What's it for?
 

Hi,

We have an unfinished basement which has a basic plastic sink that was put in when the house was built. The hot / cold pipes drop down from the basement ceiling to the sink. Joined in to the tap fitting there is a narrow clear plastic pipe that comes up from the basement floor. When you turn a tap on it seems to draw water or something up through this clear plastic pipe. Anyone know what it's for?

Thanks

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

Is there anything on the other end of the plastic pipe?

Many, many years ago when I worked for a certain fast-food company we used to have a system where there was a plastic pipe fitted into the nozzle of one of the taps in the kitchen sink and when you turned the tap on it drew washing up liquid up the pipe from a container under the sink.

It could be something like that.

Re: What's it for?
 

No, it goes directly in to the concrete floor of the basement so it can't be anything that you can refill. It appears to draw water out of the ground for some reason.

Re: What's it for?
 

It is the drain for a washing machine, washing machines usually drain through a hose which is placed in this pipe. As you have already noticed there are a set of taps close by.

You will probably notice a 220volt outlet close by, that will be for the dryer and most likely there will also be a vent reasonably high up on the outside wall big enough to put a 3 or 4 inch pipe on for the dryer exhaust. ;)

Re: What's it for?
 

No I dont think it is that, the laundry room is up stairs, with the electrical outlet and vent u mentioned. This is just a clear plastic pipe that is fixed in to the concrete floor and one end and in to the tap fixture at the other. When you turn the tap on it appears that the effect of running water through the tap syphons water up from the ground and I can see the point of it really.

I'm guessing water from the tap probably wouldn't be safe to drink!

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

So much for my theory then. :confused:

Sorry I have no clue. :(

Re: What's it for?
 

lol, that's ok was worth a try

Re: What's it for?
 

I'm wondering if it's designed to ensure that the pipe to the sewer line doesn't dry out and cause sewer gas.

In our house we have a water softener next to a sink in the basement, and the water softener has a hose that empties into a drain next to the sink. But Calgary has hard water, and water softeners are quite common here. They are less common in some other parts of Canada.

Re: What's it for?
 

Water softener was one thought, another might be a drain from an air exchanger. Pictures would help solve the puzzle though!

Re: What's it for?
 

All water line connections are made above ground, I think this may be a crude (and against code) way of adding water to the "P" trap.
P traps in a sink thats not used often will dry out, and provide a direct path to the main sewer. now when you open the tap, you may have a syphonic action happening that is sucking waste water from the trap.
Is the sink used often? if not run water to refill the trap, and get this looked at,,,you have a chance of cross contamination of sewer, and drinking water, and the possibility of sewer gas buid up.

Re: What's it for?
 

The sink is not used often. I have looked at it again today and I think i was mistaken as now when i turned either the hot or cold taps on i can see water going along the pipe from the tap fixture in to the ground. I will take some photos and posted them, that male help. Not liking the sound of the sewer gas build up!!!! Thanks for the advice though!

I also have a small plastic box on the living room wall near the floor with DSC on it but no other markings. I have no idea what that is either, but thats for another time!

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

Did you not think to ask the real estate agent when you looked at the house? Or the person who did your pre-purchase home inspection?

Re: What's it for?
 

Didn't bother with an inspection and didn't really noticed it until we had been here a couple of months. I think the house is about 4 years old. I'm assume it must be the same in the other houses on the estate, maybe I will ask a neighbour.

Re: What's it for?
 

Or a drain from a humidifier?

Re: What's it for?
 

No, there is no humidifier there. It's must be for something though, I will find out eventually, not losing any sleep though in the mean time!

Re: What's it for?
 

Can't help with the mysterious pipe in the basement (my guess would have been a drain from a heat exchanger or humidifier... perhaps a rough-in for one that was never installed?) but the box with DSC on it may have something to do with a security system - DSC (Digital Security Controls) is a Canadian manufacturer of alarms and intrusion detection systems. Don't know why it would be mounted near the floor, though? Try www.dsc.com for more info.

Re: What's it for?
 

Surely when you turn on the tap to trigger this syphoning action, the majority of the water is going to end up going down the drain into the trap anyway making it a bit redundant:confused:

Is the water coming up this pipe or down when the tap is on isnt it anyway?

I have no idea what its for. If it were an overflow or a drain why would it syphon water up or down when the tap is on?

Could it be an overflow pipe? Does it flow even if the plug is in the sink and nothing is going down the drain? Im wondering if the drain were partly blocked, would it be possible that back pressure is pushing waste water back up an overflow?

Any pictures yet?

Re: What's it for?
 

We do have a security system so it is probably something to do with that then, not sure what though.

Thanks for your help with that.

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

Could be a phone link to a central security place.

Re: What's it for?
 

I thought it was pulling water up from the ground but having looked again it is not. When you turn the tap on water comes out of the tap obviously, and also along the pipe and in to the ground through the concrete floor, the pipe seems to be fixed at both ends. Don't think it is an overflow as it would be too narrow to be effective. The Bolier and heating/ac is on the other side of the basement so don't think it is related to that.

Charged up my camera last night so will take some photos today and add them on.

Thanks

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

possibily, although I think the alarm system is wired in to the phone system in the basement. Could be an internal buzzer I suppose but would have expected it to be higher up the wall. The only think that annoys me is that it is not on the wall straight and the cover doesn't seem to come off to get at the screws, I guess it must come off somehow but don't want to force it in case it breaks!

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

I have attached some photographs, if it helps. The pipe in question goes straight from the tap fixture in to the concrete floor.

Sorry about the quality but without the flash they were too dark and with the flash washed out so took them without the flash and used software to lighten them.

Thanks

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

I wonder if the area you are in is prone to the land drying out. Many basement floors "float" so if the water lever rises they don't crack as quickly. Here in Winnipeg a new house would always have a sump pump to remove water. I wonder if your pipe is to add water in the event of the ground sinking due to drying out.

Best to get expert advice on this one, otherwise your basement floor might start cracking.

Re: What's it for?
 

Are you aware of any problems with ground water it the area?

Is it to perhaps control the amount of ground water under the foundation by siphoning some of it off each time you use that tap?:confused:

Re: What's it for?
 

This all sounds a bit serious, think i will get some expert advice then. Don't want my house sinking. Especially as we hardly ever use the sink in the basement so what ever it does do, it's not currently doing it as we don't use it!

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

No not aware of any ground water problems, well nobody mentioned it when we bought the place. We do have the storm pond immediately to the rear of the house after the garden, can't see it's anthing to do with that.

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

Is it some sort of anti-syphon feature?

Re: What's it for?
 

Did you get a home inspection? Call your inspector and ask him/her what it is. Ours said we could call any time in years to come with questions (untested but I assume he meant it!), so perhaps yours will be nice like that too?

Re: What's it for?
 

#13;)

Re: What's it for?
 

Do you think I read threads :lol: ?




:o

Re: What's it for?
 

I'm disappointed I thought you were dedicated! :p

Re: What's it for?
 

No, not anymore:p

Re: What's it for?
 

If it's not about hair straighteners or shopping, I'm not really reading it. Consider yourselves lucky I opened a pipes and basements thread at all :lol:

Re: What's it for?
 

I do consider myself lucky having your smiling face on my thread. Even if your comments weren't particularly helpful!! ;)

If I ever have a hair straightener issue I will pm you.

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

I just noticed this thread, and I think a couple of the early answers might be on the right track. Is there a floor drain somewhere else in the basement? Has the laundry room always been upstairs, or was it moved there at some point. If there's no floor drain now, might there have been one at one time? Perhaps the tubing is to provide water to the trap of a floor drain, to prevent it from drying out.

Re: What's it for?
 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I assumed it was a fairly common thing but obviously it's not! I'll ask some of the neighbours, we can't be the only house with this plumbing!

Mark

Re: What's it for?
 

I looked at my utility sink last night, and my taps have a similar sort of fitting plug on the back of them...its just not open or hooked up to anything?

Re: What's it for?
 

Spoke with a guy at work tonight who lives in a new house in this area. He has them same thing on his basement sink, but he doesn't know what it's for either!!

Maybe I'll have a poke around on the internet when i get chance.

Re: What's it for?
 

Med hubby both think its probably something to do with the sump-pump.
Good hunting :thumbup::unsure::rofl:

Re: What's it for?
 

Can you post a picture...you know what they say...