What's this pipe in my sump pit??

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Billbill84

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Can anyone tell me what the heck this 2" PVC pipe is going to my sump pit?!? I have 1 drain tile pipe coming into the pit which is for the outside foundation tile but this white pvc pipe doesn't make sense and I don't know what it's for. My basement is fully finished and there's no basement drain with all plumbing being above grade plumbing. I've never seen anything coming or draining from this pvc pipe so I'm confused. Have a look. Any ideas?
 

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Usually you would have both ends of the french drain, maybe you only needed 2 walls and they ran hard pipe across the basement. You would likely have to scope it to be sure.
 
It's pointing in the direction of something, what is it pointing at?
 
Based onthe depth and direction I would guess a floor drain possibly.
 
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Based onthe depth and direction I would guess a floor drain possibly.
It point back towards the center of basement where the air handler is, mechanical room is basement center BUT there's no drain in my basement. My plumber buddy said there usually isn't a basement floor drain as I have above grade plumbing so it's not typical to have one. I ran the condensate pump but nothing ever ran out of that pipe. There's nothing in the floor of my mechanical room either. When I got the place last January the home inspector said I didnt have a drain. I have a fully finished basement with carpet and tile. Here's another pic of the direction of the pipe that I've illustrated with the green line to give an idea of its direction. Straight to the air handler room but there's nothing in there!
 
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Does your condensate drain have a pump? Many times they do and pump the water up and out of the house. AC drains aren't supposed to go into the sewers. The pipe may have been run for the AC drain, but instead of using it they installed a pump.

Frankly, if no water comes out of it I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Even if water did come out of it, it would be handled by the sump pump. If the basement is dry, you don't have an issue to worry about.
 
Does your condensate drain have a pump? Many times they do and pump the water up and out of the house. AC drains aren't supposed to go into the sewers. The pipe may have been run for the AC drain, but instead of using it they installed a pump.

Frankly, if no water comes out of it I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Even if water did come out of it, it would be handled by the sump pump. If the basement is dry, you don't have an issue to worry about.
We got a little water in the basement 2 weeks ago during that thunderstorm. One leak was a flooded well because my wells don't have any drains and the other leak was the sump discharge line fracturing during this same storm. So now I'm investigating everything as I'm searching for solutions for well drains without having to break any drywall down there.
 
Condensate line runs up above air handler and disappears above the drywall ceiling
I would say then that at the time the foundation work was being done the sump pit was installed and that plumber had the foresight to think a condensate drain would be a good idea. The furnace guy came in a month later to do his job and saw a condensate pump was ordered and his normal way of doing it was to run a tube up and out with the furnace exhaust pipe and that’s what he did.


Who knows maybe the first guy ran the pipe to a spot under the furnace or something. I would carefully look around the furnace/AC and see if I could find the stub-out if you really want to know. If you do find it you can ditch the pump and snake the drip line down the pipe or just leave what you have.


You could hook water or your air compressor to the pipe and see if you get water or air you can see or hear at the other end.


Sometimes things are mysteries to be left unknown also.
 
Is the hot water tank in that room? Could have a drain under it or a place for the PRV to dump water.
Yes the water heater is right next to the furnace, about 6" from it actually. There's no drip pan under the water heater and it is sitting flat on the ground. That room is all 12" tile but directly under the furnace and the water heater there's no tile it's just smooth concrete. I peaked under the furnace and there's no stub or drain but cannot see under the water heater because it's smack dab flush on the concrete it's not on any sort of pedestal or anything.
 
Yes the water heater is right next to the furnace, about 6" from it actually. There's no drip pan under the water heater and it is sitting flat on the ground. That room is all 12" tile but directly under the furnace and the water heater there's no tile it's just smooth concrete. I peaked under the furnace and there's no stub or drain but cannot see under the water heater because it's smack dab flush on the concrete it's not on any sort of pedestal or anything.
So it could be sitting on a hole or a drain could be tiled over. You might try blowing air in the pipe to see if it dead ends or find where air comes up if it does. A scope would be helpful.
 
So it could be sitting on a hole or a drain could be tiled over. You might try blowing air in the pipe to see if it dead ends or find where air comes up if it does. A scope would be helpful.
Yep could be. I'm wondering if a complete schematic exists of my house somewhere so I can see what's going on and how everything is laid out. House was built in 2001 so maybe I can check with the city and see? Or just hire a plumber to scope it?
 
Maybe there was a floor drain and that is now covered over with the floor tiles.
No great loss, unless a lot of water got spilled on the floor.
 
Maybe there was a floor drain and that is now covered over with the floor tiles.
No great loss, unless a lot of water got spilled on the floor.
I suggested that to my plumber pal who's a licensed plumber and he said he's 100% pos that there is no drain in basement floor anywhere because I have overhead plumbing and it wouldn't make any sense to have a basement floor drain. Hate to say it but this guy is usually right about most things but the price is he never has anything of value to contribute like suggestions or ways to investigate it further lol
 
Hook up the hose of a noisy shop vac loosely into the mystery pipe.
It might be better having it on blower, not vacuum.

Listen for the air flow or vacuum noise by the furnace, water heater, or elsewhere.

Listen by the nearest plumbing system vent.

On the roof, in the attic, in the wall near the sump.

There might be a trap covered over in the wall nearby, set up for a slop sink or washing machine standpipe, that was forgotten about or drywalled over.

Or it could be a radon collector, as I mentioned in another thread.
 
Old update: turns out I reached out to the previous owner and they said it's for a basement kitchen drain that was tiled over lol. Seriously who does that
 
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