What is this?

crhyner

Hi, quick question, and thanks in advance for the help. What is this little drop/drain called, in my basement floor? I believe I see the main water supply line coming in from the street, and I believe there is a capped pipe that goes to the main sewer drain. Also, there is a French Drain installed by a contractor a few years ago (that I should've have gotten, another story), that is routed to this drop.

I am asking partly because I want to understand how it works and partly because I just had a heat pump water heater installed and I have a condensate line that is feeding to this drop. I want to make sure this is OK - the HPWH can release 1-2 gallons of water a day into the drop. Is that an issue?

Thank you,

Charlie

mattmia2

The caps are probably cleanouts for a house trap and the main sewer lateral. Not sure why it seems to be used as a sump without a pump.

Jamie Hall

Those are almost certainly the cleanouts for the house trap, as @mattmia2 said. That "sump" is not a drain -- it's left over from before the concrete floor was poured, who knows why. Your condensate from the water heater should be routed to a proper drain -- not just dumped on the ground at that sump.

And did I read that you have a french (foundation?) drain connected to the sewer line in some way? Ground water or storm water??? That -- in almost all jurisdictions -- is totally illegal.

HVACNUT

It looks like a house trap but where's the vent? Not code at the time?

pecmsg

HVACNUT said:

It looks like a house trap but where's the vent? Not code at the time?

My old house was like that. The vent is outside the foundation 

hot_rod

I’d pump the condensate to a proper drain. I don’t think you want a muddy pit in the basement?

I’m more interested in this piping? What is connected to the Y fitting?

pecmsg

hot_rod said:

I’d pump the condensate to a proper drain. I don’t think you want a muddy pit in the basement? I’m more interested in this piping? What is connected to the Y fitting?

Nice catch!

crhyner

So, I hired a guy from my oil company to install the HPWH and I've caught two mistakes. One is he wired it to the same circuit as the dryer, so now the circuit trips when both are being run (occasionally). Two is that he reduced the 3/4" condensate outlet from the HPWH to a 1/4" outlet and it wouldn't drain at all, and it was routed to this pit. So, I guess that is three mistakes. I don't want to be an **** to this guy, but I don't want to pay an electrician to fix his first mistake and then someone else to fix the second and third. Input? I could refuse to pay him, but that's not my typical go to move.

I'm more frustrated that I have to spend my time figuring out what his mistakes were and then how to fix them. Also, yes, this is an old house. I'm guessing 1915 or earlier.

Regarding the condensate, so I guess I could buy this (see below), plug it in, leave it on the floor next to the HPWH, and have the plastic tubing run to the drain of the washer machine. That seems like a good idea, right? Any others?

https://www.amazon.com/Little-554425-VCMA-20ULS-Condensate-Removal/dp/B000SM342Q/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=H8JH0O16IDZT&keywords=condensate+pump&qid=1675028419&sprefix=condensate+pump,aps,93&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMkJNQzdDM1YzU01PJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTYwNDk3VUlSOFVORVBaRkExJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA3Mjc3NDQyNlBCVTcyRlpUUE1QJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1#

Thanks,

Charlie

pecmsg

Is your oil company guy allowed to run new circuits. 

The rest you should be concerned !