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fastdog818 · Sep 7, 2011, 05:27 AM

I need to seal off a floor drain in my basement. My problem is unique: I have two floor drains (one in the furnace room, which will remain functional, and one in a section of basement which ONCE had a golf-cart garage door, which I want to seal.) I have removed the "garage door," and built a fully insulated wall to make the room into a "kennel" for my show dogs. Therefore the floor drain is no longer needed. WORSE YET, if a puppy pees, it runs downhill into the floor drain. I would rather clean up the occasional spill with a mop, but because of the floor drain, the urine drains into the "trap" and just sits there and smells. It also is a retrofitted Radon drain, which means very poor drainage. The bottom line: I want to seal it off so urine never goes into it. The room is DRY and finished, and otherwise perfect. How do I properly seal it off (it's in the middle of the room, so solutions must fit the floor)?

Milo Dolezal · Sep 7, 2011, 06:38 AM

There are few ways of sealing off floor drain.

1. Push newspaper into the opening about 3" deep. Mix concrete and pour it in
2. Insert plug ( dollar plug, wing nut, plastic cap plug etc ) made specifically for this purpose
3. Remove drain head. If plastic, glue cap over the pipe. If galvanized pipe, screw on gal. cap. If Cast Iron, install Fernco coupling and Blind End.

FYI: I see having drain in kennel as a big plus. In my area, we are required to install so called Primer to each floor drain. Primer continuously drips water into the trap keeping it "fresh". I believe that if you would have a primer installed your problem would be non-existent.

Good luck. Milo

speedball1 · Sep 7, 2011, 07:15 AM

If I'm called to seal off a floor drain I simply remove the strainer/cover, jam some rags down in the trap and fill it with cement, and then level off the depression to floor level.
BUT WAIT! Milo's bang on when he says that a floor drain is a definite plus in a kennel. They are required in my area.
I also second his subjection to install a trap primer, (see image) to keep the water in the trap fresh and odor free. Cheers, Tom

fastdog818 · Sep 7, 2011, 07:46 AM

Thanks for the quick help. A trap primer won't work because the trap is in the middle of a finished room, but I can see why it would be a great idea otherwise. I think the term kennel probably conjured up a bigger vision than what I meant. We dog-show people refer to Kennel in different terms. A pee-accident is infrequent (the room is otherwise pristine clean), but if it gets into the drain is becomes a problem, hence my need.

I should have thought of this problem before I so carefully trimmed and sealed in my new vinyl flooring to the drain plate!

So I plan to trim out a square of vinyl flooring, remove the plate and cement the drain closed as suggested. Then I will put a vinyl patch from the left over vinyl, glued up professionally so no leaks or edges.

If you think this is a bad idea, let me know.

speedball1 · Sep 7, 2011, 09:52 AM

Do I understand that you're simply going to Glue a patch vinyl over the floor drain and that's it?
So what happens when the trap seal evaporates and sewer gas begins to escape from the open connection to the city sewer? You think doggie pee smells bad? Seal that trap before you cover it up. Good luck, Tom

fastdog818 · Sep 7, 2011, 11:31 AM

My plan: remove the drain coverplate (with all the holes in it) which is currently perfectly sealed to the vinyl floor and nice and even. Cut the vinyl floor back into a good size that allows a seam to disappear into the pattern (it's basically a square stone pattern, seaming should be straightforward). Remove the drain workings, and vaccuum and dry completely. Either plug the pipe itself with an expanding plug or concrete over paper wad to seal off, filling the entire drain trap. Either using floor leveling compaound or cement, level it off all nice to a smooth floor.
Piece in the replacement vinyl. Looks easy now that I wrote it down..

mygirlsdad77 · Sep 7, 2011, 03:47 PM

Sounds like a good plan to me. Should be all set.

speedball1 · Sep 7, 2011, 06:45 PM

I'd opt for cement to seal the trap.
Expandable plugs could lose their pressure over the years , Better safe then sorry.. Good luck, Tom

ballengerb1 · Sep 7, 2011, 08:21 PM

I go with Milo and Tom's first ideas but would first pour 3 cups of cooking oil into the trap. The water could, over time evaporate but the oil will be there for a long, long time.