Bottomless Pit?

[ekartal6]

Hello Fellow Inspectors,

In a full unfinished basement today there was small, rectangular (about 10"x14" ) shaped pit full of gravel and dirt right near some plumbing rough ins. 14 year old townhome. No pictures. (I broke my camera AND an attic access hatch in the garage today.)

Any idea what this pit may be? I couldn't even reach the bottom of it.

Thanks
Erol Kartal

[Frank Newman]

Possibly a pit for a sump pump that was never installed?

[ekartal6]

Too small of opening plus it's rectangular. Like I said it's only about 10" x 14".

[Stephen W. Stanczyk]

If there was rough-in plumbing nearby, my guess is it was for a laundry sump. My basement laundry sink drains into a similarly size sump (through a drain line in the concrete floor, where it is pumped up into the main waste pipe by a pedestal pump that is about 40 inches high. The extra depth contains the bubbles/suds.

[ekartal6]

Thanks Frank and Steve. Since this a direct opening to the soil, should this be sealed off if not going to be used? I have concern with it being an easy radium entry source.

[Stephen W. Stanczyk]

I am not sure if mine is concrete at the bottom, or open with gravel at the bottom. I will check tomorrow. We don't have the radon problem in my area like you guys do so there are very few that check.

I wonder if it is actually a concrete bottom with gravel put in to keep the pump out of the laundry gunk that accumulates?

[ekartal6]

The guy's wife called it a built-in litter box.

Thanks again.

Erol

[Larry D. Kage]

Erol,

Typically, the boxed out area is for the tub drain...room for the trap and such and to be able to get at it. You should find a capped drain pipe down there waiting for the tub to be hooked up.

[David P. Valley]

It's got to be a SUMP PIT...or even the clean out area for the main sewer.

[phinsperger]

Other than a very small sump pit the only other thing I can think of is that someone was going to add a column and never finished. What the main floor like? Is there a beam directly above?

[homebild]

Originally Posted by lkage

Erol,

Typically, the boxed out area is for the tub drain...room for the trap and such and to be able to get at it. You should find a capped drain pipe down there waiting for the tub to be hooked up.

I agree.

This is how a basement rough-in is usually constructed.

[bdoles2]

Basement plumbing rough-in. PICTURE

[ekartal6]

Great feedback. Thanks!

Larry maybe the winner, I had some calls from people that have said the same. It's definetly not your typical sump pit. The gravel and dirt are at floor level.

[Frank Newman]

You'll probably never know unless someone digs the gravel out and looks !!

[Ian Gills]

David, you'll put sump pump manufacturers out of business with diagrams like that.

Tonight, my pump is coming out and off come the caps to the clean-outs. Discharge to the main sewer line. Beautiful.