OK, I give up....What is it?

[gmathias]

I found this at my last inspection. It was a pit in the concrete floor of a garage. The relatively cubic shaped pit was lined with sheet metal. It had a sheet metal lid as a cover and a concrete lid with handles to cover it all up. Inside the pit was a metal bucket bolted to the bottom of the metal liner. The bucket had a hinged lid with a hasp. There was a little moisture in the bucket and the metal box, with some corrosion. There was no obvious drain or plumbing associated with it. The home had been vacant for about a year and a half. Has anyone seen anything like this? I wrote it up as an unexplained storage pit, and recommended that the former owner explain it and warrant that no hazardous materials were present.

[Michael Larson]

Is there any possibility it's the access to a backwater valve for the sewer?
Is the property on a hill with homes above it?
These are used to prevent backup of sewage into the home in the event of a bockage downstream of the house. They are a large check valve. IMHO

[Barry Adair]

Although not an ideal location it resembles a floor safe. Most that I've seen have a door with tumblers.

[gmathias]

Actually, a secure hiding place was my best guess. The home is situated on a hill side, but it is on an 8 acre site with no other structures, and I don't think it has any association with an on-site septic system.

[wward]

I found a safe smilier in shape and size in a newer garage floor but had a combination wheel that was rusted stiff!