# How would you find a floor drain?



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

How would you find a floor drain that is located under a floating floor?

Smoke wouldn't work?
Infra red wouldn't work because the trap is dried out?

Maybe I should try the gas leak/sniffer detector? Damn it's at my girlfriend's house.


----------



## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

is it a particular style floor drain like a Brass or bronze grate, if so use a metal detector. We have used this method for locating cleanouts inside that have been covered with concrete.


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

it's an interesting idea. The pipe is probably abs and if there's a grate it would be those clip on metal ones.


----------



## PLUMB TIME (Feb 2, 2009)

Tango said:


> How would you find a floor drain that is located under a floating floor?
> 
> Smoke wouldn't work?
> Infra red wouldn't work because the trap is dried out?
> ...





Do we want to know why the gas sniffer is at your girlfriends? :biggrin:


----------



## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

justme said:


> is it a particular style floor drain like a Brass or bronze grate, if so use a metal detector. We have used this method for locating cleanouts inside that have been covered with concrete.


Just did this last week to locate several C/Os. Harbor Freight has a cheap detector that works like a champ.


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

justme said:


> is it a particular style floor drain like a Brass or bronze grate, if so use a metal detector. We have used this method for locating cleanouts inside that have been covered with concrete.



did the concrete have wire mesh? did that give false readings on metal detector? Tango, how many nails are in that wooden floor to give false readings for a metal detector?..


unless you set detector for non ferrous and hope for a brass screen or strainer..


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> did the concrete have wire mesh? did that give false readings on metal detector? Tango, how many nails are in that wooden floor to give false readings for a metal detector?..
> 
> 
> unless you set detector for non ferrous and hope for a brass screen or strainer..


It's a floating floor, so the planks just clip one another other. No nails or glue.

We don't have brass grills or brass floor drain like in commercial floors. Floor drain in houses are just a pipe cut flush to the floor and you insert a clip on grill if you like. The house was built with ABS so the metal detector would be useless unless there's a grill.

The customer told me she was given the idea to bounce a ball and if it's sounds hollow... I said I haven't heard that one before but what if you cut a hole and it isn't there? :sad2:


----------



## Venomthirst (Jun 20, 2018)

That's a tough one to find without disturbing everything.. if you have access to stacks you could try using camera and running water while your camera is in drain to identify connections... when you find a y that no water comes down then you have found the connection 

Y where floor drain connects shouldn't be more than a couple feet from where that spot is if you have locator at your disposal.. then I'd start by looking for a low spot in that general area

Also usually they are located in furnace / hot water tank room... usually they tie them into kitchen stack too for some odd reason.. hard to give concrete advise without seeing job


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Venomthirst said:


> That's a tough one to find without disturbing everything.. if you have access to stacks you could try using camera and running water while your camera is in drain to identify connections... when you find a y that no water comes down then you have found the connection
> 
> Y where floor drain connects shouldn't be more than a couple feet from where that spot is if you have locator at your disposal.. then I'd start by looking for a low spot in that general area
> 
> Also usually they are located in furnace / hot water tank room... usually they tie them into kitchen stack too for some odd reason.. hard to give concrete advise without seeing job


As usual no bites on the camera or locator. Until now no one wants to pay for that and she didn't ask the price either.


----------



## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Tango said:


> As usual no bites on the camera or locator. Until now no one wants to pay for that and she didn't ask the price either.


Damn, you’re charging your girlfriend? Ruthless!


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Debo22 said:


> Damn, you’re charging your girlfriend? Ruthless!


She didn't want to pay for services so the least I could do is lend her the locator so she can do it herself. With interests of course! 

Good guys finish last. :devil3:


----------



## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> did the concrete have wire mesh? did that give false readings on metal detector? Tango, how many nails are in that wooden floor to give false readings for a metal detector?..
> 
> 
> unless you set detector for non ferrous and hope for a brass screen or strainer..


With a metal detector you get different sounds for different metals so if you're looking for brass or bronze it will put out a totally different sound from iron. I typically practice in the parking lot to with cleanout lids and rebar to be able to tell the difference.


----------



## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

Tango said:


> It's a floating floor, so the planks just clip one another other. No nails or glue.
> 
> We don't have brass grills or brass floor drain like in commercial floors. Floor drain in houses are just a pipe cut flush to the floor and you insert a clip on grill if you like. The house was built with ABS so the metal detector would be useless unless there's a grill.
> 
> The customer told me she was given the idea to bounce a ball and if it's sounds hollow... I said I haven't heard that one before but what if you cut a hole and it isn't there? :sad2:


I bet that grill is a nonferrous type metal and would be picked up with a different sound from the detector from iron in the slab.


----------



## Florida Plumber (Aug 27, 2017)

There is some truth to the ball trick, not sure if it would help you in this case. I was on a job and the tile guys were going around dropping golf balls on the tile to hear hollow or void spaces. I know I have found one once in the situation by tapping the concrete with a hammer to hear a hollow sound.


----------



## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Florida Plumber said:


> There is some truth to the ball trick, not sure if it would help you in this case. I was on a job and the tile guys were going around dropping golf balls on the tile to hear hollow or void spaces. I know I have found one once in the situation by tapping the concrete with a hammer to hear a hollow sound.


Hammer usually works just fine. When we use to do a lot of tilt wall buildings every pipe must be cut below FF. I always took accurate measurements of every stub up, but if concrete was poured a little heavy, it was a real pain. 

Now we actually have a Trimble machine that tells us where everything is within 1/8. He’s been busy on other floors, so I’ve been messing around with the detector in a lower parking garage. We have 2 C/Os where the concert guys over poured 2”. I will be looking for them in the next week or so when I can get to that area.


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

What about a stud finder with adjustable sensitivity? The floating floor over concrete will give one sound while where the drain is will sound totally different.


Or, and this depends on how it is piped, cut the main stack and put a test ball on the city side. Rig up your shop vac on blow to the main stack. You'll want a long hose so the vac is outside and you can listen for air rushing out of the floor drain. Even if it has a check valve I doubt it will hold all the air and you should hear a whistle or hiss.


We had a large event center with old pvc drains and lots of leaks. I suggested using the shop vac in the basement to pressurize and listen for leaks rather than waiting for water to leak somewhere and trying to trace it back. Worked great, found 5 leaks with out making more water damage.







.


----------



## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

Have someone tap on the clean out outside. you should hear it on the inside if the trap is dried out
.


----------



## NCPlumber99 (Dec 22, 2018)

You could try sound. Find a near by clean out or other opening in the system and have someone tap inside the pipe or something louder if necessary. You may need to get some type of mic or sound amplifier since it's covered over to be able to hear it.

Not sure if this would really work but I got the idea from another plumber who used to do work at the county jail and said that the male inmates would dry the traps out of the toilets to talk to the female inmates presumably on the other side of the jail. Not sure how both sides knew when to dry out the traps to do this but from what I understand it was like a jailhouse phone for them.


----------



## NCPlumber99 (Dec 22, 2018)

Optimus Primer said:


> Have someone tap on the clean out outside. you should hear it on the inside if the trap is dried out
> .


You beat me to it!


----------



## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

NCPlumber99 said:


> You could try sound. Find a near by clean out or other opening in the system and have someone tap inside the pipe or something louder if necessary. You may need to get some type of mic or sound amplifier since it's covered over to be able to hear it.
> 
> Not sure if this would really work but I got the idea from another plumber who used to do work at the county jail and said that the male inmates would dry the traps out of the toilets to talk to the female inmates presumably on the other side of the jail. Not sure how both sides new when to dry out the traps to do this but from what I understand it was like a jailhouse phone for them.


I believe with a wood floor they would hear it


----------



## NCPlumber99 (Dec 22, 2018)

Optimus Primer said:


> I believe with a wood floor they would hear it


I thinks so to. I can always hear the HVAC guys or electricians knocking into my pipes under the house when I'm upstairs installing fixtures. I have to yell at them to take it easy!


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

any chance of finding the branch piping off the main line for the floor drain and run a snake in it and listen to see if it hits the woof floor or some noise to give a better location? you may have to cut the branch to do this, depends on whats easier or cheaper than lifting the floor...whats the reason to find the floor drain after all this time?


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> any chance of finding the branch piping off the main line for the floor drain and run a snake in it and listen to see if it hits the woof floor or some noise to give a better location? you may have to cut the branch to do this, depends on whats easier or cheaper than lifting the floor...whats the reason to find the floor drain after all this time?





It sounds to me like the line serving the floor drain and it's connection is all under the slab.






.


----------



## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

Ive tied a string to the end of our camera to get it to go backwards in wye's and combos. it won't work with 2" but 3 and 4" it will. It cant be too far away from your point of entry either. We were having a hard time locating a sewer lateral in a cul de sac. There was a manhole in the middle about 7 feet deep. I had the guys glue up a 2" 90 with about a 8 foot piece to the combo from the main that hit our tap then another 90 and a piece to get you out of the man hole. We stuck it down in there and pushed the camera thru and was able to get it to go up the combo backwards all the way to the tap. I couldn't believe that it worked. It was an 8 by 6 combo. It took all about half an hour instead of water probing for the day


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> any chance of finding the branch piping off the main line for the floor drain and run a snake in it and listen to see if it hits the woof floor or some noise to give a better location? you may have to cut the branch to do this, depends on whats easier or cheaper than lifting the floor...whats the reason to find the floor drain after all this time?


The main pipe was under the slab, the stack probably from the clean out exiting the house, 20 feet. No C/O visible as I would of had to open the wall.

The woman was complaining about some sewer smell. She was complaining on many smells in the house and she was complaining about spots on the shower glass asking if the city had bad water!! I told her to squeegee the soap residue and clean it more often! :vs_OMG::vs_OMG:

She wanted to know if she had french drains but didn't seem to want to pay for a camera inspection and many more issues I found. With all the things she wanted me to check out, fix the hammering in the kitchen and clean a few drains for smells I spent 5 hours there. Good thing too because it was my only other job that week.


----------



## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

https://youtu.be/9x3THMb7bfI?t=77


:devil3:

Or :

In response to post # 7 

If you cut a hole and it's in the wrong spot : Perfect. You've damaged a single plank and they are what like 3 or 4 bucks a piece. Then she's forced to have the floor pulled up to repair the plank and you'll find that drain in no time.

:vs_cool:


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

MyPlumber said:


> You can either use (or rent) a thermal camera or a stethoscope.


*You have 24 hours to post a lengthy intro because it's in the parameter of spam.*

An intro is requested from all new members. In case you missed it, here is the link. https://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/.

The PZ is for Plumbing Professionals (those engaged in the plumbing profession)

Post an intro and tell our members where you are from, yrs in the trade, and your area(s) of expertise in the plumbing field.

This info helps members who are waiting to welcome you to the best plumbing site there is.

We look forward to your valuable input.

*This one is from me : Write more than one or two lines, elaborate. Are you proud of your trade? Show it! Talk about the jobs you've done, the path you took to get where you're at as a trades person, the amount of time spent in plumbing school(s) or years before you were eligible to take the journeyman exam etc.*


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

MyPlumber said:


> You can either use (or rent) a thermal camera or a stethoscope.


Well, 30 minutes to go... close enough bye bye.


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Originally Posted by *MyPlumber*  
_You can either use (or rent) a thermal camera or a stethoscope._
Well, 30 minutes to go... close enough bye bye. 



another 1 post blunder.....and of course doesnt explain his statement or is unable to...


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> Originally Posted by *MyPlumber*
> _You can either use (or rent) a thermal camera or a stethoscope._
> Well, 30 minutes to go... close enough bye bye.
> 
> ...


 It was spam, he filled out his company info in his profile. He was never going to participate in the discussions and his post was only for back links.

Not on my watch. I also deleted several wannabees that did the same thing in 2018 that were missed by the crew back then. If only I had total power to clean up the picture section I would get rid of many spammers in there.


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Tango said:


> It was spam, he filled out his company info in his profile. He was never going to participate in the discussions and his post was only for back links.
> 
> Not on my watch. I also deleted several wannabees that did the same thing in 2018 that were missed by the crew back then. If only I had total power to clean up the picture section I would get rid of many spammers in there.



come on you gotta at least give us a few days to torture, oh I mean verify posters credentials...


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> come on you gotta at least give us a few days to torture, oh I mean verify posters credentials...


This one was futile, he wasn't coming back to check it out like those who are diy...


----------

