Drain from HWH overflow pan to sump pit... question?

9 years ago

My house has two drain pipes going to the sump pit. The first is from the furnace. It flows through a p-trap, then down to the pit itself with a good bit of slope. So I think it is fine as is.

The HWH is on the floor and sits in a metal pan. The pan has an overflow pipe and it drains straight into the sump pit as well. The problem is, it has no p-trap, and since it starts and finishes at floor level there is no way to add it.

In the end it is basically an opening straight from the pit. I would like to do something so I can stop air from coming back into the house from this pipe, but I am not sure what to do.

The pit is otherwise sealed with silicone and a block of duct sealant, plus there is a passive radon reduction system already installed which goes through the roof. It is standard for this area.

Any help would be very appreciated.

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Comments (7)

worthy
9 years ago
Only if the sump pit drains to a sanitary sewer would a trap be needed.
scotkight
Original Author
9 years ago
That is true by code, but I am not looking at a code issue. I want my sump pit to be sealed to make the passive radon system to be as effective as possible and to reduce smells from the ground to come into the house. The overflow setup does not allow for a true sealed sump and basically the equivalent of a 3/4" hole in the lid.
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pprioroh
9 years ago
Why not put the trap in the sump if you want one?
scotkight
Original Author
9 years ago
A trap on the sump? That makes no sense... What part of the sump are you talking about?

I'm talking about a small pipe going from the hwh about 18 inches along the floor and just taking a 90degree turn straight down into the sump pit. There is no way to put on a trap because it starts and terminates at the floor.
worthy
9 years ago
Chipping out a bit of the foundation floor may give you room to put on a small trap. Then you'll have to find a way to prime it regularly.
bus_driver
9 years ago
A trap would impede the flow. And a trap would need to be regularly refilled (primed) as the water evaporates. Does your drain, a 3/4" pipe, from the temperature and pressure relief valve also dump into the pan? That 3/4" pipe cannot be trapped by code. And if the valve actuates, the flow could be high volume.
pprioroh
9 years ago
"A trap on the sump? That makes no sense... What part of the sump are you talking about?
I'm talking about a small pipe going from the hwh about 18 inches along the floor and just taking a 90degree turn straight down into the sump pit. There is no way to put on a trap because it starts and terminates at the floor."

It makes perfect sense. The whole point of a trap is to keep water in the line to not allow gas to escape back up. you can't do this without a drop of at least the amount of the trap distance. What I am suggesting is a trap within the sump pit - water comes into it vertically and then has a trap as it goes downward. Still drains into the same area. And you keep your seal. I don't see how that interferes with flow - a trap under the sink doesn't.