Floor drain with brass strainer?

Intplm.

HydroNiCK said:

Intplm. said:

Hey @mattmia2 . This is certainly a floor drain. I have seen them installed in old commercial buildings. So, @HydroNiCK is right on the money with this one.

In the "bowl", at the bottom, there should be small slots for water to drain through. As you can plainly see those slots are gone. Rusted/filled into a solid base.

You should be able to find those slotted holes by using a hammer and chisel, The rusted over holes should brake free of the rust with some hammer and chisel persuasion. You shouldn't have to hit it too hard to see the rust flake off and through its base.

If you need to remove the plug, the same chisel, and hammer.

Noooo don't hit it with a chisel.  The hole in fact is ..only a hole. It's the drain.  The strainer screws into the threads and they are to be adjusted to the floor grade.  People have the habit of sweeping everything into drains when there's a flood.  Floor sinks sit a little higher to prevent garbage being swept in.  As a side note trough urinals are illegal because people would sweep garbage into them and cause back ups.  Drum traps are installed with access.  If your saying you have a drum trap with something inside that something could be a gate valve with a broken gate or removed gate. With gate removed someone thought maybe they should use it as a drain or plug it.  If in fact it's a check valve it's going to smell because it's not trapped.  I think it's just a floor drain except however your description of it being a "drum" and feeling something check valvish inside leads me to believe there might be a bit more to it.  I'd hate for you to use it as a drain and get sewer smell back up or if it's a uncapped broken back water valve something worse. It was installed for a reason.  Now I'm in suspense  to see what's buried beneath.  Quick..Grab the chipping gun!

Well....I suppose it has to do with the model of the drain? I mean uh, gee. Using a hammer and chisel is how I have gotten them to drain by finding the drain strainer holes at the base and sometimes even the sides.
As for the before-mentioned float ball. That this drain has one is possible but from the looks of it it's more likely that it had one and has rotted away.

HydroNiCK

Intplm. said:

Intplm. said:

Hey @mattmia2 . This is certainly a floor drain. I have seen them installed in old commercial buildings. So, @HydroNiCK is right on the money with this one. In the "bowl", at the bottom, there should be small slots for water to drain through. As you can plainly see those slots are gone. Rusted/filled into a solid base. You should be able to find those slotted holes by using a hammer and chisel, The rusted over holes should brake free of the rust with some hammer and chisel persuasion. You shouldn't have to hit it too hard to see the rust flake off and through its base. If you need to remove the plug, the same chisel, and hammer.

Noooo don't hit it with a chisel.  The hole in fact is ..only a hole. It's the drain.  The strainer screws into the threads and they are to be adjusted to the floor grade.  People have the habit of sweeping everything into drains when there's a flood.  Floor sinks sit a little higher to prevent garbage being swept in.  As a side note trough urinals are illegal because people would sweep garbage into them and cause back ups.  Drum traps are installed with access.  If your saying you have a drum trap with something inside that something could be a gate valve with a broken gate or removed gate. With gate removed someone thought maybe they should use it as a drain or plug it.  If in fact it's a check valve it's going to smell because it's not trapped.  I think it's just a floor drain except however your description of it being a "drum" and feeling something check valvish inside leads me to believe there might be a bit more to it.  I'd hate for you to use it as a drain and get sewer smell back up or if it's a uncapped broken back water valve something worse. It was installed for a reason.  Now I'm in suspense  to see what's buried beneath.  Quick..Grab the chipping gun!

Well....I suppose it has to do with the model of the drain? I mean uh, gee. Using a hammer and chisel is how I have gotten them to drain by finding the drain strainer holes at the base and sometimes even the sides. As for the before-mentioned float ball. That this drain has one is possible but from the looks of it it's more likely that it had one and has rotted away.

Using a hammer and chisel is how I've cut cast iron sometimes in the past.  I'm not saying your wrong but I assume you knew what you were working on and what needed to be done.  If he's unsure what exactly is going on with that thing whacking it with hammer n chisel may do more damage than good.

mattmia2

What I am fairly confident of is that since no one can even quite exactly identify it is that I won't be able to get another one if I break it.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, If I were called out to play with this and was told to to it right, not fast... I'd weld up a T handled wrench to fit that brass, then heat the iron, and use two people, one on each end of the handle, to tighten, loosen and worry that brass plug free. Then the discovery part could happen!

Yours, Larry

mattmia2

That is basically my plan although I dont know how to weld or have a second person.

reggi

If you can get more of the scum off around dome part where the cap is I'm pretty sure you'll be able to pull the name of unit from the metal as I can see highlights in your photo of it's markings.. Maybe try rags first , a brass brush, plastic scraper, a little oven cleaner, 

mattmia2

I was trying to figure out how I was going to fit a condensate neutralizer in here:


Once i had it in my hand the spot became obvious. I think it tucked in to a good place:


Not sure who htp thinks is going to read that pressure gauge.

reggi

Very elaborate setup... I don't know anything about it ... We're you able to reach in the thinner hole and snag the release catch with a hook to set that thing free for service and cleaning yet ?   Only logical explanation that I can explain at this point...2-3 ? Weeks in... something simple maybe ?

mattmia2

So let me preface this with I have taken this beyond practical solution, I should just break out the plug and find something plastic that will serve the same purpose.

So plot twist, it is screwed in to the i guess "floor sink" at the bottom. I thought the top unscrewed but it looks like it is one piece that someone thought it would be possible to unscrew from the iron casting:


I heated the top and made this wrench thinking I could unscrew the top but that is when i cleaned up enough scale to reveal the threads on the bottom. I couldn't get enough torque with it, I think it needs 3 people to operate, 2 to turn and one to hold it on the plug. The threads on the top appear to be 3.5" nps.

reggi

@mattmia2 Nice tooling 👍

For a second let's break this down as a Bowl and a Basin  just names to reference the top and bottom piece assuming the following...
The Basin is installed ( naked without the bowl ) piped etc and tested...now everything down below is functioning so now the bowl has to be attached, so as part of the unit the bowl already has the split double threaded screw inserted up to the the thread break in the screw so as it's only purpose is to ( Once the bowl is set and sealed to the basin ) thread into the Basin through the bowl drawing the bowl and creating a seal that would cause any fluids above floor level to seep under the basin instead of into the bowl...
And over all these years the pieces have through chemical reactions become one piece but with the screw half way removed any added support of the bowl is now gone and chances of compromise of the drain piping is increased as the substructure of the entire system is now weakened..
You don't know how the ground is under the surface where the sink is
Be careful I hate to see you have a break or leak now . Good luck and update please 

mattmia2

I like how when I google this the only thing that comes up that looks anything like this is my own picture on this post.