I have a finished basement where the concrete floor is covered with an
underpad and carpet, no subfloor. When the carpet was laid several years
ago, the only floor drain was covered. (Sewer gases haven't been a problem
because the trap is topped up by the air conditioner/high efficiency furnace
drain.)

I'm thinking of replacing my water heater and that floor drain would come in
handy to drain the tank. Having a functional drain would be a good idea in
general. The problem is: the drain is in a very high traffic area
sandwiched between the furnace and the stairs.
photo :
You have to step over the drain any time you enter the basement. I'm
concerned that if I cut the carpet it will begin to fray and tear or become
a tripping hazard.

I'm looking for a suggestion on how I could open the drain without causing
other problems. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Marc

Marc wrote:

I have a finished basement where the concrete floor is covered with an
underpad and carpet, no subfloor. When the carpet was laid several years
ago, the only floor drain was covered. (Sewer gases haven't been a problem
because the trap is topped up by the air conditioner/high efficiency furnace
drain.)

I'm thinking of replacing my water heater and that floor drain would come in
handy to drain the tank. Having a functional drain would be a good idea in
general. The problem is: the drain is in a very high traffic area
sandwiched between the furnace and the stairs.
photo :
You have to step over the drain any time you enter the basement. I'm
concerned that if I cut the carpet it will begin to fray and tear or become
a tripping hazard.

I'm looking for a suggestion on how I could open the drain without causing
other problems. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Marc



Without getting into too many Code-specific issues, I would be
tempted to do something like this:





| | \ /
Floor----- ____________________| |_______________| |
Level | ______________________________________|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |DRAIN

Cut a channel in the floor to accept 1 1/2" PVC pipe (or 2").
An EL drops into the drain. A TEE midway accepts the condensate drain
hose.
At the far right, use a 3" X 1 1/2" coupling to create a "funnel".
The heater T&P relief can drain into that (so it's visible) and
you could also use a drain hose into it.

Cement over the pipe and fab some kind of plastic cover over the
floor drain so it's perfectly flush with floor (screwed down so
it could be removed if needed.

Jim

I think you can find a flange to provide an acceptable solution. A brushed
brass or bronze one would probably be good with that color carpet. Look
around with industrial suppliers, because this wouldn't be a typical home
improvement item, but there are flat ones. I don't know how you'd get the
old bits up, but maybe a slit in the carpet, and the new flange should hold
things together.

"Marc" wrote in message
...
I have a finished basement where the concrete floor is covered with an
underpad and carpet, no subfloor. When the carpet was laid several years
ago, the only floor drain was covered. (Sewer gases haven't been a
problem
because the trap is topped up by the air conditioner/high efficiency
furnace
drain.)

I'm thinking of replacing my water heater and that floor drain would come
in
handy to drain the tank. Having a functional drain would be a good idea in
general. The problem is: the drain is in a very high traffic area
sandwiched between the furnace and the stairs.
photo :
You have to step over the drain any time you enter the basement. I'm
concerned that if I cut the carpet it will begin to fray and tear or
become
a tripping hazard.

I'm looking for a suggestion on how I could open the drain without causing
other problems. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Marc

Thanks for the tips. The channel cut is how I feed the air/furnace drain
line. Now that the carpet is down, I don't want to pull it up to make
another cut as I'm sure I'll make a mess of it.

I'll check out the hardware stores to see if I can find a suitable flange.

Thanks again,
Marc