rapids and shut the washer off. I bought a RadioShack ScienceFair 9 volt rain detector and a LOUD buzzer, wired that to a normally on solinoid from an Electrical supply house at the washer outlet outlet. I put the detector on the floor far enough from the washer so it doesn't get splashed from normal use. I have no idea how long that 9V battery will hold the solenoid off if it ever has to, Ichange it at smoke detector time and could replace it with a transformer I guess, And of course i could add solinoids at the water valves in case the washer ones get stuck or a hose bursts. I could hire a monkey or rent a laundress to just sit and watch the washer too. But some where is a point of diminishing returns. Really all you need is a hole in the floor with a hose leading off outside downstream somewhere. No traps no vents nothing complicated about it. yum yum toungy here and here and here and maybe even there

[willshak]

On 12/7/2004 2:02 PM US(ET), lurking licker took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

Now, if that rain detector could just call your cellphone when you are out... :-) They do have electric controlled valves for the washing machine. They open when the machine is turned on, and close when the washer tuns off.