Do Floor Drains Get A Trap

For floor drains that do not include a trap there are two options to stop the back drafting of sewer gases up through the floor the first of which is to simply cover over the drain.

Do floor drains get a trap.

Floor drains are fairly straight forward features but as with many things getting them done correctly provides clear advantages. In either case the trap primer keeps clean water in the p trap to prevent any odor or maintenance issues. The trap is similar to those that can be found in bathtubs sinks and showers. The basement floor drain can also be connected to a sewer pit that has an ejector pump in which case it can drain fluid from the sink and washing machines.

Basement floor drains traps. Whether the drain has a pitch or a p trap this trap can dry out allowing sewer odors to travel back up the piping into the air we breathe and smell. I don t recommend actually filling in or abandoning the drain nor do i recommend a permanent seal or cover over the drain since that approach will prevent using. However this trap seal primer also introduces some restrictions.

Many basement floor drains tie directly to the home s sewer system but in some communities local building codes require floor drains to run to a sump pit where a pump lifts the water to the exterior surface of the house. Its use may not be practical because the flush valve may be situated too far from the floor drains. In this case a pressure drop activated trap primer is more practical since it can be installed close to the drain that needs to be primed. Floor drains are most often installed during original construction often in the utility area to drain away excess water in the basement.

Basement floor drains don t get a lot of attention until the sewer backs up or the basement smells like an outhouse. Floor drains are built with a trap that is designed to be filled with water in order to block sewer methane gases from venting upward.