Thread Number: 75260
/ Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
Floor drains |
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Post# 990892   4/15/2018 at 20:20 (2,195 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)   |   | |
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Folks, please help me understanding Why a floor drain in the laundry room or in the kitchen is almost impossible to be seen here in the USA? |
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Post# 990894 , Reply# 1   4/15/2018 at 20:52 (2,195 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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Mostly because most old floor drains do not go into the septic system and it supposedly hurts the environment to just drain outside and have mostly been outlawed because of the crap going in them, especially from garages, leaking anti-freeze and oil etc. I wanted one in my basement, but was told no. All soaps have no phosphates now and that is what hurts the environment. They are so adamant about septic systems here, but these jerks spread fertilizer right up to the lakes edge to have a beautiful lawn and its all phosperous that runs right back in the lake after the next rain, but that is fine?
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Post# 990904 , Reply# 2   4/15/2018 at 23:05 (2,194 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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All with their own building codes that cover plumbing. Piled on may be local rules/codes on top; so without narrowing things down to a particular area it is hard to give an definite answer.
In general much will depend upon what sort of waste one is speaking of and or where the floor drain is to be located. This goes further taking into account will water go to a septic or local sewage system. This being said it isn't "impossible" to have floor drains, at least not in commercial/industrial settings. Laundromats, laundries and others use washers without pumps have drainage troughs that lead to drains. IIRC many commercial kitchens have floor drains to aid in cleaning (easier to hose down floors or whatever). Am also thinking of places that use various washing machines or dishwashers that could in theory overflow and or need to be drained.... Think main reason why you don't see floor drains in residential kitchens or laundry rooms any longer has to do with they are no longer needed. For decades now semi and fully automatic washing machines along with dishwashers have come with pumps. Thus whatever reasons for having/putting up with floor drains were removed. |
Post# 990940 , Reply# 4   4/16/2018 at 08:29 (2,194 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)   |   | |
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You are encountering the same things all of us who come to the US from more technologically advanced countries encounter - NIH. Not invented here. You may have a floor drain in my state, provided it is hooked up to a 'grease separator' and the sewer line in your municipality is certified to run separately from the storm drains with no interconnection. Sigh. Americans stopped innovating and learning when St. Ronnie von Rayguns came into office. It's been pure polarization and resistance to anything anyone else on the planet does better ever since. |
Post# 990942 , Reply# 5   4/16/2018 at 08:50 (2,194 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)   |   | |
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Post# 990950 , Reply# 6   4/16/2018 at 09:59 (2,194 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 990981 , Reply# 7   4/16/2018 at 13:01 (2,194 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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In Northeast and Mid-West, and or places that were cold enough to warrant or had steam/hot water heating there would be floor drains. For one thing to drain water should the boilers overflow. Other reasons would be for routine maintenance such as clean out. Far easier to let water drain on to floor and down drain then to rely upon buckets.
Also *think* in homes with basements that can flood and or where there is a water heater you find either floor drains or sump pumps. Main worry about floor drains (especially old ones) is keeping the thing clean and sanitary. This and then you have worries about vermin/pests. Cannot speak for anywhere else but here in NYC when it is warm/humid long enough "bugs" start coming up from the sewers into basement, ground and even first floor drains. Local plumbing codes long have mandated screening on pipes leading from sewers to keep out rats/mice; but "bugs" are another matter. Saw a beautiful older French washing machine on CL several months back. It was a H-axis top loader which always gets one's vote. Besides the distance the thing required a floor drain because it didn't have a pump. This washer was made in France for sale in Asia (Thailand IIRC) where apparently washing machines without pumps are very popular. One either lets the hose drain out off balcony, porch, etc... or into a floor drain. |
Post# 990984 , Reply# 8   4/16/2018 at 13:17 (2,194 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Years ago while reading about early 1900's immigrant experiences in NYC came upon a story of an tenement in Little Italy where the housewife (fresh off the boat) decided to clean the floors of apartment the only way she knew how; throwing buckets of water.... Neighbors from floors below promptly began banging on her door shouting "the greenhorn is going to drown us...."
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Post# 991049 , Reply# 11   4/17/2018 at 04:57 (2,193 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)   |   | |
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Post# 991058 , Reply# 12   4/17/2018 at 06:20 (2,193 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 991088 , Reply# 13   4/17/2018 at 10:49 (2,193 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Were banned long ago in this area because the water in the drain trap evaporates over time and then sewer gases back up in the house, the only way you can have them is if you install a driper that constantly drips water in the drain.
The best way to add one to your basement is to break up the floor and install a basement shower where the floor of the shower stall is a few inches below the floor level, this will make a very good floor drain in the event of a basement flood. John L. |
Post# 991144 , Reply# 16   4/17/2018 at 16:46 (2,193 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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Post# 991217 , Reply# 17   4/18/2018 at 08:08 (2,192 days old) by vacerator (Macomb, Michigan)   |   | |
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and in Cairo too! I was watching some movie or show once, I don't remember, but they were joking that the sewage plant in L.A. over flows during the heavy rainy season into the ocean. |
Post# 991336 , Reply# 18   4/18/2018 at 22:24 (2,191 days old) by cornutt (Huntsville, AL USA)   |   | |
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We have floor drains in our garage and utility room. They combine with the foundation French drains, which drain to daylight. Our air conditioner condensate drains into the floor drain in the utility room. |
Post# 991938 , Reply# 19   4/24/2018 at 05:11 (2,186 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Post# 991968 , Reply# 20   4/24/2018 at 11:33 (2,186 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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My sister lives part time in Brazil and told me she had a floor drain even in the kitchen in her appartment! The only kitchens I have seen here with a floor drain are those in restaurants!
I have one in my basement which is close to the boiler and water heater and I have one in my garage but that's the only two places you can expect to see this in houses around here. My sister also told me that in Brazil, you're not expected to throw toilet paper in the toilet as it could cause some plumbing issues. I don't know if that's true everywhere in Brazil but to North Americans, that's weird and this is something I couldn't adapt to! Other things like heated shower heads are things I wouldn't have thought existed if she had not told me about them (she had a regular water heater and hot water at the tap at her home). I get that cold water isn't near as cold as here. |
Post# 991978 , Reply# 22   4/24/2018 at 14:31 (2,186 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Another thing that apparently isn't popular in Brazil is bathtubs. My sister's husband who's from Brazil told me he didn't think it was an appropriate way to wash ourselves in a bath! I told him I almost always take my bath but then I either fill it again with clean water to rinse myself or rinse with the shower!
BTW, there used to be a time when water saving wasn't a concern and our sinks didn't have areators and our showers were not as restricted! I just replaced the crappy water saving shower I had in my basement with a slightly older one that throws some water! I think taking a shower now uses more water than taking a bath but since I seldom use it, it's not a concern to me! I did the same with 3 faucets that I replaced with old ones without aerators. Now there's plenty of water coming out and it doesn't take a minute before I get hot water! I still need to replace the one in my kitchen one with an older faucet. About floor drains, I guess since most homes have their kitchen and bathrooms on a wood floor here, that's another reason why having a floor drain would require a lot of sealing work... Even my laundry room that's behind my garage at ground level has a wood floor a few inches above the concrete slab and it's the same for most of my basement. The ceramic tiles aren't directly over the concrete. Instead of drains, there are 3 power outlets in the floor of my basement. I'm wondering what would happen if it gets flooded as I have to walk across that room to shut off the breakers. I have a few other reasons to wish it never happens! I noticed that refrigerators in Brazil are often raised on tall legs (as seen on the last two pics), I guess it's to avoid that the bottom part rusts because of water on the floor? I've never seen such a thing here or in the US. |
Post# 992024 , Reply# 24   4/24/2018 at 20:55 (2,186 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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The refrigerators which could be moved with the blower from a vacuum cleaner were GM Frigidaire. It was marketed as a Canadian invention for 1965 models and US models had it the next year in 1966. In Canada, they even got portable dishwashers with a built-in blower motor and that Ride-Aire feature.
You say this was also available in Brazil? See the link below for more info. CLICK HERE TO GO TO PhilR's LINK |
Post# 992025 , Reply# 25   4/24/2018 at 20:57 (2,186 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 992038 , Reply# 26   4/25/2018 at 00:42 (2,185 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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" Didn't or don't always translate into dry wash days. *LOL* "
Well, not when you're using an array of obsolete labor intensive laundry devices... so much easier with modern fully automatic washers hooked up to hot and cold water and a functional drain standpipe. "electric shower heads" Well, I really could have used one of those a few weeks ago when my water heater was on the fritz. On the other hand, I wonder how many people have been electrocuted by malfunctioning electric shower heads. High bottom fridges Reminds me of visiting some friends living in Hawaii a few decades ago. In the course of conversation they offered up that fridge in Hawaii don't last very long, because of the humidity. They tend to rust out. I imagine parts of Brazil might also be rather humid. |
Post# 992055 , Reply# 28   4/25/2018 at 07:19 (2,185 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)   |   | |
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Back to the showerheads, now there are some fancy hybrid models. You select a temperature you want and it detects the inlet temperature. Great if you have a solar system and don't want to run the backup heater in the tank. When the water starts to arrive cold, because you used all the hot water in the tank, it gradually kicks in, so you can't notice any temperature difference |
Post# 992106 , Reply# 30   4/25/2018 at 15:53 (2,185 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area)   |   | |
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I remember one of my cousins having a Frigidaire with the air-ride feature, as did my mom's friend Frances. |