[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Dumb question haha but I have a putrid smell coming from the middle and removing the drain/pit cover... Took it out and yep there is liquid that goes almost to the top. I recall I had a good ammount of coolant spill there since I forgot to put a drain pan one time.

My question is it supposed to drain and my drain is clogged or are these rectangular holes usually just a pit to evaporate?

[Drop the hammer]

Suck it right out with a shop vac. Then inspect it for a drain, it could be tied into sewer, but if in residential area I would bet it’s just a collection sump as vehicle oils/spills are usually not allowed in the sewer.
Mine is just a collection sump, and I suck it out with shop vac a couple times a year and a bit of bleach keeps it from smelling.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Drop the hammer

Suck it right out with a shop vac. Then inspect it for a drain, it could be tied into sewer, but if in residential area I would bet it’s just a collection sump as vehicle oils/spills are usually not allowed in the sewer.
Mine is just a collection sump, and I suck it out with shop vac a couple times a year and a bit of bleach keeps it from smelling.

Good idea on the shop vac I was thinking using my transfer pump but shop vac would be best.

Where did you dump the liquid? Guess only way is to transfer shop vac contents into jugs and bring to city eco point?

Smells so bad I'm going to put my 3m respirator.

[nyalpine90]

its a drain that should be tied to sewer line, if theres water sitting there then most likely its clogged.

if its a pit, there should be a pump in pit. the pump should be connect to sewer line.

[Maestro]

Can not speak for Canada building codes. In the US any newer home built in the last 50 yrs if the garage has drain it must be tied to the sewage system for the reason of oil and other car related chemicals can not be dumped into the environment. If you have septic system the story could be different since getting chemical or oil into a septic system can wreck havoc on your system.

When I have seen a large square drain covers like that, it usually means there is catch in the drain, a place which sludge will collect to be cleaned out later. The actual drain is higher than the bottom of the drain box so you will always have standing water/sludge in the box. The actual drain usually goes out the side of the box or come up the middle and is 6" or so above the bottom. This done because the sewer system does not want all the dirt and salt from your car driving around in the winter. I would bail it out and see if you can find the drain pipe and see if it is cloged. I remember my dad after each winter season putting a hose down the drain pipe and running water down it to flush out any standing sludge in the drain pipe and also should have P-trap in the line somewhere to keep sewer gases from come back into the garage.

There is a down side to these type of drain, do not ever let gas or any flammable chemical get into the drain box, I seen people catch the drain on fire at minimum at worse they blow up.

If it was done correctly it should look like the picture below

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Maestro

Can not speak for Canada building codes. In the US any newer home built in the last 50 yrs if the garage has drain it must be tied to the sewage system for the reason of oil and other car related chemicals can not be dumped into the environment. If you have septic system the story could be different since getting chemical or oil into a septic system can wreck havoc on your system.

When I have seen a large square drain covers like that, it usually means there is catch in the drain, a place which sludge will collect to be cleaned out later. The actual drain is higher than the bottom of the drain box so you will always have standing water/sludge in the box. The actual drain usually goes out the side of the box or come up the middle and is 6" or so above the bottom. This done because the sewer system does not want all the dirt and salt from your car driving around in the winter. I would bail it out and see if you can find the drain pump and see if it is clogs. I remember my dad after each winter season putting a hose down the drain pipe and running water down it to flush out any standing sludge in the drain pipe and also should have P-trap in the line somewhere to keep sewer gases from come back into the garage.

There is a down side to these type of drain, do not ever let gas or any flammable chemical get into the drain box, I seen people catch the drain on fire at minimum at worse they blow up.

Wait does that mean I can it up with my shop vac and dump the contents in the road so it goes into the sewer? And no septic since I live in city.

I need to take a second look under now that you mention the drain sits higher! I did see some kind of white pipe that higher on the side. I'll post a second pic tonight. If so I can leave it there just sometimes it smell so damn bad.

But yeah man if it's just a pit and oil falls in there yikes can be dangerous.

[eluded]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Where did you dump the liquid?

Toilet works great

[Maynard]

No, don't ever dump potentially flammable stuff into a toilet. The gasoline floats, and often won't go all the way out of the house (stays in the toilet trap), then can ignite. My old neighbor's husband blew himself off the toilet that way by flipping a cigarette butt down into the toilet while sitting there. Put it into a jug of some sort and take it to any garage or auto parts store to recycle; If they don't take it, you can set it outside to evaporate. Even sending that jug to landfill would be better than just dumping it into a storm drain (those go direct to waterways).

[chowser51]

OP? Please post a pic of it after you drain it out. My parents' have one in their garage at their new place and asked me to clean it.

[Dackelone]

Op that drain is tied into your sewer line. IF you have a rancid odor coming from it... boil some water and pour it down into the drain. Do this a few times. The odor should go away.

You might have to use a "snake" to unclog the drain. But usually pouring water down there does the trick.

[adc100]

There is a gravel base under the concrete. It probably just goes to the gravel under the entire concrete floor.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by adc100

There is a gravel base under the concrete. It probably just goes to the gravel under the entire concrete floor.

Were any of the homes in question property of the Clinton's in the past? Asking for a friend.

[hubbahubba]

Originally Posted by adc100

There is a gravel base under the concrete. It probably just goes to the gravel under the entire concrete floor.

Water is every homes enemy. Draining water under a slab of concrete is really not a good idea, it does many strange and damaging things. Are you sure that it is not some sort of catch basin that is filled with gravel, and drains elsewhere? I would be very leary of it if it is just draining willy nilly under the slab.

[adc100]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

Water is every homes enemy. Draining water under a slab of concrete is really not a good idea, it does many strange and damaging things. Are you sure that it is not some sort of catch basin that is filled with gravel, and drains elsewhere? I would be very leary of it if it is just draining willy nilly under the slab.

Used to be done all the time. The house I am in now had it. The basement was fully underground. If the water table was very high it would come up through the drain

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Were any of the homes in question property of the Clinton's in the past? Asking for a friend.

lolz

[hubbahubba]

Originally Posted by adc100

Used to be done all the time. The house I am in now had it. The basement was fully underground. If the water table was very high it would come up through the drain

They used to think that smoking was healthy too. Just sayin'. Water is bad under slabs and does funny things to them. Not if, but when.

[adc100]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

They used to think that smoking was healthy too. Just sayin'. Water is bad under slabs and does funny things to them. Not if, but when.

Well here is a surprise. Every concrete footer, floor,road that has ever been poured over stone....the stone can and will be wet for loooong periods of time during very wet weather. The drain is absolutely not a problem.

The drain is merely meant to get rid of small amounts of water such as wen you wash the floor.

[hubbahubba]

Originally Posted by adc100

Well here is a surprise. Every concrete footer, floor,road that has ever been poured over stone....the stone can and will be wet for loooong periods of time during very wet weather. The drain is absolutely not a problem.

The drain is merely meant to get rid of small amounts of water such as wen you wash the floor.

I am not going to argue with you. if you want to drain water under your slab, knock yourself out.

[adc100]

Just putting factual information. On what was done..mostly in areas where there is no sewers. I actually concreted the drain over and installed a sump/pump.

I'm also done.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

I took a second look today and holy shit every time I pull it out it smells so bad.

But it's maybe about 6 inches from the top the liquid and near the top there is a pipe with a capped of end. Not sure what that is.

I guess that would mean there is a drain underneath? If I suck it up with the vacuum you guys would dump that in the street to go into sewer?

[tcphoto]

I would use a shop vac and put the liquid in something like a 5 quart oil container. Odds are it’s coolant and oil mixture so you can dispose of it at auto garages. My local Walmart accepts used oil and fluids. I would pour bleach down the drain to get rid of the smell.

[TheWatchGuy]

Originally Posted by hubbahubba

I am not going to argue with you. if you want to drain water under your slab, knock yourself out.

ive poured many a footers/slabs over rock so that water can drain out from groundwater/stormwater. We have always put many sump pits under slabs/ below grade for discharge of drains. If it is designed and built properly, and the rock/soil has a moisture barrier or geotech fabric to prevent the soil from eroding away, there arent going to be issues.

now running an active drain straight under the slab, not the best idea. (think sink drain) but water under your slab running through the base course isnt the issue. there are a host of other things that will cause the issue.

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

I took a second look today and holy shit every time I pull it out it smells so bad.

But it's maybe about 6 inches from the top the liquid and near the top there is a pipe with a capped of end. Not sure what that is.

I guess that would mean there is a drain underneath? If I suck it up with the vacuum you guys would dump that in the street to go into sewer?

dont dump it straight to the street. no idea about the laws where youre at, but most places, it is a fine. That being said, id probably dump it in the street and hose it down.

that pipe could be an inlet pipe that was capped off from another drain, or could be the actual drain connection that for some reason was capped off. Suck out all the liquid from the sump and see if there are other pipes/drains coming in.

[nyalpine90]

I have a feeling you have stormwater, it should be connected to that pipe you are seeing, usually its sump pump with 2" or 3" discharge. It unhealthy, have bacteria growing on stagnant water.