Ok again my basement floor drain...is there any easy way to tell where it is outside ? I dont know if it goes straight out or doglegs ? Is there any easy way I can determine where it is so I can dig it up and find out why it keeps filling with water when we have heavy snowmelt and rain....

What is the drain material? Cast Iron or Plastic? There are professionals that do detection, even thru concrete?

Best Wishes

cast iron

How deep below grade?

about 4-5 ft at the basement wall where it leaves the house

Call a pipe locating company, but tell them it is cast iron because that needs a different/stronger transducer than tile or plastic.

yea I thought maybe there was a way I could do it myself....what do they charge for that HJ ? How does it work ?...I was wondering if I could attach something to the pipe inside that would...guess I dont really know

I thought i read on here about a guy using a dog invisable fence hooked to the pipe then used the collar to find it

Here it would be $175.00 for the company I use. If you had a plumber run his large snake into the drain, and it would NOT go around a "P" trap, you might be able to trace the sound. But, you might also NOT be able to hear it or pinpoint its location, then you would still need the locator, after you paid the plumber.

From OP "Ok again my basement floor drain...is there any easy way to tell WHERE it is outside ?"

To find where the cast iron pipe EXITS your foundation -- and FROM there --? (Then MUCH more work)

A "possible" $ challenged DIY's last ditch solution.

Disclaimer: ONLY "IF" your soil is reasonably soft/sandy (as mine is) with NO rocks etc.
(If not soft etc.rod will also be to hard to pull back up/out)

1. 3/8" or 1/2" Rebar - or similar very stiff steel rod, blunt on both ends.(6-8 foot long. (Extra length needed to have ability to withdraw.)
2. Step Ladder - heavy/sledge hammer with assistant to hold rod. (Vice grips for rod removal.)
3. Assistant holds short piece of pipe upright/steady, which rod passes through. Nice if pipe has attachment to allow holding at a distance. There are other ways to hold rod - imagination used here.
4. Experiment with the soil consistently (how hard to drive rod - how easy does the rod drive down 4-5 feet? Will you have a good "feel" when you hit the pipe?)
Determine "IF" this has ANY chance of working.

This may be a "desperate" solution, involving a lot of work to first locate drain --then determine direction etc.
But it's cheap "IF" your situation will allow it. I have driven rods that deep - and they can be hard to pull back out. It is best to drive short distance down - pull out - drive again. If rod gets really stuck try washing out with hose.

As said - This is a last ditch CHEAP solution - ONLY if conditions allow it.(NO ROCKS Etc.) Is it worth $175? You did state "thought maybe there was a way I could do it myself...."

Driving through 5 or 6 feet of soil could mean driving through the sewer line if it is not cast iron.

The OP says drain is cast iron in his second post. On his third post OP states drain exits about 4-5 feet at basement wall.

But to avoid damage is why he should ---- "Experiment with the soil consistently (how hard to drive rod - how easy does the rod drive down 4-5 feet? Will you have a good "feel" when you hit the pipe?"



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The cast iron will ONLY be for the first 3' outside the building, after that it transitions to a material which he CAN puncture or shatter with the driven rod.

I thought the drain may be cast iron because both the OP and the 6th post of this discussion gave that impression. But not being there, I could not know for sure of course.

"Call a pipe locating company, but tell them it is cast iron because that needs a different/stronger transducer than tile or plastic."

That statement applies to the portion inside the building, if they are concerned about its direction.

Original OP Post:--- "Ok again my basement floor drain...is there any easy way to tell WHERE it is OUTSIDE?" ------"Is there any easy way I can determine WHERE it is so I can dig it up ----"

If someone wanted to actually hire someone to locate a drain pipe so they could "dig it up".

Which would be better -- and most effective?

1. Pay someone to locate all the drain run inside the basement and ID the exact exit point to outside. Then -- Goodby.

2 Pay someone to locate all the drain run outside the basement --- so he could dig it up.

"Maybe" 1. would be helpfull/needed to accomplish 2. (A lot of unknowns here.)
But IMO 2. is what would be worth paying for.

It will cost the same to just locate the line under the basement as it will to trace it all the way to the city's connection. So, neither 1 OR 2, is logical. Because of potential conflict of interests, the locators SELDOM do the digging or repairs. Otherwise it would be to their benefit to make the system look as bad as possible to get a contract quickly.



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