2 basement questions.. (subfloor, roof, vinyl, washer)

[bluemoon75]

Hello all,

I have 2 basement questions.. I am looking forward to reading your opinions. You guys have been very helpful in much of my house issues, thanks!!

Question 1:

I had an interior perimeter drain installed in my basement last November. I had my washer and dryer unplugged during the work, and after the work, they re-attached the water and dryer, but they have not been used since then. Last Monday, I had a plumber come by to do some work, and while here, I asked if he can turn on the washer and dryer and test to make sure there are no leaks. Everything was working fine. I did laundry yesterday and during the drying phase, I smelled a dank sewer smell. I'm assuming it is from the water hitting the drain pipe that hasn't been used in a while. It does have a s-trap setup, but I'm assuming it may have dried up since it wasn't used for 4 months. I've ran water through there a few more times, but I keep smelling the sewer smell. I've left a rag plugged in there for now, but is this something that will go away over use or do I need to call the plumber back to fix this? Or do I need to pour something down there?

Question 2:

When I had the interior perimeter drain installed last fall, I had to get asbestos abatement done for what may be asbestos tiles on the floor. I never did get it tested, and they treated it as asbestos tiles. The mastic was hard as rock, they treated it several times with increasing stronger solutions of mastic remover and it wasn't coming off. So eventually they had to use a cutting tool to cut off the sections on the perimeter of the house so that the waterproofing company can jackhammer the sides the next day. There are still patches of the mastic left that they sealed. I'd like to replace the flooring in the basement. One contractor suggests using an underlayment and then installing laminate on top. Some friends suggest getting a subfloor installed and then putting vinyl tiles on top. Considering the concrete isn't entirely level, and sanding anything down is not an option, what should be done? Also.. if a concrete leveler is used, does my water heater and boiler need to be removed? Not sure how it works?

Thanks much in advance!

[Coldjensens]

1. This could be a lot of things. Is it a front loader? Does your washer drain to a sewage pit with a pump? Did they put a goose neck in the drain line? Is it vented? Have you tried running a cycle empty with a ton of bleach in it?

2. Sounds to me like you got taken a bit by the asbestos gamers. Was the tile asbestos or the mastic? Both? Neither? Either way, you could have just encapsulated it (covered it up). At this point either proposal should work. You can buy subfloor squares at Home depot for making a basement floor with a little space for air or, if leaks occur water to pass under the floor. I am not sure whether those are cheaper than building a subfloor, but if you do a subfloor, I suggest you have them leave some airspace. It both helps insulate against cold floors/feet and can avoid disaster if water gets in or leaks out of something (like your water heater). For that reason I suggest some sort of subfloor. For either option they can go around your water heater. I would not do it that way, but it is an option. I would use a floating vinyl floor rather than tiles. The advantage of tiles is you can replace one or two. disadvantage, they tend to come unstuck and do not wear as well. also hard to clean between the tile. A floating vinyl floor is one piece with no joints. They are pretty cheap and easy to instal. Downside is if it is damaged, you have to replace the whole thing.

[akck]

+1 to Coldjensens.

For the concrete leveler, I'd just make a wood frame around the boiler to keep from cementing it in place. I'd remove the water heater if it's not too much trouble, but you could put a frame around it too. The problem with building a sub-floor is ceiling height. You don't want to raise the floor if the tallest person in your family head will touch the ceiling.

[bluemoon75]

Coldjensons:

1. No, it is a regular top-loading washer. The washer drain hose is latched onto a long pipe that drains down into p-trap setup, and then flows into the floor drain. (sorry, it is p-trap, not s-trap..) I don't have a septic system. I do believe it is vented, I see a pipe sticking out from the roof in that area. I've ran 2 cycles, one with my laundry and another with just water and vinegar. It didn't emit the smell prior to the basement work, I'm assuming it is not clogged vent pipe? It only started to smell after 4 months on non-use.

2. I had to get it done or none of the waterproofing firms would touch the basement. If no one had to jackhammer the concrete, I would have left it as is. So you can install a subfloor without leveling the concrete? I would definitely look into installing vinyl on the subfloor, I don't think I can afford ceramic tiles.

Thanks for your suggestions.


akck:

I would probably ask to have it go around the appliances. But thanks, I wasn't aware that you can build a subfloor even if the concrete isn't fully level. Thank you.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by bluemoon75

Coldjensons:

1. No, it is a regular top-loading washer. The washer drain hose is latched onto a long pipe that drains down into p-trap setup, and then flows into the floor drain. (sorry, it is p-trap, not s-trap..) I don't have a septic system. I do believe it is vented, I see a pipe sticking out from the roof in that area. I've ran 2 cycles, one with my laundry and another with just water and vinegar. It didn't emit the smell prior to the basement work, I'm assuming it is not clogged vent pipe? It only started to smell after 4 months on non-use.

2. I had to get it done or none of the waterproofing firms would touch the basement. If no one had to jackhammer the concrete, I would have left it as is. So you can install a subfloor without leveling the concrete? I would definitely look into installing vinyl on the subfloor, I don't think I can afford ceramic tiles.

Thanks for your suggestions.


akck:

I would probably ask to have it go around the appliances. But thanks, I wasn't aware that you can build a subfloor even if the concrete isn't fully level. Thank you.

there should nto be any connection between the drainage system and the washing machine. It is illegal to drain storm water into the sewer and it is illegal to drain washing machine discharge into a storm water system. They should be completely separate. Either you are getting a smell related to the drain system or you have an unrelated problem with the washing machine drain.

Unless you live on a hill, you will have a sump pump, open it up and sniff. Find where the drain from the washing machine goes into the drain pipe. Seal it up with duct tape - did the smell go away? See if you can find the pump for the washing machine. Some have a filter built into the pump that you cna open by turning it (with the machine empty) remove and clean the filter and sniff it when you remove it. Same smell?

You probably have a laundry sink next to the washer. try plugging up the drain when the washing machine is running. It could be the washing machine discharge is pushing sewer gas up through the laundry sink drain. Also just try running the laundry sink if you have not done so in a while. Sometimes with no use, the trap dries out and gas can get pushed back up.

Make sure you do not have some laundry item the fell behind the washer or something is is all wet and moldy.

If you want a level floor, you can simply shim the subfloor. However floors do not have to be level. Almost none of mine are. I forgot about the height concern with subfloors. Our basement is 9'6" or something like that so i do not think about the height issue. Those home depot squares are less than half an inch thick. It is called dricore

We used dricore with carpeting, vinyl (in the bathroom) and cork in the hallway. It is nice. Bad news if you get more than a quarter inch of water over the floor though.

[bluemoon75]

This would be the same drain pipe where my kitchen pipes drains and where the rest of the waste water in my house gets drained. It's not going into the storm water system. Sorry if I confused you?

Yup, I definitely have a sump pump and the smell is not coming from there, it is on the other side of the basement. It is only coming from the washer drainage.

I used to have a laundry sink next to the washer, however it is all gone now after getting the perimeter drain installed. The pipe is just capped off now and the water goes straight from the washer to the drain. But I guess what I'll do is run the washing machine a few more times.

Thank you for your advice on flooring. I'll save up and compare the prices on installing either dricore or framed subfloor. And I do hope I don't get flooding anytime soon. I've just had a water-based backup sump pump installed, so here's to hoping for a nice dry basement for many years to come.

[SuperSparkle928]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

there should nto be any connection between the drainage system and the washing machine. It is illegal to drain storm water into the sewer and it is illegal to drain washing machine discharge into a storm water system. They should be completely separate. Either you are getting a smell related to the drain system or you have an unrelated problem with the washing machine drain.


Unless you live on a hill, you will have a sump pump, open it up and sniff. Find where the drain from the washing machine goes into the drain pipe. Seal it up with duct tape - did the smell go away? See if you can find the pump for the washing machine. Some have a filter built into the pump that you cna open by turning it (with the machine empty) remove and clean the filter and sniff it when you remove it. Same smell?

You probably have a laundry sink next to the washer. try plugging up the drain when the washing machine is running. It could be the washing machine discharge is pushing sewer gas up through the laundry sink drain. Also just try running the laundry sink if you have not done so in a while. Sometimes with no use, the trap dries out and gas can get pushed back up.

Make sure you do not have some laundry item the fell behind the washer or something is is all wet and moldy.

If you want a level floor, you can simply shim the subfloor. However floors do not have to be level. Almost none of mine are. I forgot about the height concern with subfloors. Our basement is 9'6" or something like that so i do not think about the height issue. Those home depot squares are less than half an inch thick. It is called dricore

We used dricore with carpeting, vinyl (in the bathroom) and cork in the hallway. It is nice. Bad news if you get more than a quarter inch of water over the floor though.

Quote:" is illegal to drain storm water into the sewer and it is illegal to drain washing machine discharge into a storm water system"

Depends on the vintage of the house... I have one place where the downspouts are INSIDE the house (because when the house was built, it fed the cistern).... straight into the town system it now flows, legally....

Usually a French drain is outside the foundation, but this appears to be after-the-fact...

Quote:"If you want a level floor, you can simply shim the subfloor. However floors do not have to be level."

Actually many are not, intentionally. Though probably no longer legal, I have drains in a house in the basement, carriage house, and all over the place that just dump into the yard/storm drain.

On a separate topic, dricore is really expensive, on a per-square-foot basis, and doesn't fix the real problem. Unless you feel that it is acceptable to have rot under the living area, then there are much better solutions.