Wedge Rock
12-04-2008, 01:24 PM
I have a partially finished partially finished basement. Right now, the floor is tiled (vinyl, might even be asbestos judging by the style and size (9" x 9")) as it was when we bought the joint ten years ago... I was planning on buying some low pile, high traffic carpet and installing it down there.
So my colleague comes up to me today and tells me that a window got busted in his basement, causing his sump pump pipe (the one that kicks the water out) to become dislodged and spray against the wall, running onto the floor. Then he says it: "The idiot that did the basement before we bought the place carpetted the floor and ran right over the floor drains...
That's what I was planning on doing. Just something so it wasn't a cold tile floor. About 10% of the basement (by the laundry and the downstairs bath) is ceramic tile and another 5% (by the furnace, water heater, etc) is the bare concrete floor. I have two floor drains (not including the shower stall): one in the vinyl tiled area that I want to carpet and one in the ceramic tiled area, where a water tank bursting or a washing machine overflow would most likely run.
Is covering this floor drain a bad idea? Is there a work around?
Another thing... my father in law warned me that the water in floor drain traps will eventually evaporate if they aren't used much, leading to stink emanating from the floor (the release of gases that the trap is meant to "trap"). The problem is a simple fix...just "refill" the trap by pouring water down the drain.
But if I carpet over the drain, I can't replenish the trap water... will that stink seep through my carpet? Should a cap the drain?
So my colleague comes up to me today and tells me that a window got busted in his basement, causing his sump pump pipe (the one that kicks the water out) to become dislodged and spray against the wall, running onto the floor. Then he says it: "The idiot that did the basement before we bought the place carpetted the floor and ran right over the floor drains...
That's what I was planning on doing. Just something so it wasn't a cold tile floor. About 10% of the basement (by the laundry and the downstairs bath) is ceramic tile and another 5% (by the furnace, water heater, etc) is the bare concrete floor. I have two floor drains (not including the shower stall): one in the vinyl tiled area that I want to carpet and one in the ceramic tiled area, where a water tank bursting or a washing machine overflow would most likely run.
Is covering this floor drain a bad idea? Is there a work around?
Another thing... my father in law warned me that the water in floor drain traps will eventually evaporate if they aren't used much, leading to stink emanating from the floor (the release of gases that the trap is meant to "trap"). The problem is a simple fix...just "refill" the trap by pouring water down the drain.
But if I carpet over the drain, I can't replenish the trap water... will that stink seep through my carpet? Should a cap the drain?