A floor drain is a drain opening in a floor surface that connects to the building’s drain system.
Common in basements, garages, utility rooms, laundry rooms, commercial kitchens, and bathrooms. They’re designed to collect water from mopping, equipment drainage, or overflow and route it into the sewer system.
Floor drains have a trap — a U-shaped section that holds water to block sewer gases from entering the building. If a floor drain has not been used in a while, the trap can dry out and allow sewer smell into the space. Running water into it periodically keeps the trap filled.
When a main sewer line is blocked, floor drains are often the first place sewage backs up — they are the lowest drain in the system, so backflow comes up through them first. If you are seeing sewage in a basement or garage floor drain, that is a main line problem requiring immediate attention.
Questions about your pipes? Call Sunburst Environmental at 678-799-4389 — same-day response across Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Or request a free estimate online.