Hello,

I have a new house, less than a year old. In the basement, the furnace and hot water tank are beside each other. In front and between them is a drain.

Over the last week or so, I have noticed a puddle of water around the drain. It travels to the base of the furnace. There is nothing around the water tank. There is water surrounding the base of the furnace, though mostly just moisture - the real water is around the drain.

I shone a flashlight in the drain and can see water. Is this normal? Is it backed up? Do I need to snake it?

I do have a disposal in the main floor kitchen, could this be the cause?

I am a DIY rookie, any help would be more than appreciated.

-Neely

The water in your drain is supposed to be there so no worries there. The water in your trap creates a barrier keeping out sewer gasses that would otherwise come up through the drain.

I don't really know what the water under the furnace could be about, I'm kind of curious to hear what speedball or one of the other experts has to say though... I might learn something! Condensation overflowing the pan maybe?

As for the water around your hotwater tank, is not so good you
If water were to sit under your hot water tank for a period it could rust and corrode the feet on the tank until they gave way, which could be pretty costly especially if your tank is high efficiency natural gas.
I kept mine off the basement floor by pouring a 6" concrete pad just in case, but as long as you keep an eye on the water you shouldn't have to go to that extreme.

Big Kill was correct. The water that you see in the bottom of your floor drain is the trap seal.
You have failed to inform us very much about your furnace. Hot air" hot water? Is there a hot water "furnace coil" from the heater involved?
Let's take a look at another possible source. Look at the line from the T & P,(Temperature and Pressure) valve on your heater. Where does it terminate?
Outside? To a pan under the heater? Or does it just point twards the floor?
Do you have a cold water check valve on the heater supply or a backflow preventer outside near the meter? Is there a expansion tank connected to the cold water supply to the heater?
On another note. If your house is less the a year old it should still be covered by a builders warranty. Why not just let them hassle with the problem?
Regards, Tom