After today..I may begin to do things differently

Specific Inspection Topics Plumbing Inspections
#1

Not a home inspection today…a winterizing for a RELO home…

I started to drain the WH into the floor drain into the (thankfully) unfinished basement…It began to overflow almost immediately. There wasn’t anywhere else to drain this WH and I didn’t have my pump as I have a new truck and it isn’t set up yet…(PITA)…I digress…

Pictures are of the crap in the drain…the depth of the plug (which explains the difficulty of getting that crap out)…and the crap from the drain…

I didn’t get all of it out…recommended a Rooter come finish the job…but I got enough out to allow me to drain the WH…

What if this had happened after an inspection? Lets say the homeowner moves in…watches HGTV…they tell him he should drain his WH once a year to get rid of sediment…he actually gets up (not football season)…and starts to drain the WH…the drain overflows and he calls the HI…bitc*ing and moaning…

I’m considering bringing a water jug of some sort on my inspections and dumping water quickly into the drain to observe.

I’m also changing my boilerplate to use when there are drains such as this to read something to the effect that the drain screen should be ATTACHED so as little kids cannot do this.

Thoughts?

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#2

Bummer Tony.

All the floor drains that I observe are noted and they are listed in the report as “not tested”…works for me.

PS: check your PM.

#3

Tony, this is funny and not funny on your part I guess.

I would presume that the IRC P2719 on floor drains would be inadequate in your case.

It is probably true that in residential homes the floor drains are either trapped or not, and if they are trapped they would not have a trap primer nor a vent, most likely.

Trapped floor drains dry up when not introduced with occasional water and the dirt fines settle to the bottom and clog them up.

Red flag here. Introduce a removeable strainer for kids to dump stuff in and sediment accumulation, I would think that I would just have cracked the valve on the boiler drain of the water heater to make sure it works.

I am not trying or indicating as being a smart a#s here, but indicating what I would have done. One can not assume that a floor drain works, because it is possible it has been inactive for years and filled up with debris such as yours.

Larry provided very good preventive measure to this affect, should you do this on an inspection of floor drains.

I do not inspect floor drains either.

Hopefully you did not have too much of a mess and you cleaned it up like the misses would. :slight_smile: :stuck_out_tongue: :wink: :smiley:
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#4

Something similar happened to me a while back. After seeing that show on HGTV my wife recommended I drain the HW heater. Well…I hooked up the hose and had it running to the sump pit to drain, shut off the supply, started to open the drain and ohhh $$$hhiitt …the whole drain pitcock broke off the WH and it began to drain onto the basement floor. Then it abruptly stopped.My heart restarted.There was so much crud in the tank (and in my pants I might add) that it stopped the massive exodus of water from the tank to my basement floor. I hate it when she watches HGTV. I also have A HGTV faux paint project story but not today.:slight_smile: :slight_smile:

#5

I have one of those too, Linas. ha. ha. :slight_smile: :stuck_out_tongue:

Marcel

#6

Water heaters as should all other types of appliances be drained to the outside of the structure with a hose.

Lesson learned.

#7

Could you please explain why they should be drained outside?
Thanks

#8

I must disagree here. The water heater should be close to a floor drain for draining.

#9

Could be a lucrative business just following you around Tony.:wink:

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#10

Uphill?? From a basement?? Without a pump?? This I would like to see.

#11

:stuck_out_tongue: :smiley: Me too!!!

:slight_smile:

#12

If I had brought my pump with me it wouldn’t have been an issue…that won’t happen again.