Insulated basement and floor drain to daylight?
GBA Editor
| Posted in Energy Efficiency and Durability on
I’m building a new super insulated very tight home in upstate NY. I have 6″ of rigid insulation under the slab and 9″ of insulation inside the basement wall. We’re building on a steep hill. The basement has a floor drain that will drain to daylight. My concern is unwanted ventilation through the floor drain if the water trap evaporates. Are there other options I should be considering?
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Replies
Mineral oil is often used to fill the trap.
You could have a self priming trap but those can be pricey as you'd have to get plumbing (or actually a small hose like the kind that runs to a water dispensing refrigerator) over to it. Or if this is just an emergency drain or a seldom used drain (like for hosing down a space) you could have a capped drain that you have to manually unscrew to use, then screw back in when you're done (or the crisis is over)
Add some corn oil to the trap to slow evaporation?