DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Hole in middle of basement with fluid??

3K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  JDC 
#1 ·
Me and my wife had a inspection done on a house we are buying...The inspector found a hole in middle of basement floor 2inches wide with looks like fluid in it...he had no idea what it was....Now that basement has no signs of mold or flooding...This house is 2 miles away from ocean bay and fire hydrant is right in front of house

This is worrying us and we dontknow what is it, does anyone have any ideas?
 
#4 ·
Mikey,
COuld be a floor drain. If you are only 2 miles from ocean what is the water table in your area? Are you at sea level or up on a hill? I think you might need a new inspector or have the one you have explain what his findings mean since you're so concerned about his report. Don't rush into buying a house; buy with your head and not your heart.
 
#6 ·
MikeyC- -this is two items that your inspector has given you vague information on about the inspection of this house. The fungus/probably mold problem and now this unknown hole in the basement floor. Does the inspector not know how to pull any plans/prints submitted to the local planning commission when they built the house? IF these were filed the mysterious hole should be on there with a reasonable explanation as to it's origins and usage. Actually, I would have the inspector back out for a long talk as to what his exact duties to me, as a potential home buyer, should be. I don't know him, have not met him, but do not like him so far. My 2¢ worth sir, David
 
#8 ·
Did you try pouring water in it to see if it drains?

Is there an odor coming from the hole?

If it smells like bleach, that means there is probably an odor there usually, but the owner or their agent poured the bleach in to cover it up.

We have a 2" hole in our basement floor too. If we pour water in it, it drains into the sump pump.

Good luck figuring it out!

That's good advice from Bob 22 about buying with your head and not with your heart.
 
#9 ·
I'm no expert, but almost sounds like it's a washout, though, it should probably have a cap if it is. May just be a normal drain in case something leaks like a HW heater or washer hose breaks, etc.

If not it may just be a drain, I believe most houses have at least one area in the basement where there is a drain, which normally leads to the sump pump/sump. In my current house there are several of these. There is the actual sump pump which is covered up completely by cabinets (not very smart) then there's a small water drain, for in case something leaks (HW heater used to be around there, so probably for that) then there's a big circle one about 1 foot diameter with a blank cover on it which also has water in it. In my new house that I have not moved in yet I have a washout hole with a cap, and a sump which is big square hole about 1 foot each side where weeping tiles exit to, and there's small holes on the cover to act as a drain, HW heater is near too, so again, it's probably in case it leaks.
 
#10 ·
That hole in the floor.....is it a pipe or does it look like concrete? Is the hole pretty well round or does it look like someone busted it out with a hammer? I'd say its most likely a floor drain and if it is then you need a new home inspector. Floor drains have a trap that holds water to seal out sewer gases. Where are all these home inspection "experts" coming from anyway? Hell maybe I should get out of plumbing and start doing home inspections. How long do they have to go to school to learn to do inspections? Lets see....I had to go for 5 years just for plumbing. I know electricians go for 4-5 years....hmmm....

Of course it MAY just be a hole in the concrete and the water table is high. The <ahem> expert inspector should be able to tell you what it is or have a source to find out.
 
#17 ·
If it is a drain, and there is no trap, then that is also a problem. The point of the trap is so some water stays in it and blocks off vapors from the sewer. We had an issue in our house where at certain times of the year it would smell like sewer in our house. Turned out there was no trap at the sump! Pewww
 
#18 ·
ok...its a floor drain. Its there to catch any large water spill onto the basement floor like from say a failed water heater. Seeing liquid in it is NORMAL. If there was no water in it, it would smell like open @$$. I swear I cant believe the home inspector didnt tell you what it was. These are common.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top