well i got the door back on my car (check the dumb dumb dumb thread if you
dont know what happened). only cost about 250 including gas to get to the
junkyard and paying a friend to help me out. so i got off easy on that one
considering the magnitude of the stupidity.
but while i was at the junkyard, i was talking to a guy about my basement.
ive got a 100+ year old house and theres a smelly drain in the basement.
ive tried dumping water down it to fill the trap, and a couple other things,
but it still stinks. i think its just so old the trap is leaking into the
ground. btw, if anybody has any ideas im all ears. so i wanted to plug it
up but that makes me afraid of what might happen if the basement starts to
flood. the pipes burst in a friends house once during christmas but luckily
i came over and heard the noise and saw the leak through the window i got
the water turned off but i think i was just minutes away from seeing a whole
tree full of presents getting soaked. they didnt come home for like 10
hours so it would have been a hell of a mess.
but im straying...
they make alarms for this but he told me how to take a smoke detector and
just solder two wires to the opposite sides of the test switch. run the
other wires down to the ground and use some tape to keep them far enough
apart so the tips dont touch, and expose a quarter inch or so of each lead.
then put a rock on it to keep it on the ground. if the two ends of the wire
get wet enough the alarm starts to go off. sure as heck, it works. if i
dunk the ends of the wire in some water it beeps. you can get more tricky
about it, and i even found some websites describing the procedure (easy to
find with search engine). but all i used was 6' of speaker wire and a 5$
smoke alarm. if i had it to do over again, i would probably test it with
about 10' of wire to make sure it still beeped when wet, so i could put the
smoke detector on the ceiling and have it do double duty. as it is its zip
tied near the water meter.
so anyway, just thought id pass this little tip along. real moisture alarms
seem to start at 20 bucks and the ones that cheap are basically a glorified
version of the frankenstein smoke detector (but they dont also detect
smoke!!) so its a bit of savings and if you already have a smoke detector
its free. if you put the tips of the wires in the appropriate place, youll
know long before the water is even over the top of the sump, or can just put
em on the ground out of site for general protection.
randy
On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 16:53:05 -0600, "xrongor" <[email protected]>
>but while i was at the junkyard, i was talking to a guy about my basement.
>ive got a 100+ year old house and theres a smelly drain in the basement.
>ive tried dumping water down it to fill the trap, and a couple other things,
>but it still stinks. i think its just so old the trap is leaking into the
>ground. btw, if anybody has any ideas im all ears.
Cooking oil.
It'll last a long time, yet still allow the drain to work if needed.
Our building mechanics at work do it all the time in shower stalls
that never get used. The oil seems to keep out the sewer gas for 5-6
months at a time.
Barry
On 28 Apr 2004 01:40:53 GMT, [email protected] (ToolMiser) wrote:
>Are you talking like "vegetable Oil"? Doesn't it get ransid after a while? I
>am not being smart, just asking a question.
I would have thought the same thing, but it works.
One of my buildings is a three story office that used to have 75
occupants. Now it's got 10. We used to have a problem with traps
drying out and a god-awful stink filling the building. The cooking
oil, as in plain ol' Wesson, lasts 5-6 months before it needs to be
replenished.
If someone uses the oiled trap, it still works. It wouldn't if it was
sealed.
Barry
ya i wish life were so simple i started out simply looking for a plug that
would float. unfortunately the drain hole isnt in the bottom of the drain.
the drain is sort of a bowl shaped thing with a hole in the bottom and about
6" of pipe thats capped off for a cleanout. if you drop something like a
screw down it it will just fall down this hole instead of going down the
main pipe.
the actual hole that the water drains out of is on the side of the bowl and
you cant set anything there. i might be able to stuff a styrofoam plug in
it, but whether or not it will block the smell is questionable and since
there is a grate on top of the drain bowl there isnt much room for anything
to rise unless it can lift the grate also, but if i dont screw that down its
a trippng hazard (trust me <g>)
i think ill tie a string around one of the fingers and also around the metal
float holder. should keep the bulk of it from going down the drain, but if
the system activates and my basement is flooding i dont see how it could get
much worse <g> eventually ill come up with something better.
ive been sort of toying around with some sort of cover that covers the
entire drain bowl and maybe even replaces the grate. the cover would have
some sort of spring loaded trap door in it that would open when enough
water was pushing down on it.
randy
>
>
> set a pingpong ball over the hole. enough water to matter will float
> the ball. if a pingpong ball is too small, try a toy store for a
> larger lightweight ball or a craft store for a styrofoam one.
>
> you don't want a broken latex glove getting stuck somewhere down in
> the drain....
On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 23:49:06 -0600, "xrongor" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>ya actually it might. for a house it would probably be better to use
>mineral oil. for the application he was talking about oil would probably be
>fine. but rancid oil probably wouldnt smell worse than my open sewer drain
><g>
>
>in any case, i did try the oil technique, and i used a flexible rod that i
>could attach a piece of paper towel to and pretty much confirmed my
>suspicion. there is a trap in the line, and i pretty much knew how far i
>could stick the rod in until it would hit the oil. but over the course of
>about 4 hours the oil drained away so that pretty much confirms it. i
>think the pipe itself is leaking at the trap. for all i know it's 100 years
>old so not surprising...
>
>but i did come up with another idea involving an inflated latex glove
>filling the pipe, and a floating device with a pin on it. you blow up the
>glove while its in the pipe and tie it off, then use my little rigged up
>device so if the drain starts to fill, the cork will float popping the glove
>(the actual drain hole is on the side of the drain area so there is room
>under it. theres also a hole in the bottom but thats mostly to collect the
>big stuff like screws instead of sending it down the drain). the cork sits
>inside a piece of pipe with holes drilled in the bottom that cant tip over
>so when the cork starts floating the pin will definitely point up. i tested
>it out 3 times, works like a charm. keeps out the smell, and drains if it
>floods!
>
>now to see how often i have to change the glove since the the air will leak
>out..... if anyone has a better idea for something that will stay inflated,
>seal a 1-1/2" hole airtight, and can be popped by a pin, im open to
>suggestions. or even a simpler system.
>
>randy
set a pingpong ball over the hole. enough water to matter will float
the ball. if a pingpong ball is too small, try a toy store for a
larger lightweight ball or a craft store for a styrofoam one.
you don't want a broken latex glove getting stuck somewhere down in
the drain....
xrongor wrote:
> ya i wish life were so simple i started out simply looking for a plug that
> would float. unfortunately the drain hole isnt in the bottom of the
> drain. the drain is sort of a bowl shaped thing with a hole in the bottom
> and about
> 6" of pipe thats capped off for a cleanout. if you drop something like a
> screw down it it will just fall down this hole instead of going down the
> main pipe.
>
> the actual hole that the water drains out of is on the side of the bowl
> and
> you cant set anything there. i might be able to stuff a styrofoam plug in
> it, but whether or not it will block the smell is questionable and since
> there is a grate on top of the drain bowl there isnt much room for
> anything to rise unless it can lift the grate also, but if i dont screw
> that down its a trippng hazard (trust me <g>)
>
> i think ill tie a string around one of the fingers and also around the
> metal
> float holder. should keep the bulk of it from going down the drain, but
> if the system activates and my basement is flooding i dont see how it
> could get
> much worse <g> eventually ill come up with something better.
>
> ive been sort of toying around with some sort of cover that covers the
> entire drain bowl and maybe even replaces the grate. the cover would have
> some sort of spring loaded trap door in it that would open when enough
> water was pushing down on it.
That's actually a better idea than the floating plug. If the plug doesn't
lift before the water level rises to cover it then water pressure may hold
it down even if it is a material that floats.
> randy
>
>>
>>
>> set a pingpong ball over the hole. enough water to matter will float
>> the ball. if a pingpong ball is too small, try a toy store for a
>> larger lightweight ball or a craft store for a styrofoam one.
>>
>> you don't want a broken latex glove getting stuck somewhere down in
>> the drain....
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
"xrongor" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>
I think you need to dig up your floor and replace the trap.
--
FF
ya actually it might. for a house it would probably be better to use
mineral oil. for the application he was talking about oil would probably be
fine. but rancid oil probably wouldnt smell worse than my open sewer drain
<g>
in any case, i did try the oil technique, and i used a flexible rod that i
could attach a piece of paper towel to and pretty much confirmed my
suspicion. there is a trap in the line, and i pretty much knew how far i
could stick the rod in until it would hit the oil. but over the course of
about 4 hours the oil drained away so that pretty much confirms it. i
think the pipe itself is leaking at the trap. for all i know it's 100 years
old so not surprising...
but i did come up with another idea involving an inflated latex glove
filling the pipe, and a floating device with a pin on it. you blow up the
glove while its in the pipe and tie it off, then use my little rigged up
device so if the drain starts to fill, the cork will float popping the glove
(the actual drain hole is on the side of the drain area so there is room
under it. theres also a hole in the bottom but thats mostly to collect the
big stuff like screws instead of sending it down the drain). the cork sits
inside a piece of pipe with holes drilled in the bottom that cant tip over
so when the cork starts floating the pin will definitely point up. i tested
it out 3 times, works like a charm. keeps out the smell, and drains if it
floods!
now to see how often i have to change the glove since the the air will leak
out..... if anyone has a better idea for something that will stay inflated,
seal a 1-1/2" hole airtight, and can be popped by a pin, im open to
suggestions. or even a simpler system.
randy
"ToolMiser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Are you talking like "vegetable Oil"? Doesn't it get ransid after a
while? I
> am not being smart, just asking a question.
>
> Thanks!
On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 12:48:54 -0600, "xrongor" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>i do admit its become a personal odyssey to make a useful 'duct tape'
>solution <g>
Sometimes the thrill of the chase is the attraction! <G>
NEVER try to explain a "duct tape solution" to the wife.
Barry
i do admit its become a personal odyssey to make a useful 'duct tape'
solution <g>
eventually it will come to that, but ive got a 100+ year old house and a
long (but shrinking...) list of more pressing things. i also want to add a
toilet/shower in the basement at some point so im planning on doing it all
at once... probably 2 years from now.
randy
"bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> You know, you can rent an electric jackhammer for about 50 bucks a day.
> Bust up the floor, dig up the trap and replace it. A couple bags of
Sakrete
> finishes off the job. You've spent more than that farting around with
other
> solutions. But, look at the entertainment value! <g>
>
>
> "xrongor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > well i got the door back on my car (check the dumb dumb dumb thread if
you
> > dont know what happened). only cost about 250 including gas to get to
the
> > junkyard and paying a friend to help me out. so i got off easy on that
> one
> > considering the magnitude of the stupidity.
> >
> > but while i was at the junkyard, i was talking to a guy about my
basement.
> > ive got a 100+ year old house and theres a smelly drain in the basement.
> > ive tried dumping water down it to fill the trap, and a couple other
> things,
> > but it still stinks. i think its just so old the trap is leaking into
the
> > ground. btw, if anybody has any ideas im all ears. so i wanted to plug
> it
> > up but that makes me afraid of what might happen if the basement starts
to
> > flood. the pipes burst in a friends house once during christmas but
> luckily
> > i came over and heard the noise and saw the leak through the window i
got
> > the water turned off but i think i was just minutes away from seeing a
> whole
> > tree full of presents getting soaked. they didnt come home for like 10
> > hours so it would have been a hell of a mess.
> >
> > but im straying...
> >
> > they make alarms for this but he told me how to take a smoke detector
and
> > just solder two wires to the opposite sides of the test switch. run the
> > other wires down to the ground and use some tape to keep them far enough
> > apart so the tips dont touch, and expose a quarter inch or so of each
> lead.
> > then put a rock on it to keep it on the ground. if the two ends of the
> wire
> > get wet enough the alarm starts to go off. sure as heck, it works. if
i
> > dunk the ends of the wire in some water it beeps. you can get more
tricky
> > about it, and i even found some websites describing the procedure (easy
to
> > find with search engine). but all i used was 6' of speaker wire and a
5$
> > smoke alarm. if i had it to do over again, i would probably test it
with
> > about 10' of wire to make sure it still beeped when wet, so i could put
> the
> > smoke detector on the ceiling and have it do double duty. as it is its
> zip
> > tied near the water meter.
> >
> > so anyway, just thought id pass this little tip along. real moisture
> alarms
> > seem to start at 20 bucks and the ones that cheap are basically a
> glorified
> > version of the frankenstein smoke detector (but they dont also detect
> > smoke!!) so its a bit of savings and if you already have a smoke
detector
> > its free. if you put the tips of the wires in the appropriate place,
> youll
> > know long before the water is even over the top of the sump, or can just
> put
> > em on the ground out of site for general protection.
> >
> > randy
> >
> >
>
>
You know, you can rent an electric jackhammer for about 50 bucks a day.
Bust up the floor, dig up the trap and replace it. A couple bags of Sakrete
finishes off the job. You've spent more than that farting around with other
solutions. But, look at the entertainment value! <g>
"xrongor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> well i got the door back on my car (check the dumb dumb dumb thread if you
> dont know what happened). only cost about 250 including gas to get to the
> junkyard and paying a friend to help me out. so i got off easy on that
one
> considering the magnitude of the stupidity.
>
> but while i was at the junkyard, i was talking to a guy about my basement.
> ive got a 100+ year old house and theres a smelly drain in the basement.
> ive tried dumping water down it to fill the trap, and a couple other
things,
> but it still stinks. i think its just so old the trap is leaking into the
> ground. btw, if anybody has any ideas im all ears. so i wanted to plug
it
> up but that makes me afraid of what might happen if the basement starts to
> flood. the pipes burst in a friends house once during christmas but
luckily
> i came over and heard the noise and saw the leak through the window i got
> the water turned off but i think i was just minutes away from seeing a
whole
> tree full of presents getting soaked. they didnt come home for like 10
> hours so it would have been a hell of a mess.
>
> but im straying...
>
> they make alarms for this but he told me how to take a smoke detector and
> just solder two wires to the opposite sides of the test switch. run the
> other wires down to the ground and use some tape to keep them far enough
> apart so the tips dont touch, and expose a quarter inch or so of each
lead.
> then put a rock on it to keep it on the ground. if the two ends of the
wire
> get wet enough the alarm starts to go off. sure as heck, it works. if i
> dunk the ends of the wire in some water it beeps. you can get more tricky
> about it, and i even found some websites describing the procedure (easy to
> find with search engine). but all i used was 6' of speaker wire and a 5$
> smoke alarm. if i had it to do over again, i would probably test it with
> about 10' of wire to make sure it still beeped when wet, so i could put
the
> smoke detector on the ceiling and have it do double duty. as it is its
zip
> tied near the water meter.
>
> so anyway, just thought id pass this little tip along. real moisture
alarms
> seem to start at 20 bucks and the ones that cheap are basically a
glorified
> version of the frankenstein smoke detector (but they dont also detect
> smoke!!) so its a bit of savings and if you already have a smoke detector
> its free. if you put the tips of the wires in the appropriate place,
youll
> know long before the water is even over the top of the sump, or can just
put
> em on the ground out of site for general protection.
>
> randy
>
>