Floor Drain

[87brad]

The guys finally started on prep for my garage extension. My contractor said he is able to give me all I want but said he has been running into red tape with the floor drain I want. He was going to trench a pipe to the sewer on the other side of the yard but the building department says he will need to tie into existing lines in the house. He is trying to come up with other ways and said that he may be able to get by and sort of hide it but said it could cost a lot if an inspector finds it done without tying it in properly. Thoughts/suggestions?

 

[The Cobbler]

I think you should either do the floor drain the way the building dept requests or don't do it at all .

 

[BillK]

We are not allowed to have them period. I am surprised he said you could pipe it to your house drain. I personally have never seen much need for one.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I never wanted one.
The contractor kept pushing me to put one in and even made the foundation for it. (exiting where he wanted it to (not into any type of sewer/septic system BTW).
One of his subs was certain that they were against code. Another said I would need an expensive oil trap (his estimate was "thousands"). (I did some research, it was going to cost me about $200).
BTW: I haven't had one situation where I wished I had put it in.

 

[DetachedGarage]

I think you should either do the floor drain the way the building dept requests or don't do it at all .

I second this... don't mess around here. Especially since this is an "Environmental issue" Good luck! let us know how it turns out. I know I will have to have this discussion in the future with my building inspector as well.

 

[landlord30]

My concrete guy talked me in to putting one in. I would never do it again.

 

[mcbane]

My concrete guy talked me in to putting one in. I would never do it again.

Why never again? What didn’t work out?


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[ford33]

I would not want a floor drain due to environmental controls and the need to slope the floor to the drain. I would rather have a flat level floor and use a mop or absorbent pad.

 

[landlord30]

Why never again? What didn’t work out?


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I don't like the slope of the floor to the drain. I doubt if a gallon of water total has ever passed through the drain, not because of the install - just not much water ever on the floor.

 

[Farmall450]

My dad mentions how he wishes he'd followed the contractor's advise and "illegally" added one everytime he's in a garage with one. His newer shop does have them, however.

 

[mc1984ss]

Not sure what your winters are like in Fort Wayne but around here everyone I know that does not have a drain wishes they did! I have them in mine and am very thankful. Around here the drain either has to return to daylight or get hooked up to the sewer. When I built my last shop I tried and tried and tried to get around it. I had even considered having a floor drain fo into a sump pump crock and the pump the water out. It still would have had to get dumped above ground and there was the scare of a fuel tank ever leaking fuel and running into the pit.

 

[Lewisthepilgrim]

a floor drain for melted snow is the bees knees.

why would you not be allows to have a floor drain ???

 

[FANTM58]

I have a trench drain running down the center of my shop, the city allowed me to day light
Drain it. I listed the shop as storage, and the drain was for hose washing the floor.

 

[rburke65]

I’d pass on the drains. The snow/water will dry and evaporate

 

[ConCretin]

I installed floor drains and am very glad I did. When a snow covered or wet car drives in, the water disappears without me having to do anything. Plus my wife can wash cars inside, which is very convenient and much cleaner than the gravel driveway. My floor is flat everywhere I walk and work and simply pitches to the drain within the footprint of the vehicles.

 

[JoeMcGov]

Add an oil/water separator feature to your floor drain and the local constable might then be happy. No. It's not easy. Yes. It's bucks. But they're usually worried about oil getting into either the sanitary sewer or the local stream.

 

[DetachedGarage]

I will for sure be putting one in my garage. My slab will be heated and I want to be able to wash cars inside in the winter to get the road salt off. I've seen some really good setups from https://www.slotdrainsystems.com/ you might want to check into that. You can also plumb a rinse line into the drain. I'm only going to slope one of the bays into the drain and the others will remain level.

 

[Jackfre]

I would not want a floor drain due to environmental controls and the need to slope the floor to the drain. I would rather have a flat level floor and use a mop or absorbent pad.

I have a long handled 36" squeegee to handle wet floors. I poured my floor as flat as possible. The inspector asked if it was graded and I replied, "it is graded as much as I wanted it."
I am surprised you can tie a garage floor drain into a sanitary sewer. I would not do that. The Building Dept must be staffed with rookies. Imagine for a second that there ends up a substantial gas spill which runs into the house line. Something ignites it and your homes plumbing is rocking and rollin. Things happen! Skip the drain. You will have plenty of places to spend that money.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Trench floor drains are great if your garage sees more home brew recipes and deer processing than oil changes.

Either way, I lust after epoxy floors. I am thankful I don't have to live with the government's nose in my business.

 

[Lewisthepilgrim]

run drain to outside=done. anything that ends up in it, will go back outside where it came from

 

[Doc995]

I grew up in a home that had a floor drain in the garage...we had to have the underground fuel oil tank removed due to it leaking and the HVAC guys relocated the new oil tank into the garage. Since there was a floor drain in there they required that it be filled in. It'd be a disaster if 275=/- gals of #2 fuel oil went into that drain!

 

[87brad]

Well they poured the slab the other day and unfortunately no slope or drain was added to it. However, my main contractor sub contracted the concrete work out so he probably forgot to mention about the possibility of the drain

 

[Rsharp66]

When I did mine we put in a "passage" which my contractor told the inspector was to run a compressed air line out the back of the building. It was capped until sign off then we put in the drain cover and anti-backflow on the outside. It is on me to make sure no oil ever goes in there.